Chicken lasagne

A white lasagne with no tomato. Chicken thighs are poached and shredded, and the poaching stock goes into the einkorn béchamel. Mushrooms and spinach make up the rest of the filling. The pasta is the same fresh einkorn dough as the beef lasagne.

• Serves 8, 33 × 23 cm (13 × 9 in) dish
• Active 1½ hours
• Total about 3 hours

Chicken and filling

• 900 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 300 g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• Leaves from 4 thyme sprigs
• 100 ml dry white wine
• 200 g baby spinach
• Salt and pepper

Einkorn pasta

• 400 g fresh-milled whole einkorn flour, sifted (see notes)
• 4 large eggs and 2 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp fine salt

Einkorn chicken béchamel

• 90 g butter
• 75 g fresh-milled whole einkorn flour
• 800 ml whole milk, warmed
• 300 ml of the chicken poaching stock, warm
• ¼ tsp grated nutmeg, 1 tsp salt

To assemble

• 120 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
• 250 g low-moisture mozzarella, grated

Method

Chicken and filling

1. Put the chicken in a pan, cover it with the stock, and bring it to a bare simmer. Cook gently, covered, for 20–25 minutes, until it reaches 75 °C (165 °F) inside. Lift the chicken out and shred it with two forks. Measure 300 ml of the stock for the sauce.
2. Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat. Cook the onion for 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook until their liquid has gone and they're browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme for 1 minute.
3. Pour in the wine and let it bubble until almost gone. Season well.
4. Wilt the spinach in a separate pan with a splash of water. Tip it into a sieve, press out as much liquid as you can, and chop it roughly. Any water left in the spinach ends up in the lasagne and makes it soupy.
5. Mix the chicken, mushrooms and spinach in a bowl.

Pasta

1. Heap the flour on a worktop and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs, yolks, oil and salt to the well. Beat them with a fork, gradually drawing in the flour.
2. Knead for 3–5 minutes, until smooth. If it's crumbly, add a teaspoon of water or beaten egg at a time. If it's sticky, dust it lightly with flour.
3. Wrap the dough and rest it for 30 minutes at room temperature.
4. Cut the dough into 6 pieces. Roll each through a pasta machine, starting at the widest setting and working down to the second- or third-thinnest. Cut the sheets to fit your dish and lay them on a floured cloth.

Béchamel

1. Melt the butter, whisk in the flour, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until it smells nutty.
2. Whisk in the warm milk and stock a ladleful at a time. Simmer for 5 minutes, whisking, until it coats a spoon. Season with the nutmeg and salt, then stir in half the Parmesan.
3. Stir about a third of the sauce into the chicken mixture.

Assemble and bake

1. Heat the oven to 190 °C (375 °F).
2. Spread a thin layer of béchamel in the dish. Then layer pasta, chicken filling, béchamel and a handful of mozzarella. Repeat 3–4 times. Finish with pasta, the rest of the béchamel, the rest of the mozzarella, and the rest of the Parmesan.
3. The fresh sheets go in raw. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake for 20–25 minutes more, until bubbling and golden.
4. Rest for 20 minutes before cutting.