Truffled Mushroom Lasagna from Umbria

By kmad

The Fontanelle Restaurant situated in Campello sul Clitunno in Umbria, is a family owned and managed establishment. The parents cook in the kitchen with their daughter while their son hunts for truffles with his special trained dog. Truffled Lasanga is one of many savory recipes they prepare using truffles.

Ingredients

• For the truffled béchamel:
• •6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• •1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• •4 cups (1 quart) whole milk
• •1/4 teaspoon salt
• •1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• •Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• •1 tablespoon black truffle paste (truffle scented oil can be substituted for the truffle paste)
• For the lasagne:
• •1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for the counter
• •1/2 cup semolina flour
• •1/4 teaspoon salt, plus extra for boiling
• •2 extra-large eggs
• For the mushrooms:
• For the eggplant:
• •¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• •1 large eggplant, peeled and chopped
• •½ teaspoon salt
• •1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

To layer: •unsalted butter for greasing the baking dish •¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil •1 pound fresh Mozzarella, grated •1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano Method: Make the truffled béchamel: 1.Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed 11/2-quart pot. Pour in the flour, stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Do not allow the flour to take on any color. 2.Heat the milk in a 1 and 1/2-quart pot until it is nearly boiling. 3.Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture, beating vigorously with a wire whisk to prevent lumps. 4.Bring to a boil, still whisking; cook over medium-high heat, whisking often, until thick, about 10 minutes. 5.Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. If needed, strain through a fine sieve to eliminate lumps. 6.Stir in the truffle paste. Make the lasagna: 1.Place the flours on a counter and add the salt; combine with a fork. Make a well in the center and add the eggs to the well. Using a fork at first, draw the flour little by little into the eggs. 2.When almost all of the flour has been incorporated into the eggs, begin kneading the dough by hand; knead until it is smooth and firm, about 5 minutes, adding a little water if the dough is dry or a little flour if it is sticky. (Alternately, mix the flour and salt in a bowl and stir in the eggs with a fork, then turn the resulting dough out onto a counter and knead as above; this method is easier for beginners.) 3.Shape the dough into a ball, dust with flour, wrap in plastic and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. 4.Cut the dough into 3 pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time and keeping the others covered, roll out each piece using a pasta machine into a nearly transparent sheet. Cut into 14-inch-long rectangles. These are the lasagne. To layer the lasagne: 1.Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add salt and drop in 4 lasagne, stirring immediately to prevent sticking. Cook until al dente, then remove to a bowl of cool water with a slotted spoon, spread out in a single layer on kitchen towels and blot dry. Continue in the same manner with the remaining lasagne. Prepare the mushrooms: 1.Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet. Sauté the mushrooms over medium heat until they are soft and any liquid they let out in the skillet has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a food processor. Chop coarsely. Prepare the eggplant: 1.Proceed as for the mushrooms, but cook the eggplant until it is silky soft before processing, about 20 minutes. To layer: Preheat the oven to 325°F. 1.Butter a deep 10- x 14-inch baking dish. Line with enough lasagne to cover, arranging the lasagna very flat in the baking dish and cutting them as needed to fit. Spoon on some truffled béchamel, top with some mushrooms and eggplant, drizzle with some olive oil, and sprinkle with some, Mozzarella, and Parmigiano. 2.Make a second and third layer, but wrinkle the lasagna for the next two layers; they should not be flat like the first layer (this helps give the lasagna an airy, light texture). Do not sprinkle Parmigiano on the top layer (it will brown too much in the oven). 3.Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the lasagna rest in the oven for 10 minutes to dry out.