Wild Mushroom Lasagne With A Parmesan Cream Food

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 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.

WILD MUSHROOM LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt and a splash of oil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.
• For the white sauce, bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan. Set aside. Melt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture all at once. Add 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring first with the wooden spoon and then with a whisk, for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick. Set aside off the heat.
• Separate the mushroom stems from the caps and discard the stems. Slice the caps 1/4-inch thick. Roughly chop the wild mushrooms. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan. When the butter melts, add half the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and they release some of their juices. If they become too dry, add a little more oil. Toss occasionally to make sure the mushrooms cook evenly. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms and set all the mushrooms aside.
• To assemble the lasagna, spread some of the sauce in the bottom of an 8 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then more sauce, then 1/3 of the mushrooms, and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan. Repeat 2 more times, layering noodles, sauce, mushrooms, and Parmesan. Top with a final layer of noodles and sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.
• Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes, or until the top is browned the sauce is bubbly and hot. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and serve hot.

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.

FREE-FORM LASAGNA WITH WILD MUSHROOMS AND PARMESAN CREAM

Steps:

• Clean the mushrooms, removing the stems, and slice 1/4 in thick.
• Cook the pasta or egg roll wrapper in boiling salted water. Remove and drain, unfolding them if they stick or clump together.
• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat until the butter melts and the foam subsides.
• Add the mushrooms and cook, without stirring, until they are browned on one side 2 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with the rosemary, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove to a plate or small bowl.
• Return the skillet to medium heat. Pour in the cream and add 2 tbl of the Parmesan, stirring constantly, just until the cheese melts. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
• Dip the pasta or wrapper quickly into the sauce, turn to coat. Place on serving plate. Scatter the mushrooms over it.
• Dip the remaining pasta/wrapper and drape, slightly askew, over the mushrooms. Drizzle with any remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.

WILD MUSHROOM AND THREE-CHEESE LASAGNE

Steps:

• For sauce:
• Rinse porcini mushrooms briefly under cold water. Place in small bowl. Pour 1 cup hot water over and let soak 30 minutes to soften. Remove mushrooms from soaking liquid, squeezing excess liquid back into bowl; reserve soaking liquid. Chop mushrooms, discarding any hard stems.
• Heat oil in heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add porcini, button and shiitake mushrooms and garlic. Sauté until mushrooms begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add rosemary and crushed red pepper and sauté 30 seconds. Add wine. Pour in reserved mushroom soaking liquid, leaving any sediment behind. Increase heat to high and boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add canned tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce is thick, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• For filling:
• Combine ricotta, Parmesan and pesto in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in eggs and yolk. (Sauce and filling can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.)
• Cook noodles in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Rinse under cold water to cool; drain.
• Oil 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Spread 1/4 of sauce over bottom of dish. Arrange 3 or 4 noodles over, trimming to fit as necessary. Spread half of filling over. Spoon 1/4 of sauce over. Sprinkle with 1/3 of goat cheese. Top with 3 or 4 noodles, trimming to fit. Spread remaining filling over noodles. Spoon 1/4 of sauce over. Sprinkle with 1/3 of goat cheese. Top with 3 or 4 noodles, trimming to fit. Press gently to compact. Spread with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining goat cheese. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Let lasagne stand 1 hour at room temperature before continuing.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Cover lasagne with foil and set on baking sheet. Bake 35 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until sauce bubbles and cheese melts, about 35 minutes. Garnish with tomato and let stand 15 minutes. Garnish with herbs and serve.