This is very rich and luxurious, and needs a sharp salad to go along with it. Nigel Slater’s addition of basil sauce is a great idea and makes a super tasty dish.
Wine Suggestion: We suspect a good Nebbiolo would work with this but in the absence one in our rack tonight we chose Domaine Jamet’s Cotes du Rhone. Made from 100% Syrah in the Northern Rhone it still has a hint of richness and spice as if it has a Gigondas influence but also the earthy, leather spice of the North.
Mushroom lasagne with basil and cream – serves 6
- 2 onions, roughly chopped
- 3 small cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- a thick slice of butter
- 10g dried porcini mushrooms
- 750g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- a good handful of chopped parsley
- 5 tbsp of freshly grated Parmesan, plus an extra 3 tbsp for the top
- 150ml double cream
- 750ml béchamel sauce (Nigel suggests you can use ready-made for this but if you want to make your own we’ve included a recipe below – a pint should be plenty).
- 350g fresh lasagne sheets (dried can be used either)
FOR THE BASIL SAUCE
- 60g pine nuts
- 50g basil leaves
- 2 cloves of garlic
- olive oil
- 4 tbsp grated Parmesan
To make a pint of béchamel sauce, melt 2oz of butter in a medium-sized saucepan, then stir in 2oz of plain flour and cook for a minute or two. Gradually add a pint of full-fat milk, stirring continuously and only adding a bit more when the previous bit has been absorbed. Keep stirring until all of the milk has been added and the sauce comes to a simmer and thickens. Season with salt and pepper.
Melt the butter in a deep frying pan, then add the onions and garlic and cook gently for about 20 minutes, or until softened and translucent.
Meanwhile, cover the dried porcini with warm water – no more than 100ml – and leave to soak.
To make the basil sauce, whizz the pine nuts, basil, garlic, some olive oil and Parmesan in a food processor. You need enough oil to form a sloppy paste. Alternatively you can crush the garlic with a little salt in a mortar, then mash in the basil, pine nuts, cheese and olive oil.
Stir the sliced mushrooms into the onions and partially cover with a lid. Leave to colour and soften, then add the dried mushrooms with their soaking liquid, the parsley, 5 tbsp of Parmesan and the cream. Season well with salt and black pepper, then simmer until the mixture has reduced and thickened a bit.
To assemble the lasagne, take a large casserole dish and spread a few tbsp of the béchamel over the bottom. Cover with a layer of pasta, then half the mushroom filling. Add another layer of pasta, then a second layer of mushrooms. Top with a final layer of pasta, then spread over the basil sauce. Cover the top completely with the rest of the béchamel and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 180C/Gas 4 for 50 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
(Original recipe from The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater, Fourth Estate, 2005.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 