Perfect Mushroom Lasagna- You must try this one!

I love traditional Italian pasta dishes. I do. I mean, who doesn't love a big hunk of cheesy lasagna or a bowl of perfectly cooked spaghetti with tender meatballs and rich delicious marinara sauce? I also like to challenge myself to give those traditional recipes a new twist- something uniquely "me" in flavor combinations that I love, and it's even better when you add a boozy twist.

I admit it, I am on a cognac kick. No, I am not hanging out in the local bars getting hammered. I have been cooking with it like crazy. It warms up humble cheese soup, makes caramelized onions so much more special and takes simple mushrooms to a whole new dimension. And that, my friends, is where I am going today. Cognac and mushrooms. And cheese. And herbs. Baked. Oh man.....

What does this have to do with classic home cooking? Everything. I'm going to take everyday lasagna and turn it into something really special, really delicious and really my style.

Let's talk about mushrooms for a few minutes. Growing up pretty much all my mom ever cooked with was plain canned button mushrooms. In the spring Dad would hunt morels and usually came home with bags full. Of course, Mom was in the Breading and Frying Club when it came to morels, so my experience as a child with wild mushrooms was pretty limited. It wasn't until I became an adult and began exploring unique and unusual foods that I fell deeply in love with wild mushrooms. Cooking with fresh mushrooms is very different than Mom's cooking with canned mushrooms. Today's modern supermarkets have a much larger variety than back then, and if you venture into an Asian grocery store, you will find even more unique varieties.

Even when I am making a wild mushroom dish I like to start with a few white button mushrooms. They are flavor sponges and readily absorb all the delicious flavors they are mingling next too, especially the cognac *wink wink*  Portobella mushrooms are so popular and you can find the big boys or baby bellas- both are delicious. Porcini, Cremini, Oyster and Chanterelle mushrooms show up in the store once in a while and many of them grow wild- if you're an experienced mushroom hunter, go get them! Puffball, chicken of the woods, and pheasant backs are pretty common in Iowa, so I might have them from time to time if I am brave enough to battle ticks in the woods. But for this recipe, I am going to venture back to the city for some mushrooms from the BIG supermarket and avoid the woods for now. It doesn't matter what kind of mushrooms you use, as long as you have around a pound and a half to two pounds. 

NOTE: If you use shiitakes, remember to remove and discard the ENTIRE stem. It's too tough.

So.....Wild Mushroom Lasagna is on the menu, and you will need-

• 1 1/2 to 2 lb assorted mushrooms
• 3/4 cup butter, divided
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 4 scallions, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup cognac
• 1 quart whole milk
• 1/2 cup flour
• salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 package lasagna noodles
• Herb Oil (recipe follows)

Get a large stockpot of water going if you are using the cooked kind of lasagna. Add the noodles when the water comes to full rolling boil and cook according to package directions. Drain into a colander and set aside. I used the no boil lasagna noodles.

While the water is coming to boil, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Wipe the mushrooms clean and trim off the stem ends. You don't want to WASH the mushrooms because, like I said, they are sponges and will become soggy. Slice some of the mushrooms and cut some into chunks. In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add  the mushrooms and saute for 5-10 minutes until mushrooms are nicely browned. Add the scallions and garlic; cook and stir a couple minutes. Sprinkle the cognac over the pan, then cook until evaporated. and remove to large bowl. Set aside.

I wish you could smell these- mushrooms, garlic, cognac....

To make the bechamel sauce, start by heating the milk in a saucepan. In a large saucepan melt 1/2 cup butter. Stir in the flour and cook for a few minutes to cook out the raw flavor. Add the hot milk all at once and cook, whisking constantly until the sauce is thick and rich. Season with salt, pepper and the nutmeg.

Don't let the roux brown or the bechamel will be dark.

Now we're ready to assemble the lasagna. I like to use a 9x9 stoneware pan. Spread a small amount of the bechamel sauce in the bottom and cover with a layer of noodles. Doesn't have to be picture perfect- no one is going to see it. Spread with more sauce, then add half the mushrooms, sprinkle with 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. Keep building: noodle, sauce, mushrooms, Parmesan, noodle, sauce and finish with Parmesan cheese on top. Pop it in the oven and bake about 45 minutes to an hour until hot, bubbly and browned on top. Allow the lasagna to rest about ten minutes before cutting. Serve drizzled with fresh Herb Oil drizzled lightly over each serving.

Herb Oil

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• a few sprigs thyme, leaves removed
• pinch of salt

Make sure you have FRESH herbs for this. It is not possible to use dried herbs in this recipe. Blend everything together in a mini food processor. Trust me, you NEED a mini food processor in the kitchen for things like this. Makes such a huge difference in making herb oils and blending together small sauces. If you don't have one, crush or muddle the herbs in a small amount of the oil, and then mix it all together. Extra virgin olive oil is important to use because of it's fruity quality.

And how did it turn out? Awesome!! The bechamel is rich and creamy, the mushrooms are so hearty and delicious I never missed the meat one bit. It looks uber rich but it's really a pretty light dish- no heavy mozzarella and ricotta, just a few tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, and believe me, that is all you need. The drizzle of herb oil is a clean and fresh note but it's just fine without the oil. 

Talking about this lasagna with a friend tonight made us throw around a few other ideas- we're both big squash nuts, so maybe a butternut squash lasagna will be on the menu soon.......perhaps.......

Lazy Sunday and Philly Cheesesteak Soup

The forecast calls for autumn-like temperatures and for me that means firing up the oven, baking some artisan bread and making a big pot of soup. A friend of mine recently inspired me with a soup she made for dinner and I thought I'd give it a try and put my spin on it.

I've made many many pots of soup over the years. I can't tell you how many turkey frames or chicken bones ended up in the soup pot. Ham bones and beans, lentils and kielbasa. Veggie beef, hot and sour, chili, cream of this or that. One soup I have never made from scratch before- cheese soup. No real reason why, just never have. That is where my challenge to myself begins-master the cheese soup and up the ante by making Philly Cheesesteak Soup.

I picked The Chef's brain a little for cheese soup recipes. I tell ya, it's nice having a resident expert in the house! I think he was a little crabby (allergy season) with my questions but he's a good sport anyway. I'm sure it's tough for a chef to answer these silly questions about what's such a basic recipe but my Chef is as passionate about food as I am. We talked about different cheeses to use, what melts better than others, real cheese versus the fake cheese gunk that's VERY common in Philadelphia on a cheesesteak sandwich. 

Pulling off this soup is going to be quite an event. I need to start with the croutons. Get a nice loaf of crusty bread and cut into somewhat large cubes. Melt half a stick of butter, add 1/4 cup olive oil and several cloves of fresh garlic, cut in half and crushed. Heat for 10-15 minutes to infuse the garlic. Drizzle over the bread cubes, tossing to coat evenly. We have been snacking off our baguette I bought for croutons, so I had only half to work with.

Now, here is a trick I just learned from Food Network chef Damaris Phillips- heat a big cast iron skillet for about 5 minutes until hot. Add the croutons and cook and stir until toasty allover- you end up with a crusty, chewy bite of bread and not a dessicated cube of yuck. Set aside and allow to cool. You can do this the night before even and keep them stored in an airtight container.

Now let's get started on the steak strips. My plan is to buy a small piece of sirloin to cook, but you could use leftover steak if you had it.  Let's get started on the Philly Cheesesteak part. You will need-

• one 4-6 oz tender steak such as sirloin or New York Strip*
• one large sweet onion
• 2 bell peppers
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• butter
• salt and pepper

Slice the meat into strips, then again crosswise into bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Clean the vegetables. Cut the onion into strips and again crosswise into bite-sized strips. Repeat with the bell pepper. You don't want fajitas here- just bite size pieces. I also used half a Hatch chili pepper fora little more kick.

In large skillet melt a couple tablespoons of butter. Add the steak and stir fry for a minute or two. Add a couple more tablespoons of butter to skillet. Add the vegetables, season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir over low heat for 10-15 minutes until onions have become a little caramelized. Add peppers a little later if you like more crunch. Remove from skillet to bowl and cover with foil.

* You want to make sure what you have is TENDER, so if you choose to go with say, round steak, you're going to need to cook that low and slow in some braising liquid for a good hour or two until tender. My mom often used steak like this in pepper steak or stroganoff, adding the other ingredients much later.

Now that we've got that part done, we need to get our soup going. For the cheese soup, you will need-

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup good Cognac
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 pound cheese- I am using half mild cheddar and half Monterrey Jack for smooth melting, shredded

A little cognac never hurt, right? "Airplane bottles" are perfect.

In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk to make a smooth roux. Add the chicken broth, milk and cognac. Cook over medium high heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat. 

Using a wooden spoon to stir, add the cheese in parts, stirring until melted before adding the next handful. If needed, return to LOW heat briefly to melt. Cover pot and set aside.

To serve, in each of six deep bowls, evenly divide the steak and vegetables. Fill the bowl with soup, top with garlic croutons and serve immediately. Alternatively, you can just combine everything except the croutons, which is what I did.

The first thing you get is the ever so slight whiff of that cognac on your first bite. It adds just the perfect bit of "luxe" that cheese soup can lack. It really kicks it up from homestyle comfort food to something just a little more gourmet. Then you get the tender bites of steak and onions and peppers and those crusty, chewy homemade croutons- believe me folks, don't skimp on the croutons and buy store bought. These are like little bits of garlic toast and oh so good. This is going to be such a great dinner on a cold, snowy day. It's filling and creamy and hearty at the same time. You're going to love it.