Recipe - Italian New Years - Wild Mushroom Lasagna

FRESH PASTA
2 One half cup Allpurpose flour; unsifted
One half teaspoon Salt
3 lg Eggs
2 One half tablespoon Water
1 tablespoon Olive oil

MUSHROOM SAUCE
One half cup Water; boiling
1 ounce Dried porcini mushrooms
1 tablespoon Olive oil
One fourth cup Carrot; finely chopped
One fourth cup Celery; finely chopped
One fourth cup Onion; finely chopped
3 pound Mushrooms; various kinds,
coarsely chopped
29 ounce Tomato puree
2 Cloves garlic; finely
chopped
1 teaspoon Salt

WHITE SAUCE
One fourth cup Butter
One fourth cup Allpurpose flour; unsifted
One fourth teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 cup Milk

ASSEMBLY INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon Butter; softened
1 pound Fresh mozzarella
One half cup Parmigiana reggiano; grated

There are several ways to make this vegetarian pasta dish ahead. 1. Prepare
and refrigerate the components a day ahead and assemble and bake the
lasagna about 2 hours before serving it. 2. Prepare, assemble and bake the
dish a day ahead and reheat before serving. Several hours or day before
serving, prepare Fresh Pasta: In large bowl or food processor fitted with
chopping blade, combine 2 One fourth cups flour and the salt. In 1cup measuring
cup, beat eggs, 2 tablespoons water and the oil until well mixed; stir into
flour mixture. Or, with food processor blade whirling, add egg mixture
through the feed tube. Dough should form a ball. If it is too sticky, add
more flour; if it is too dry, add more water. On lightly floured surface,
knead dough a few minutes of until smooth. Wrap with plastic wrap;
refrigerate one hour or over night. Prepare Mushroom Sauce: In small bowl,
combine boiling water and porcini; set aside 20 minutes. In 6quart
saucepot, heat oil over medium heat. Add carrot, celery and onion; sauté
stirring constantly, until tender but not browned. Stir in chopped
mushrooms, tomato purée, garlic and salt; heat to boiling over high heat,
stirring constantly. Drain porcini, discarding liquid. Rinse porcini and
add to mushroomtomato mixture. Reduce heat to low and cook mixture 45
minutes stirring occasionally. Cool to room temperature and assemble
lasagna or cover sauce and refrigerate over night. Prepare White Sauce: In
heavy 2quart saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt
and nutmeg; cook until bubbly. Gradually stir in milk and heat to boiling,
stirring constantly. Cool to room temperature and assemble lasagna or cover
and refrigerate over night. About two hours before serving or the day
before (if baking ahead and reheating), in 6quart saucepot heat 3" water
to boiling. Divide pasta dough into 5 pieces. On lightly floured board roll
out one dough piece to fit 3 One half quart (3" deep) glass baking dish. Add
pasta sheet to boiling water being careful that it does not fold over. Boil
3 minutes. With 2 slotted spoons, transfer pasta to oiled colander on tray.
Repeat with remaining 4 pieces, separating pasta sheets with pieces of
aluminum foil that have been oiled on both sides. Heat oven to 375F.
Assemble lasagna: Rub softened butter over bottom of baking dish. Top with
One half the mushroom sauce, 1 sheet pasta, One half the white sauce, 1 sheet pasta,
One half the cheeses and 1 sheet pasta. Repeat ending with the cheeses. Bake 45
minutes or until the top is golden brown. Check after 30 minutes. If top is
browning too quickly cover with foil. If baking a day ahead, cool lasagna
completely, cover tightly and refrigerate. To reheat heat oven to 350F.
Cover top of lasagna tightly with foil and bake 1 One half to 1 Three fourths hours or
until the center is hot. To serve, cut into 12 pastacourse or 8 maindish
servings.

Country Living January 1998, page 106.

Recipe by: Alan Tardi and Karen Bussen, Follonico, NYC.

Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #970 by Peg Baldassari
Baldassari@compuserve.com on Dec 22, 1997