We made this recipe for Mushroom Lasagna. The recipe read better than it tasted to us. I think it was a little too moist. I guess I like a dryer Lasagna.
Mushroom Lasagna
New York Times
This lasagna tastes very
rich, even though it really isn’t. It combines an olive oil béchamel with a
simple mushroom ragout and Parmesan cheese. I prefer no-boil lasagna noodles
because they’re lighter than regular lasagna noodles. But I still boil them
because I think the results are better if they’re cooked until they’re flexible
(a couple of minutes) first.
Ingredients
FOR THE MUSHROOMS
1 ounce about 1 cup
dried porcini or shiitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon extra
virgin olive oil
2 shallots or 1
small onion, finely chopped
2 to
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound cremini
mushrooms, sliced
Salt
½ cup fruity red
wine, such as a Côtes du Rhône or Syrah
1 teaspoon
fresh thyme leaves
Freshly
ground pepper
FOR THE BÉCHAMEL
2 tablespoons extra
virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons
minced shallot or onion
2 tablespoons
sifted all-purpose flour
2 cups milk (may
use low-fat milk)
Salt
freshly
ground pepper
FOR THE LASAGNA
½ pound no-boil
lasagna noodles
4 ounces Parmesan
cheese, grated 1 cup
A few leaves of
fresh sage(optional)
Preparation
1. Place the dried mushrooms in a glass measuring cup and
pour 2 cups boiling water over them. Let soak 30 minutes, while you prepare the
other ingredients. Place a strainer over a bowl, line it with cheesecloth or
paper towels, and drain the mushrooms. Squeeze the mushrooms over the strainer
to extract all the flavorful juices. If using shiitakes, cut away and discard
the stems. Then rinse the mushrooms, away from the bowl with the soaking liquid,
until they are free of sand. Squeeze dry and set aside. Chop coarsely. Measure
out 1 1/2 cups of the soaking liquid and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet
over medium heat and add the shallots or onion. Cook, stirring often, until
tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir together for about 30 seconds,
then add the fresh and reconstituted mushrooms and salt to taste. Cook,
stirring often, until the mushrooms begin to soften and to sweat, about 5
minutes. Add the wine and turn the heat to high. Cook, stirring, until the
liquid boils down and glazes the mushrooms, 5 to 10 minutes. Add thyme and stir
in the mushroom soaking liquid. Bring to a simmer, add salt, and cook over
medium-high heat, stirring often, until the mushrooms are thoroughly tender and
fragrant and the surrounding broth has reduced by a little more than half,
about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in some freshly ground
pepper, taste and adjust salt.
3. Meanwhile, make the béchamel. Heat the oil over medium
heat in a heavy saucepan. Add the shallot or onion and cook, stirring, until
softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for about 3
minutes, until smooth and bubbling, but not browned. It should have the texture
of wet sand. Whisk in the milk all at once and bring to a simmer, whisking all
the while, until the mixture begins to thicken. Turn the heat to very low and
simmer, stirring often with a whisk and scraping the bottom and edges of the
pan with a rubber spatula, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce is thick and
has lost its raw-flour taste. Season with salt and pepper. Strain while hot
into the pan with the mushrooms.
4. Assemble the lasagna. Heat the oven to 350 degrees
Fahrenheit. Oil or butter a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Bring a large pot
of water to a boil, salt generously and add 3 or 4 lasagna noodles, just the
number you need for one layer. Cook only until flexible, and using tongs or a
skimmer, remove from the pan and set on a kitchen towel to drain. Spoon a thin
layer of béchamel and mushrooms over the bottom of the dish. Top with a layer
of noodles. Spread a ladleful of the mushroom/béchamel mixture over the noodles
and top with a layer of Parmesan. Cook the next layer of noodles and continue
to repeat the layers (I get three layers in my pan), ending with a layer of the
mushroom/béchamel mixture topped with Parmesan. Cover with foil and place
in the oven. Bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and if you want the edges of the
noodles crispy and the top lightly browned, continue to bake uncovered for
another 5 to 10 minutes. Serve hot or warm.
No comments:
Post a Comment