Wild Mushroom And Cauliflower Lasagna Food

WILD MUSHROOM AND CAULIFLOWER LASAGNA

Steps:

• Make the tomato sauce: Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, and the basil and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth; return to the saucepan and add the parsley, honey, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste.
• Make the cauliflower Mornay sauce: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut off the cauliflower florets and put in a small roasting pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 1/2 cups water to the pan, cover with aluminum foil and bake until very tender, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook 30 seconds. Whisk in 4 cups milk, increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil, whisking; cook, whisking, until thick, about 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower, reduce the heat to low and cook 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly, then puree until smooth. Strain into a clean saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Whisk in the nutmeg, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste and cook 1 minute. Thin with some of the remaining 1 cup milk, if needed.
• Make the lasagna: Soak the porcini mushrooms in 1 1/4 cups boiling water, 30 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook 5 minutes; drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Combine the ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup parsley, 1 teaspoon thyme and 1/2 cup romano cheese in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over high heat. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the assorted mushrooms and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the shallots and cook until golden, about 6 minutes. Drain the porcini mushrooms, reserving the liquid, then coarsely chop and add to the pan; cook 1 minute. Deglaze with the porcini soaking liquid and cook until completely reduced, about 6 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons thyme and 1/4 cup parsley and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
• To assemble the lasagna, ladle some of the tomato sauce into a 10-by-14-inch baking dish. Ladle on some of the cauliflower sauce; top with 4 noodles. Top with some of the ricotta mixture, then some of the mushroom mixture, fontina and some of the remaining romano cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat to make 3 more layers, ending with a layer of noodles, cauliflower sauce and romano. Put the dish on a baking sheet, cover with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbly, 30 to 40 more minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with parsley and let sit 15 minutes before serving. Serve with the remaining tomato sauce.

WILD MUSHROOM LASAGNE

Steps:

• Make béchamel:
• Heat butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat until melted, then add flour and cook roux over low heat, whisking, 3 minutes. Add hot milk in a fast stream, whisking vigorously, and whisk in garlic and salt. Bring to a boil, whisking. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 10 minutes, then remove garlic and add pepper.
• Make mushroom tomato sauce:
• Pour boiling-hot water over porcini in a bowl and let stand until softened, about 20 minutes.Lift out porcini, squeezing excess liquid back into bowl, then rinse to remove any grit. Pour soaking liquid through a sieve lined with a dampened paper towel into another bowl. Chop porcini and add to soaking liquid.
• Cook onion in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes, then stir in tomatoes with juice, sugar, porcini with soaking liquid, and 1 tablespoon basil. Simmer, stirring frequently, until tomatoes have broken down into a chunky sauce, about 25 minutes. Stir in salt and remaining tablespoon basil.
• Assemble and bake lasagne:
• Cook lasagne noodles in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water 8 minutes (noodles will not be cooked through), then drain and transfer to a bowl of cold water.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.
• Spread 1 cup béchamel on bottom of a buttered 13- by 9-inch baking dish, reserving remainder for last layer. Drain 3 lasagne noodles in 1 layer on a kitchen towel and arrange over béchamel in baking dish. Spread pasta in dish evenly with one third of mushroom tomato sauce and sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese. Repeat layering of pasta, mushroom tomato sauce, and cheese twice, then cover with last 3 lasagne noodles. Spread remaining béchamel on top and sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, until lasagne is bubbling and top is browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand at room temperature at least 15 minutes before cutting.

LASAGNA WITH SPINACH AND WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Heat a large frying pan over high heat and add the wet spinach. Wilt in the water left on the leaves, stirring until all of the spinach has collapsed in the pan. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, then drain and squeeze out excess water, taking up spinach by the handful. Chop fine and season with a little bit of salt. Set aside. (Alternatively, blanch for 20 seconds in salted boiling water).
• Clean and dry skillet and heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over high heat. Add mushrooms. Let sear without moving for about 30 seconds, then toss and stir in the pan until they begin to sweat, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn heat to medium and add minced garlic and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and continue to cook over medium heat until mushrooms are soft, 3 to 5 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a rectangular baking dish. Blend ricotta cheese with egg, water, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in spinach.
• Spread a small spoonful of marinara sauce in a thin layer over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles. Top the noodles with a thin layer of ricotta. Spoon on a few dollops then spread it with an offset or rubber spatula. Top ricotta with half the mushrooms, then top with a layer of marinara sauce and a layer of Parmesan. Repeat layers, then add a final layer of lasagna noodles topped with marinara sauce and Parmesan. Drizzle on remaining olive oil.
• Cover baking dish tightly with foil and place in the oven. Bake 40 minutes, until noodles are tender and mixture is bubbling. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

WILD MUSHROOM LASAGNA

Steps:

• Combine dried cepes and water in a saucepan. Simmer gently over medium heat until reduced to 4 cups, about 1 hour. Drain cepes, reserving liquid. Set aside 1 3/4 cups of the cepes broth. Place remaining broth in saucepan over medium-high heat and reduce to 1 cup. Coarsely chop drained cepes. Set aside.
• Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large, nonstick skillet. Add the onions and garlic and cook over medium-low heat until soft, about 7 minutes. Place half of the onions in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Add 2 tablespoons of the unreduced cepes broth and half of the fresh mushrooms to the skillet. Increase heat to medium-high and saute until mushrooms release their liquid, about 6 minutes. Transfer mushroom mixture to a bowl. Repeat with 2 tablespoons broth and remaining mushrooms.
• Add all mushrooms, including cepes, to the skillet. Stir in remaining unreduced cepes broth. Simmer 15 minutes. Stir in thyme, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir ricotta, sage and remaining salt into reserved onions. Brush the inside of a 12-by-7 1/2 baking dish with the remaining oil. Cover the bottom with a layer of lasagna noodles, trimming to fit as necessary. Spread half the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Cover with half of the mushroom mixture. Repeat the layers. Sprinkle the top with remaining Parmesan. Pour the reduced cepes broth over all. Cover with foil. Bake until tender, about 1 hour.

WILD MUSHROOM LASAGNE

Steps:

• Make filling:
• In a small saucepan bring water to a boil and remove pan from heat. Stir in porcini. Soak porcini 20 minutes. Lift out porcini, squeezing out excess liquid, and reserve soaking liquid. In a sieve rinse porcini to remove any grit and pat dry. Chop 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 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 one third white mushrooms with 2 tablespoons Sherry, stirring, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and they begin to brown. Add mushroom mixture to porcini. Cook remaining mushrooms in 2 batches in butter with remaining Sherry in same manner and add to porcini mixture. In skillet cook zucchini in 1 tablespoon butter until tender and stir into 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 wax paper. Sauce may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring sauce to room temperature before proceeding.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. and butter a 13 x 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 one third 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.

WILD MUSHROOM LASAGNA

Steps:

• Soak the porcini mushrooms in 2 cups warm water for at least 30 minutes. Lift them out carefully, reserving the liquid. Rinse porcini well, and pat dry. Chop coarsely, and set aside. Strain the soaking liquid through a sieve lined with paper towel to remove the grit. Set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water with 1 tablespoon salt to rolling boil.
• Heat the oil and 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, and cook, stirring, until the liquid they release evaporates. Add the porcini and their liquid, along with the onion, tomatoes and parsley. Stir. Partly cover pan, and cook until liquid evaporates. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Lay the noodles into boiling water, bring to boil again, and cook 5 to 7 minutes. Drain immediately, rinse individually under cold running water, and lay flat on paper towels to dry.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Melt 8 tablespoons butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Add the flour gradually, and cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk. Raise heat to medium, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth, about 8 to 10 minutes. Season with nutmeg, and salt to taste.
• Use 1 tablespoon butter to grease 8 1/2-by- 10 1/2-inch lasagna pan. Line the bottom with a slightly overlapping layer of noodles. Spread one-third of the mushroom mixture over the pasta. Top with a quarter of the white sauce and a sprinkling of cheese. Cover with slices of prosciutto. Repeat sequence 2 more times. Cover with one last layer of pasta, top with the remaining sauce and cheese, and dot with 2 tablespoons butter. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden brown on top. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.