We took a break from our duck cycle last night for a meatless Monday dinner of mushroom lasagna. Last night was damp and chilly, and while this wasn’t exactly a quick and easy weeknight dinner, it was a perfect night for a rich, baked and layered pasta dish. This was a bit of an experiment; my standard lasagna is a more traditional Bolognese version and I wasn’t really working from a recipe here, so while it needs a bit of tweaking I was mostly pleased with the result. I started by soaking some dried porcinis and slicing about a pound of fresh mushrooms (a mixture of criminis, chanterelles and shiitakes). I sautéed some chopped shallot in a mixture of butter and olive oil until soft, and then added the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. When the mushrooms had browned and cooked down a bit, I added a tablespoon of tomato paste to the pan to caramelize, then stirred it through and added the liquid I had strained and reserved from soaking the dried porcini. I added a generous amount of fresh thyme and let the mixture cook until almost all of the liquid was gone, then transferred the mushrooms to a bowl and set them aside.
I made a béchamel in the same pan I had used to cook the mushrooms, enriching it with about a cup each of finely grated Fontina and Parmagiano Reggiano cheeses. When the cheeses were melted and the sauce was smooth, I began layering: a bit of olive oil rubbed in the bottom and sides of my baking dish, a bit of béchamel, and a layer of partially cooked egg pasta sheets, then béchamel, mushrooms, sliced fresh mozzarella and another layer of pasta. I repeated the layers, finishing with the remaining béchamel, mozzarella, and a grating of parm on top, then placed the lasagna into a preheated 400 degree oven for about half an hour, until browned and bubbly. I let the lasagna rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
I wasn’t entirely pleased with the texture of the pasta sheets I used, and I think the dish could have used a bit more béchamel than I made, but overall, the flavors were there and this was a tasty and satisfying meal – it’s definitely a recipe worth working on.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Toni 11.13.07 at 3:43 pm
I really miss chanterelles; I haven’t found them since I moved away from San Francisco. I didn’t find them in Reno, and I haven’t found them here in Phoenix. I haven’t been looking TOO hard though, because my boyfriend hates mushrooms.
I’ve been craving a good mushroom risotto… I’ll have to start my search again.
Jennifer Hess 11.13.07 at 4:41 pm
Toni - I adore mushrooms of all sorts. I don’t know what I’d do if Mike wasn’t a fan!
Cee 11.14.07 at 3:43 am
Looks delish! I always do a mushroom risotto for Thanksgiving. Not really a stuffing gal. Please share recipes!
peter 11.14.07 at 7:16 pm
What a great week of posts; it’s like there’s another jam session down the road that’s playing the same tunes, but differently, and with the same reckless, decadent (and efficient) abandon. Awesome.
PS I’m not such a fan of their prices, but Whole Foods does have an amazing mushroom selection. They have those in AZ, right?
Jennifer Hess 11.14.07 at 8:09 pm
Peter - how funny, I was just at your site and swooning at your gorgeous sous vide hanger steak dinner (among other things). Happy belated birthday!
Mary Coleman 11.14.07 at 11:18 pm
Jennifer,
Once again you are over the top. This looks so divine. I bought some chanterelles a couple of days ago and now know what to do with them. As usual, you rock!!!
Jeff 11.28.07 at 10:26 pm
Toni, Whole Foods market usually carries Chanterelles year round. The price might make you wince, but it’s a heck of way to spurge.