A month ago I bought myself a stainless-steel oven tray. Not only was it the last one in the shop, but it was also the last of a size that was soon to be discontinued. Not that I needed further convincing of my need for this splendid, functional tray. It was only as I carried it home, with the bottom of the carrier bag bumping against my ankles, that it crossed my mind it might not fit in our oven.
It didn’t. And not by a fraction, either: it was as much as 30cm too long and deep enough for 10 layers of pasta. Even so, it was splendid – and I am dysmetric. I went straight back and swapped it for what I actually needed: a new but familiar 32cm x 22cm x 6cm rectangular porcelain dish for lasagne (I cracked the last one).
Knowing how many pasta sheets your dish takes is some of the best lasagne advice I have ever received. Mine, for example, takes two fresh or three dried per layer, and I like five layers for this particular lasagne, which turns the process into one of division and construction.
For this recipe you need 600g mushrooms, a mixture, if possible (chestnut, portobello, porcini, button), all sliced thinly so they will lie flat between the layers of pasta. For more flavour, it also includes 50g dried porcini soaked in 200ml warm water, which not only resuscitates the mushrooms, but also creates a broth that can be added to the bechamel.
The lasagne includes taleggio, a semi-soft, washed-rind cow’s milk cheese of ancient origin named after the caves of Val Taleggio in Lombardy. Taleggio has a sweet and buttery flavour that develops a tangy piquancy as it matures. It is a table cheese, as well as a majestic melting cheese, and is particularly good with potatoes, stirred through rice or as a topping for polenta or pizza, or indeed encased in pasta. Incidentally, the term washed-rind refers to the weekly washing of the square forms of taleggio with salt and water to prevent any mould forming during ageing, which also causes the distinctive, rosy-orange colouration of the thin rind. Like the mushrooms, the taleggio needs to be sliced thinly. And don’t worry if the slices rip; they are going to be scattered in the layers.
It is always a good idea to leave lasagne to rest for at least 20 minutes before serving. This not only lets the flavours settle and firm up, but it also provides a breather for the cook. Time to sort or tidy up, make a salad and gather everyone to the table for a slice of this splendid, luxurious but functional lasagne.
Mushroom and taleggio lasagne
Prep 30 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 6
50g dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 200ml water for 20 minutes
100g butter
3 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, skin on, squashed, but still whole
600g fresh mushrooms (chestnut, portobello, porcini, button), sliced thinly
1 small sprig fresh thyme
80g butter
80g plain flour
1 litre whole milk
Salt and black pepper
Nutmeg
200g taleggio, thinly sliced with the rind on
75g parmesan or grana padano, grated
10 large square fresh lasagne sheets, or 15 dried
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. You will need a rectangular 32cm x 22cm x 6cm deep oven dish.
In a large frying pan on a medium-low heat, melt the 20g of the butter with the olive oil, then add the garlic, fresh mushrooms, thyme and pinch of salt, and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms have collapsed and are surrounded by a little liquid; turn off heat (they will cook more later). Lift the soaked mushrooms from their water, reserving this for later, then chop the porcini and add to the mushroom pan.
Melt the remaining 80g butter in a saucepan and add the flour, stirring to form thick paste. Whisk in the milk and the strained porcini soaking liquid, and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens into bechamel. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and two tablespoons of the grated parmesan. Add two-thirds of the bechamel to the mushroom pan and mix it in well.
Bring a large pan of water to a boil, add salt and, working on batches, drop in the fresh lasagne sheets for 60 seconds. Plunge into cold water and spread on a towel (if you are using dried lasagne sheets that need soaking, follow the packet instructions).
Now construct the five-layer lasagne. Start by rubbing the baking dish with oil, then make a base layer of pasta, spread it with a quarter of the mushroom mix and rip over a quarter of the cheese. Now make another layer of pasta, another of mushrooms and cheese, and so on, and repeat twice more, then finish with a final layer of pasta on top of which goes the remaining bechamel and parmesan.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the edges are bubbling and the top is golden. Leave to sit for 20 minutes, then serve in slices.
