Cooking time: about 35 minutes
ingredients
serves 4 - 6
1/2 cup butter
2 onions, finely chopped
3 pound spinach, washed and stripped of its stalks
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 pound noodles, cooked
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 2/3 cups white sauce (below)
1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
method
1. Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Melt half the butter in a large pan. Fry the onions until golden.
2. Put in the spinach and cook until reduced — about 10 minutes. Season. Add the eggs and cook, stirring, until they are just beginning to set. Remove from the heat.
3. Spread half the noodles over the bottom of a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese and cover with half the spinach mixture. Repeat the layers, then pour the sauce over the top.
4. Melt the remaining butter in a clean pan. Add the breadcrumbs and stir well. Scatter this mixture over the sauce layer. Bake for 20 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
making white sauce
1 1/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
salt and white pepper
pinch of nutmeg or mace
1. To make a roux, melt the butter in a pan. Off" the heat add the flour and stir in. Return to the heat and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continually.
2. Warm the milk in a separate pan. Heat through for easing blending but on no account let it boil.
3. Off the heat add a little warm milk to the roux. Stir vigorously until blended. Add the remaining milk, stirring all the time.
4. Return to the heat, stirring all the time. Bring to the boil.
5. Add seasonings then cover and cook over a low heat for up to 5 minutes.
