Mushroom Lasagna with Truffle Bechamel
The baked lasagna dish is adapted from a recipe that came from Home/Made, a restaurant in Brooklyn, NY. The original recipe appeared in the NY Times and has been modified to use fresh pasta. It uses a combination of cultivated mushrooms, a white béchamel sauce and several types of cheese as well as optional truffle oil and lots of herbs. It is truly a big, bold lasagna!
The most important aspect of this recipe is to have all of your ingredients in place before cooking the pasta. You are going to be working quickly to assemble the lasagna and do not want to be fumbling around looking for ingredients while your pasta boils away. This dish can be made several days in advance and held in the refrigerator. It will reheat well as long as care as taken not to overcook it. I actually think it is better after sitting overnight as the flavors really meld and the cheese mellows out. Re-heating is best done slowly in a 325 degree oven for 90-120 minutes, covered in buttered foil. Remove foil for final 10 minutes.
Pasta
Double recipe of Basic Semolina Pasta
Lasagna
½ cup EVOO or herb oil (recipe follows)
4 large shallots, peeled and minced
1.5 lbs. cultivated mushrooms (oysters, cremini, button, etc.)
1 cup dry white wine
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
4 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbs. all purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
½ tsp. grated nutmeg
1 cup fontina cheese, grated
1 cup gruyere cheese, grated
2 Tbs. best quality truffle oil (optional)
1 baseball sized ball of smoked mozzarella, sliced
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Herb Oil
1 bunch fresh thyme
½ bunch fresh rosemary
1 bunch fresh parsley
5 gloves garlic, peeled
1 Tbs. Kosher salt
2 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil
The baked lasagna dish is adapted from a recipe that came from Home/Made, a restaurant in Brooklyn, NY. The original recipe appeared in the NY Times and has been modified to use fresh pasta. It uses a combination of cultivated mushrooms, a white béchamel sauce and several types of cheese as well as optional truffle oil and lots of herbs. It is truly a big, bold lasagna!
The most important aspect of this recipe is to have all of your ingredients in place before cooking the pasta. You are going to be working quickly to assemble the lasagna and do not want to be fumbling around looking for ingredients while your pasta boils away. This dish can be made several days in advance and held in the refrigerator. It will reheat well as long as care as taken not to overcook it. I actually think it is better after sitting overnight as the flavors really meld and the cheese mellows out. Re-heating is best done slowly in a 325 degree oven for 90-120 minutes, covered in buttered foil. Remove foil for final 10 minutes.
Pasta
Double recipe of Basic Semolina Pasta
Lasagna
½ cup EVOO or herb oil (recipe follows)
4 large shallots, peeled and minced
1.5 lbs. cultivated mushrooms (oysters, cremini, button, etc.)
1 cup dry white wine
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
4 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbs. all purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
½ tsp. grated nutmeg
1 cup fontina cheese, grated
1 cup gruyere cheese, grated
2 Tbs. best quality truffle oil (optional)
1 baseball sized ball of smoked mozzarella, sliced
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- Preheat oven to 350F. Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil. Place a large sauté pan over medium high heat and add ¼ cup of the olive oil or herb oil. When it begins to shimmer, add mushrooms and toss to coat. Cook until they begin to color but are still plump, approximately 10 minutes. Add half of the minced shallots and cook an additional 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir to dissolve the brown bits in the pan. Cook until the wine has reduced to a syrup, about 5 minutes. Put the mushrooms in a bowl and reserve.
- Make the béchamel. Place saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter. When it foams, add the rest of the shallots and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and stir to combine, then cook until the garlic has started to soften. Sprinkle flour over the top and stir to combine, then cook gently until the mixture has turned light brown and gives off a nutty scent, approximately 5 minutes. Add milk to the mixture, whisking all the while, until the sauce is thick and creamy. Add the nutmeg, ¼ cup of grated Gruyere and ¼ cup of grated Fontina, and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Reserve a cup of béchamel. Pour the rest over the reserved mushrooms and stir to combine. Add truffle oil if using.
- After dough is fully rested, roll and cut into lasagna sheets (about 3“ x 9”). Drop into boiling water and stir constantly (but gently). Cook until pasta is al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain and return to pot.
- Assemble lasagna. Spread plain béchamel across the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Place a layer of cooked lasagna noodles across the sauce. Spread a generous layer of mushroom mixture on top of the pasta, and follow with some grated Fontina and Gruyere. Put another layer of pasta on top of the cheese and top with smoked mozzarella. Repeat until the pasta is gone and the pan is full. Top with remaining cheese and a generous amount of grated Parmesan. Cover with a buttered sheet of aluminum foil and place in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook until top is golden and bubbling.
Herb Oil
1 bunch fresh thyme
½ bunch fresh rosemary
1 bunch fresh parsley
5 gloves garlic, peeled
1 Tbs. Kosher salt
2 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil
- Put herbs, garlic and salt into a food processor. Add a splash of olive oil and pulse to combine. Place mixture into a jar
- Add the rest of the olive oil. Store in the refrigerator. Lasts about a week.