Lasagne al Forno

Milford's Corner has been open now for about seven months and until now I have avoided making one of my favorite -- and most time consuming -- dishes: lasagne al forno. Since we were closed last week for Songkran, I took advantage of the break to start making the various components of that wonderful oven-baked pasta casserole which will be this Friday's special.

Like many casseroles, there are about as many versions of lasagne as there are cooks. Our version has three main ingredients, each of which is home made separately over a period of days and then assembled for final baking. First, there is the sauce, made with fresh tomatoes, red wine and ground pork simmered slowly for a while until the sauce is thick and flavorful.

Then there is the homemade cultured dairy product which is processed to separate out the whey and yield a thick creamy consistency. Finally, there is the egg pasta.

Now there is a lot of debate about homemade pasta; some say that it must be made with durum semolina, other say regular all purpose flour will suffice. For me, the issue is very simple: use the momma mia rule. Momma mias always use regular flour and make the best pasta in the world. In my view, it is not the flour but the love which goes into the pasta. Hence, we use regular flour and lots and lots of love.

Whenever possible, the final assembly and preparation is always done the day before serving. This allows the flavors to blend to the maximum into the pasta and gives you the best tasing results.

So, if you want to experience a delicious lasagne infused with momma mia's love, come on by MC on Friday and Mangia!

Pre-Songkran Weekend

On order from a very high authority,  Milford's Corner will be closed for the entire week of Songkran. Specifically, we will be closed starting on Sunday, April 10th up to and including Monday, April 18th, reopening on Tuesday April 19th.

To warm up for the holidays, I thought it would be interesting to do something a little different for this final weekend. So, tonight for our Friday special we will have roast leg of lamb  with roast potatoes and pumpkin together with asparagus.  Tomorrow, for our weekly BBQ we will have our usual barbecue ribs, sausages, and  pork chops  but we'll also offer  some Indian style grilled chicken.  Plus,as part of our coming to terms with Thai beef  project, we will grill up some beef fillet steaks.

 So come on out and join us as we get ready to celebrate another Thai New Year. Sawatdee Pee Mai!