Friday, May 16, 2008

Mushroom Lasagne

Wild Mushroom Lasagne
For mushroom filling:
3 cups water
2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms (about 1 cup)
2 pounds fresh white mushrooms
2 large zucchini (about 1 pound)
1 large onion
3 garlic cloves
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons sherry
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
5 cups whole milk
4 1/2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan (about 1 1/2 cups), plus 1 1/2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan (about 1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
18 (7 by 3 1/2-inch) sheets dry no-boil lasagne (about 1 pound)
1/2 pound freshly grated mozzarella (about 2 cups)

Make filling: In a small saucepan bring water to a boil and remove pan from heat. Stir in the porcini. Soak the porcini 20 minutes. Lift out the porcini, squeezing out excess liquid, and reserve soaking liquid. In a sieve, rinse the porcini to remove any grit and pat dry. Chop the porcini and transfer to a large bowl. Simmer reserved soaking liquid until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Pour liquid through a sieve lined with a dampened paper towel into bowl with the porcini. Quarter white mushrooms and in a food processor pulse in 3 batches until finely chopped. Cut zucchini into 1/4-inch dice. Chop onion and mince garlic. In a 12-inch heavy skillet heat 1 tablespoon butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and cook 1/3 white mushrooms with 2 tablespoons sherry, stirring, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and they begin to brown. Add mushroom mixture to the porcini. Cook remaining mushrooms in 2 batches in butter with remaining sherry in same manner and add to the porcini mixture. In skillet cook zucchini in 1 tablespoon butter until tender and stir into the porcini mixture. In skillet cook onion in remaining tablespoon butter, stirring, until softened. Stir in garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir onion into mushroom mixture until combined. Filling may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

Make sauce: In a 3-quart heavy saucepan melt butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes and whisk in milk. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking constantly, and simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes. Stir in Parmesan, mustard, and salt. Remove pan from heat and cover surface of sauce with waxed paper. Sauce may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring sauce to room temperature before proceeding.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. and butter a 13 by 9-inch (3-quart) baking dish.
Assemble lasagne: Spread 1 1/4 cups sauce in baking dish and cover with 3 pasta sheets, making sure they don't touch each other. Spread one third filling over pasta sheets in dish and top with 3 more pasta sheets, gently pressing down layers to remove air pockets. Top pasta sheets with 1/3 mozzarella. Continue layering in same manner with sauce, pasta sheets, filling, and mozzarella, ending with mozzarella (dish will be filled to rim). Spread remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with Parmesan. On a foil-lined large baking sheet, bake lasagne in middle of oven until bubbling and golden, about 45 minutes. Let lasagne stand 20 minutes. Lasagne may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring lasagne to room temperature and reheat before serving.

2 comments:

RustLover said...

Ok, I call for more recipes, Jared darling! I need your creativity--and since I have your attention, I request 5-minute meals, which aren't you're specialty, I know, but how can I make great stuff like you but faster? Ready go! ;)

Happy October!

Jenny Beard

The crazy cut. said...

Jared! It's been ages, but I just stumbled across your blog address written down on a piece of paper. For kicks and giggles, I'd see if I could find it... and I did! Hope all is well with you..

~Jamie