Roast Chicken And Grilled Eggplant Lasagna

By MooK

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, quartered
• 1 box lasagna pasta
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 3 eggplants
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 large handful basil, chopped
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
• 20 ounces ricotta cheese
• 24 ounces passata (or a tin of chopped tomatoes)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• pine nuts
• olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Slice the eggplant lengthwise and grill on a griddle pan with a generous splash of olive oil for each slice. When done set aside to cool.
In a large pot, heat some olive oil and brown the chicken pieces for a few minutes on each side, but don’t cook them through. Once done, set aside.
In the same pot, heat some olive oil and add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook for a good while until they are softened and have changed color. Add the wine and cook out.
When the wine is almost all cooked out, return the chicken and add the passata and garlic.
Cook until the meat falls from the bone. Depending on the age and type of bird this will take from 40-60 minutes.
Remove the pieces of chicken and scrape the meat off the bone. Return the meat to the pot and discard the bones. Add the basil.
Allow the chicken mix to cool to room temperature. At the same time, cook the lasagna pasta al dente.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl stir the ricotta, cheddar and Parmesan until completely mixed.
Using a large baking dish, ladle out a layer of the chicken ragu, then a layer of grilled eggplant, then lasagna, then cheese. Repeat this process for at least three levels.
On top of the last layer, grate over plenty of cheddar and Parmesan cheese and sprinkle over some pine nuts.
Bake covered with a lid or aluminum foil for 30 minutes then remove the cover and bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown up top.