Lasagna With Pistou And Mushrooms Recipes

Steps:

• Grind the basil leaves and garlic in a food processor fitted with the steel blade, or in a mortar and pestle. Add salt to taste and slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Blend or grind until smooth. Blend in the Parmesan (1/4 cup) and set aside.
• In a medium size bowl whisk the egg and add the ricotta and the pistou. Whisk to blend well.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the mushrooms. Do not stir for about 1 minute, then shake the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are moist and beginning to soften. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute or two. Add the wine if using, or a couple of tablespoons of water or stock and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender and fragrant, another couple of minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a rectangular baking dish with olive oil. Spread a small spoonful of the ricotta mixture 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, spooning on a few dollops then spreading it with an offset or a rubber spatula. Top the ricotta with half the mushrooms, and sprinkle Parmesan over the mushrooms. Repeat the layers, then add a final layer of lasagna noodles topped with ricotta and Parmesan. Make sure that the noodles are covered with ricotta and that there are no dry exposed edges. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the top.
• Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and place in the oven. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the noodles are tender and the mixture is bubbling. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

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. 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.

Steps:

• Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Set aside.
• Sauce: In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Gradually add the warm milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 8 minutes (do not allow the mixture to boil). Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheeses and nutmeg. Stir until the cheeses have melted and the sauce is smooth. Add the prosciutto, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper.
• Filling: In a large skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook, stirring frequently until soft, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, rosemary and thyme and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are golden and the liquid has evaporated, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• To assemble the lasagna: Ladle 1/2 cup of the sauce over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Lay 3 pasta noodles on top. Spoon 1/2 of the mushroom mixture on top of the pasta. Ladle 1 cup of the sauce over the mushroom mixture and lay 3 more noodles on top. Repeat the layers using the remaining mushroom mixture, 1 cup of sauce and the remaining 3 noodles. Top with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with 1 cup smoked mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Drizzle the top with olive oil and bake until the top is golden and the filling is bubbling about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Cut the lasagna into wedges and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish with vegetable oil spray.
• Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and oregano and stir 30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes and wine and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set tomato sauce aside.
• Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in another large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté until mushrooms begin to release juices, about 9 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Spread 1/3 cup tomato sauce over bottom of prepared dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles crosswise in dish. Spread 3/4 cup Parmesan Sauce over. Arrange 1/3 of mushrooms over sauce. Spoon 1/2 cup tomato sauce over mushrooms. Repeat layering 2 more times. Top with 3 lasagna noodles. Spread remaining Parmesan Sauce over. Drizzle with remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Cover lasagna with foil. Bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until noodles are tender and top is golden, about 25 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes.

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.