White Mushroom Lasagna

By mhyde

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh mushrooms (the author uses a combination of cremini and white)
• 1 package dried mixed wild mushrooms
• One bunch of fresh thyme, leaves plucked off, about 4 tablespoons
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 large shallots, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup Marsala wine
• 3 tabelspoons flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 about 1 pound fresh pasta sheets, enough for 4 layers
• 8 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

Preparation

Step 1

Directions: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Dust off the mushrooms and trim just the very ends of the stems. Slice them thickly. Reconstitute the dried mushrooms according to the package directions, then drain and rinse. Roughly chop and set aside.

Heat a large sauté pan on medium-high heat and sauté the mushrooms, and about half of the fresh thyme leaves. (You may need to do this in batches.) Stir constantly until they begin to lose their moisture and are fragrant and browned. The blogger avoids using any oil or butter to keep the mushrooms from getting soggy. Put the mushrooms aside on a plate along with the reconstituted dried mushrooms.

In the same pan, heat olive oil and butter and sauté the shallots for a few minutes. Add the Marsala wine and let it bubble for a minute, scraping anything up from the bottom of the pan. (This is a process called deglazing.) When the liquid has reduced, sprinkle the flour over the shallots and stir to combine.

Stir for an additional minute, then combine the milk and half and half. Add it to the pan in a stream, stirring constantly. Whisk or stir to combine well, then cook until the sauce thickens. (Avoid boiling the mixture.

Turn off the heat and add the grated cheddar cheese. Sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese and stir. If the sauce seems too thick, add a little more milk. Taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary.

Whisk together the ricotta and the eggs; set aside.

To assemble the lasagna:

Spoon a little of the sauce across the bottom of a 9-by-13 casserole dish. Add a layer of pasta, then scatter one-third of the mushrooms across the top. Add a third of the ricotta mixture, then a quarter of the sauce.

Add another layer of pasta and repeat. After the top layer of pasta, add the remaining sauce, spreading evenly over the top. Sprinkle the Gruyere cheese evenly over the top.

Cover loosely with foil so it doesn’t touch the cheese, and bake for 40 minutes or until bubbling and hot. If you want to brown the cheese, remove foil and set under broiler for a minute. Scatter the remaining fresh thyme over the top and serve.