Dinner

wild mushroom lasagna with rapini and tomato olive salad

DISH 38
New Things: rapini, trying to reheat a cream sauce bases pasta

I made this lasagna last month and it has been sitting in my freezer waiting for guests to come over and eat it. I was worried, reheating such a cream sauce based dish. I let it defrost to room temp, then cooked it for as little time I I thouht I could get away with.

It turned out well.

Here are the recipes for the menu:

Wild Mushroom Lasagna

Serves 10 to 12
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms , rinsed well
1 cup water
1 pound oyster mushrooms , cleaned, stems trimmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
12 ounces chanterelle mushrooms , cleaned, stems trimmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
10 ounces shiitake mushrooms , cleaned, stems removed, and sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 4 cups)
7 tablespoons unsalted butter , plus additional for greasing pan
Table salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large red onions , chopped medium (about 4 cups)
8 ounces cremini mushrooms , cleaned, stems trimmed, and broken into rough pieces
4 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon)
1/2 cup dry vermouth
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves plus an additional 2 tablespoons
8 ounces Italian fontina cheese , rind removed and shredded (about 2 1/4 cups)
1 1/2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 3/4 cup)
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest from 1 lemon

1. Cover porcinis with water in small microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap, cut several steam vents in plastic with paring knife, and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Let stand until mushrooms soften, about 5 minutes. Lift mushrooms from liquid with fork and roughly chop (you should have about 3 tablespoons). Strain liquid through fine-mesh strainer lined with paper towel into medium bowl. Set mushrooms and liquid aside.

2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss oyster, chanterelle, and shitake mushrooms together in large bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; when foaming subsides, add half of mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and most of liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to rimmed baking sheet and set aside to cool. Repeat with another 2 tablespoons butter and remaining mushrooms.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering Add onions, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are browned around edges, about 10 minutes. Transfer onions to large bowl and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, process cremini mushrooms in food processor until uniformly coarsely chopped, about six 1-second pulses, stopping to scrape down bowl as needed. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chopped cremini mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and all moisture has evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes.

5. Reduce heat to medium and stir in porcini mushrooms, 1 tablespoon garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in vermouth and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.

6. Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter and cook until melted. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Slowly add reserved porcini soaking liquid, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits. Add milk and nutmeg. Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce has thickened and reached consistency of heavy cream, 10 to 15 minutes (you should have about 4 cups). Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons parsley and 1/4 cup basil.

7. Combine fontina and Parmesan in medium bowl. Toss cooled wild mushrooms with onions in large bowl. Place noodles in 13 by 9-inch ovensafe baking dish and cover with hot tap water; let soak 5 minutes, agitating noodles occasionally to prevent sticking. Remove noodles from water and place in single layer on kitchen towel. Wipe baking dish dry and coat with butter.

8. Using rubber spatula, evenly distribute 1 cup mushroom sauce in bottom of baking dish; position 3 noodles on top of sauce. Spread 3/4 cup sauce evenly over noodles followed by 2 cups mushroom-onion mixture and 3/4 cup cheese. Repeat layering of noodles, sauce, mushroom-onion mixture, and cheese two more times. Place 3 remaining noodles on top of last layer of cheese. Spread remaining sauce over noodles and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Lightly spray large sheet foil with nonstick cooking spray and cover lasagna. Bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes.

9. While lasagna is baking, combine remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, 2 tablespoons basil, 1 teaspoon garlic, and lemon zest in small bowl. Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees, remove foil from lasagna, and continue to bake until cheese on top becomes spotty brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove lasagna from oven and sprinkle evenly with herb mixture. Cool 15 minutes, then cut into pieces and serve.


Tomato and Olive Salad
4 tomatoes, cored, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1/3 cup brine-cured black olives (such as Kalamata), pitted, halved
1/3 cup very thinly sliced red onion or shallot
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Combine tomatoes, black olives and onion in medium bowl. Add olive oil and balsamic vinegar; toss to blend well. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in arugula and serve.

Makes 2 Servings.

Rapini
boil for 2 minutes, remove and shock with ice water. Heat pan with garlic and olive oil. Sautee for 4 minutes.