Mushroom Lasagna With Shallots Recipes

SPINACH, MUSHROOM, AND FOUR CHEESE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook for 2 minutes. Drain in a fine mesh strainer, pressing with a large spoon to release as much water as possible. Finely chop and set aside.
• In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and black pepper, and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender and have given off their liquid, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• To make the bechamel sauce, in a large saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, to make a light roux, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add the milk and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the nutmeg, and 1 cup of the Parmesan and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• In a bowl, combine the ricotta, fontina, and mozzarella cheeses. Fold in 1/4 cup of the bechamel sauce.
• Across the bottom of a deep-dish lasagna pan (13 by 9-inches), spoon enough bechamel sauce to cover (about 1/2 cup). Then add 1/4 of the mushrooms and sprinkle 1/4 of the spinach across. Arrange a layer of cooked noodles side-by-side across the sauce. Spread another layer of bechamel over the noodles and top with more spinach, mushrooms, and cheese. Repeat layering with sauce, noodles, spinach, and cheese 2 more times, ending with noodles on top. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups of Parmesan over the top, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake until the noodles are tender and the lasagna is hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until golden brown on top, about 10 minutes.
• Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Serve hot.

MUSHROOM LASAGNA

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

MUSHROOM LASAGNA WITH SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Grease a 9" x 12" baking dish.
• Melt 4 tbs of the butter in a pan and add the garlic, shallots, and mushroomes and cook until soft.
• Stir in the spinach, parmesan cheese, nutmeg, and basil and season with salt and pepper.
• Melt the remaining butter in another pan over low heat and add the flour until absorbed.
• Gradually stir in the milk, stirring constantly until thick.
• Stir in 1/4 cup of the Cheshire cheese and season.
• Spread half of the mushroom and spinach mixture over the base of the baking dish and cover with a layer of noodles, and then with half of the cheese sauce. Repeat the process and sprinkle over the remaining Cheshire cheese. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes or until bubbling and golden.

CREAMY MUSHROOM LASAGNE

Steps:

• For the ragu, put the dried porcini mushrooms in a heatproof mug and cover with 125ml boiling water from the kettle. Set aside. Finely chop the chestnut mushrooms or blitz in a food processor to fine pieces.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole over a high heat and fry the onions, carrots and chopped chestnut mushrooms with a pinch of salt for 15 mins until the water released by the mushrooms has evaporated, stirring now and then. The mushrooms should be a deep brown colour and the other veg should be soft and slightly coloured.
• Add the mixed mushrooms, garlic and most of the thyme, and cook for another 5 mins until the mushrooms have started to soften. Drain the rehydrated porcini, add the soaking liquid to the pan, then finely chop the porcini and add that too. Stir in the wine, passata, ketchup and paprika to combine. Simmer for 25 mins until the ragu has reduced and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season generously with sea salt flakes and a grinding of black pepper.
• Meanwhile, make the béchamel. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the bay and cook for a minute. Scatter in the flour and stir until you have a sticky paste. Add the milk in stages, whisking between each addition until you have a thick sauce. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 3-4 mins, stirring occasionally until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Remove the bay, then mix in the crème fraîche, a generous grating of nutmeg and seasoning.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Rub the olive oil over the base and sides of a large ceramic baking dish (ours was 35 x 20 x 6cm). Arrange a layer of lasagne sheets in the base (you may need to break them so they fit), then spoon over a layer of the mushroom ragu, drizzle with some of the béchamel, and scatter over a handful of the mozzarella. Repeat until you have used all the ragu and the final layer of lasagne sheets, then smooth over a thick layer of béchamel. Sprinkle over the remaining mozzarella and bake for 40-45 mins until the filling is bubbling and the top is golden. Leave to rest for 10 mins, then sprinkle with the remaining thyme leaves before serving.