Delicious Lasagna Is Made With Chicken and Two Kinds of Cheeses

Dear SOS: On a recent trip to Victoria in British Columbia we had a delicious chicken lasagna at Pagliacci’s restaurant. If you could get the recipe it would be greatly appreciated. I am sure your readers would enjoy it, too.

--JUDY

Dear Judy: Howie Siegel and his brother, David, who once lived in Los Angeles, operate Pagliacci’s and were happy to share their recipe with their hometown paper. There is enough lasagna to make two full pans. Use one and freeze the other for another day.

PAGLIACCI’S CHICKEN LASAGNA

2 to 3 pounds boneless chicken breasts

Tomato Sauce

24 fresh lasagna noodles, uncooked, or 24 dried noodles, cooked

1 pound shredded mozzarella

2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Parsley

Bake chicken breasts at 375 degrees 25 minutes or until just tender. Remove from oven, cool enough to handle, then skin and cut into cubes. Set aside.

Spread each of 2 (13x9-inch) baking pans with some of Tomato Sauce. Layer each pan with some of lasagna noodles, some of cubed chicken, then cover with more sauce. Top sauce with some of shredded mozzarella and sprinkle with some of Parmesan cheese.

Top with another layer of noodles, remaining chicken and more sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover with remaining noodles and top with remaining sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. Sprinkle with parsley. Bake at 350 degrees 45 minutes until bubbly. Let stand 30 minutes before serving. Makes 6 to 8 servings per pan.

Tomato Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 cup diced onion

2 to 3 bay leaves

1 cup chopped zucchini

1 cup chopped mixed sweet red and green peppers

1 (48-ounce) canned crushed tomatoes

1 (14-ounce) can tomato puree

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1 tablespoon whole fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon crushed dried hot chiles

1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried basil

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons sugar

Salt, pepper

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/2 cup red wine

Heat olive oil in saucepan. Add garlic, onion and bay leaves and saute until onion is tender. Add zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, tomato puree and tomato paste. Add fennel seeds, crushed chiles, basil, oregano, sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add parsley and wine. Heat through.

HARVEY WALLBANGER CAKE

1 (18.25-ounce) package Duncan Hines deluxe yellow cake mix

3/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup Galliano

1/4 cup vodka

3 eggs

1/3 cup Crisco or Puritan oil

Powdered sugar, optional

Grease and lightly flour 10-inch tube pan. Place cake mix, orange juice, Galliano, vodka, eggs and oil in large mixing bowl. Beat 4 minutes at medium speed.

Turn batter into pan and spread evenly. Bake at 350 degrees 45 to 50 minutes. Cool 25 minutes in pan before removing from pan. Sift powdered sugar over top.

Dear SOS: I would love to have the recipe for Scandia’s meatballs, frickadiller. So many good restaurants in Los Angeles go out of business and the recipes are lost forever.

--DIXIE

Dear Dixie: Not this one.

SCANDIA’S MEATBALLS

1/2 cup soft bread crumbs

1 cup milk

1/2 pound twice-ground beef or veal

1/2 pound twice-ground pork

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Dash allspice

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup clarified butter

Flour

Milk, broth or consomme

Soak bread crumbs in 1/2 cup milk. Combine moistened crumbs with beef, pork, egg, salt, pepper and allspice.

Cook onion in butter until tender and add to meat mixture. Beat mixture while slowly adding remaining 1/2 cup lukewarm milk. Chill until mixture is firm enough to roll into appetizer-size meatballs.

Heat clarified butter in skillet. Add meatballs and fry. When cooked through, drain off fat. Dust meatballs lightly with flour. Add milk, broth or consomme for gravy and simmer a few minutes. Adjust seasoning. Makes 50 to 60 appetizers.