Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (98 page)
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
American-style mushroom lasagnas lose the mushrooms in a sea of tomato sauce and mozzarella. Italian-style recipes put the emphasis on the mushrooms, but many call for esoteric or expensive wild mushrooms as well as a lot of preparation time. We wanted to make Italian-style mushroom lasagna approachable, which meant using widely available mushrooms and no-boil noodles. For the primary mushrooms, we found that roasting portobellos concentrated their flavor. The texture of the sauce was a problem (our no-boil noodles sucked up all the moisture), but a very loose béchamel sauce had the right consistency, and attained substantial mushroom flavor when we replaced conventional chicken broth with the water used to rehydrate dried porcini. We ultimately maximized the mushroom flavor by mixing in duxelles (sautéed, finely chopped white mushrooms) flavored with garlic and vermouth. Parmesan and fontina cheese added a complementary buttery nuttiness. Finally, we added a gremolata-like topping of minced parsley, basil, lemon zest, and garlic for complexity and freshness.
MUSHROOM PREP
Culinary wisdom holds that raw mushrooms must never touch water, lest they soak up the liquid and become soggy. Many sources call for cleaning mushrooms with a brush or a damp cloth. These fussy techniques may be worth the effort if you plan to eat the mushrooms raw, but we wondered whether mushrooms destined for the sauté pan could be simply rinsed and patted dry. To test this, we submerged white mushrooms in water for 5 minutes. We drained and weighed the mushrooms and found that they had soaked up only ¹⁄
4
ounce (about 1¹⁄
2
teaspoons) of water, not nearly enough to affect their texture. So when we plan to cook mushrooms we now simply place the mushrooms in a salad spinner, rinse the dirt and grit away with cold water, and spin to remove excess moisture.
SERVES 8 TO 10
Italian fontina works best in this dish. If it is not available, substitute whole-milk mozzarella. Whole milk is best in the sauce, but skim or low-fat milk also work.
1 | cup water |
¹⁄ | ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed |
2 | pounds portobello mushroom caps, gills removed and caps halved and sliced crosswise ¹⁄ |
¹⁄ | cup olive oil |
Salt and pepper | |
4 | red onions, chopped |
8 | ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and halved if small or quartered if large |
4 | garlic cloves, minced |
¹⁄ | cup dry vermouth |
3 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
3 | tablespoons all-purpose flour |
3¹⁄ | cups whole milk |
¹⁄ | teaspoon ground nutmeg |
¹⁄ | cup plus 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil |
¹⁄ | cup minced fresh parsley |
12 | no-boil lasagna noodles |
8 | ounces Italian fontina cheese, shredded (2 cups) |
1¹⁄ | ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (³⁄ |
¹⁄ | teaspoon grated lemon zest |
1.
Microwave water and porcini mushrooms in covered bowl until steaming, about 1 minute. Let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain mushrooms through fine-mesh strainer lined with coffee filter, reserving liquid and coarsely chopping mushrooms.
2.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss portobello mushrooms with 2 tablespoons oil, ¹⁄
2
teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄
2
teaspoon pepper and spread onto rimmed baking sheet. Roast mushrooms until shriveled and all liquid released from mushrooms has evaporated, about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through roasting. Transfer mushrooms to large bowl and set aside to cool.
3.
While portobello mushrooms roast, heat 1 tablespoon more oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, ¹⁄
4
teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄
4
teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer onions to bowl with mushrooms.
4.
Meanwhile, pulse white mushrooms in food processor until coarsely chopped, about 6 pulses, scraping down bowl as needed. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chopped mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and all moisture has evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in porcini mushrooms, 1 tablespoon garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in vermouth and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.
5.
Stir in butter and cook until melted. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly stir in reserved porcini soaking liquid, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in milk and nutmeg, bring to simmer, and cook until sauce has thickened and measures 4 cups, 10 to 15 minutes. Off heat, stir in ¹⁄
4
cup basil and 2 tablespoons parsley.
6.
Pour 2 inches boiling water into 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Slip noodles into water, 1 at a time, and soak until pliable, about 5 minutes, separating noodles with tip of sharp knife to prevent sticking. Remove noodles from water and place in single layer on clean kitchen towels; discard water. Dry and grease dish.
7.
Combine fontina and Parmesan in bowl. Spread 1 cup mushroom sauce evenly over bottom of prepared dish. Arrange 3 noodles in single layer on top of sauce. Spread ³⁄
4
cup sauce evenly over noodles, then sprinkle with 2 cups mushroom mixture and ³⁄
4
cup cheese mixture. Repeat layering of noodles, sauce, mushroom mixture, and cheese mixture 2 more times. For final layer, arrange remaining 3 noodles on top and cover completely with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
8.
Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray and bake until edges are just bubbling, about 20 minutes, rotating dish halfway through baking. While lasagna is baking, combine remaining 1 teaspoon garlic, remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, remaining 2 tablespoons basil, and lemon zest in bowl. Remove foil, increase oven temperature to 500 degrees, and continue to bake until cheese on top becomes spotty brown, 6 to 8 minutes longer. Sprinkle lasagna with herb mixture and cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Bring 3 quarts water to boil in large saucepan. Add 8 ounces broccoli rabe, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces, and ¹⁄
2
teaspoon salt and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain broccoli rabe, rinse under cold water to stop cooking, then squeeze dry and transfer to paper towel–lined plate. Combine blanched broccoli rabe and 1 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, patted dry and chopped coarse, in bowl with roasted portobellos and softened onions. Substitute 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme for basil in sauce. Reduce fontina to 6 ounces and add 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese to fontina and Parmesan mixture.
Add 8 ounces chopped pancetta to shimmering oil in step 3 and cook until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove pancetta with slotted spoon and transfer to bowl with roasted portobellos. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet, then cook onions in fat left in skillet. Substitute 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage for basil in sauce.
Combine 1 pound oyster mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces, 12 ounces chanterelle mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces, and 10 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced ¹⁄
4
inch thick, in bowl. Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of mushrooms, ¹⁄
4
teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄
4
teaspoon pepper and cook until tender and most of liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to large bowl. Repeat with 2 more tablespoons butter, remaining mushrooms, ¹⁄
4
teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄
4
teaspoon pepper. Substitute cooked wild mushroom mixture for roasted portobellos in step 2. Substitute 8 ounces cremini mushrooms for white mushrooms. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees before assembling lasagna.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
In authentic lasagna Bolognese, meat is the main idea. Three kinds of meat, in fact: beef, pork, and veal simmered until tender and delicately sweet in a slowly reducing sauce of milk, wine, and tomatoes. This rich sauce is bound between thin sheets of pasta with a creamy béchamel sauce and Parmesan cheese. In simplifying this Italian classic, there was no denying the appeal of no-boil noodles. After several tests, we found that a five-minute soak proved most effective for getting sturdy, al dente noodles that bound together the layers of ragu and béchamel without soaking up all the moisture. Stumbling through multiple rounds of meat sauce testing gave us the idea of combining the ragu and béchamel when both were lukewarm. The resulting sauce was thickened but easy to spread, with enough moisture for cooking the noodles.
SERVES 10
Note that some pasta brands contain only 12 no-boil noodles per package; this recipe requires 15 noodles. For assembly, both the meat sauce and the béchamel should be just warm to the touch, not piping hot.
MEAT SAUCE
1 | carrot, peeled and chopped coarse |
1 | celery rib, chopped coarse |
¹⁄ | cup coarsely chopped onion |
1 | (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes |
2 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
8 | ounces 90 percent lean ground beef |
8 | ounces ground pork |
8 | ounces ground veal |
1¹⁄ | cups whole milk |
1¹⁄ | cups dry white wine |
2 | tablespoons tomato paste |
1 | teaspoon salt |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
BÉCHAMEL
4 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
¹⁄ | cup all-purpose flour |
4 | cups whole milk |
³⁄ | teaspoon salt |
15 | no-boil lasagna noodles |
4 | ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (2 cups) |
1. FOR THE MEAT SAUCE:
Pulse carrot, celery, and onion in food processor until finely chopped, about 10 pulses, scraping down bowl as needed; transfer to bowl. Pulse tomatoes with their juice in now-empty food processor until finely chopped, 6 to 8 pulses.
2.
Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped vegetable mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal and cook, breaking meat into 1-inch pieces with wooden spoon, for 1 minute. Stir in milk and bring to simmer, breaking meat into ¹⁄
2
-inch pieces. Continue to cook, stirring often to break up meat into small pieces, until most of liquid has evaporated, 18 to 20 minutes. Add wine, bring to simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook until combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chopped tomatoes, salt, and pepper, bring to simmer, and cook until sauce is thickened slightly and measures 6 cups, about 15 minutes. Transfer meat sauce to bowl and set aside to cool, about 30 minutes. (Meat sauce can be cooled and refrigerated for up to 2 days; gently reheat before assembling lasagna.)
3. FOR THE BÉCHAMEL:
While meat sauce simmers, melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly combined, about 1¹⁄
2
minutes; mixture should not brown. Gradually whisk in milk; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, whisking frequently. Add salt, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until sauce thickens and measures 3¹⁄
2
cups, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and making sure to scrape bottom and corners of saucepan. Transfer béchamel to separate bowl and set aside to cool, about 30 minutes. (Béchamel can be cooled and refrigerated for up to 2 days; gently reheat before assembling lasagna.)
4.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Pour 2 inches boiling water into 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Slip noodles into water, 1 at a time, and soak until pliable, about 5 minutes, separating noodles with tip of sharp knife to prevent sticking. Remove noodles from water and place in single layer on clean kitchen towels; discard water. Dry dish and spray lightly with vegetable oil spray.
5.
Stir warm béchamel to recombine, then stir ³⁄
4
cup béchamel into warm meat sauce until thoroughly combined. Spread 1 cup béchamel-enriched meat sauce evenly over bottom of prepared dish. Arrange 3 noodles in single layer on top of sauce. Spoon 1¹⁄
4
cups béchamel-enriched meat sauce over noodles, spreading sauce to edge of noodles but not to edge of dish. Drizzle ¹⁄
3
cup béchamel evenly over meat sauce and sprinkle with ¹⁄
3
cup Parmesan. Repeat layering of noodles, béchamel-enriched meat sauce, béchamel, and Parmesan 3 more times. For final layer, arrange remaining 3 noodles on top and cover completely with remaining béchamel. Sprinkle with remaining ²⁄
3
cup Parmesan.
6.
Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with oil spray and bake until edges are just bubbling, about 30 minutes, rotating dish halfway through baking. Remove foil, increase oven temperature to 450 degrees, and continue to bake until cheese on top becomes spotty brown, about 15 minutes. Cool lasagna for 15 minutes before serving.