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.......

Culinary Homeschooling- Eggs, Cheese and Principles of Cooking

As I get further into my first culinary school textbook, I'm finding all sorts of interesting things I didn't know, and a fair share of things I did. For example, I did know this, so here is a clever little bit of trivia in case you didn't- the white part of the egg is actually called the albumen. 

The section on cheese was very very detailed. Step by step instructions for making homemade mozzarella was a big highlight for me, and something I really want to try. This chapter talked about how all cheese are made- by adding enzymes to mammal milk. The typical enzyme is rennet, which comes from the belly of calves- a fact I did not necessarily want to know.

Say CHEESE !!!

Did You Know?  Did you know that traditionally mozzarella cheese is made using buffalo milk? It's kind of funny that foodie types seem to think they are really eating a gourmet specialty if they find "boofalo mootzarell" when it should always be that way!

After filling my brain with cheese facts, I started the next big section- Part 3-Principles of Cooking. The fun is really starting now. I learned right off that, my previous thinking- that cooking is an art- is not really true. Actually cooking is not an art, as much as it is a science. I learned about the molecular changes in different foods when heat is applied, and about the different methods of heat transfer: conduction, convection, radiation and induction. The section also breaks down and explains all the methods of cooking we are all familiar with: broiling, roasting, steaming, boiling, and so on.

Chapter 10- Stocks and Sauces was a great chapter for me. Stocks and sauces are the bread and butter of the kitchen- master these and you can make almost anything. I am a longtime stockmaker and always have bags of bones in the freezer waiting for enough to roast and make a batch or two of rich, flavorful stock. This chapter walked me through the steps to making perfect stock, which I already knew, but it was still fun to see if I was missing anything. I'm NOT a perfect gravy-maker so I learned a lot from this chapter and hope I will become better at making gravies.

This chapter also introduces us to the mirepoix. The flavor foundation for all stocks, soups and sauces, the mirepoix is a must-have for all levels of cooking. This classic combination of onion, celery and carrots you will see used in soups, stews, casseroles, stocks and more.

Did you know? Did you know the proper name for vegetable stock is court bouillon? There are many kinds of veggie stocks out there but this is the mainstay, and is mostly used to poach or simmer other foods in.

Finishing out the chapter are the sauces- the History of Sauce, dating back to ancient Rome to today, and The Mother Sauces- Bechamel, Veloute, Espagnole, Tomato, and Hollandaise, and loads of variations with recipes. Lots of practice in saucemaking going on with this chapter. We start off learning all about making a roux (mastered that one long ago), as well as using cornstarch and other methods of thickening. 

Of all the chapters I have read so far, this was the most educational for me. Sure the earlier part of the book had history and some basic terminology I had not heard before, but seeing the techniques in actual recipes like all the sauce recipes was a huge bonus for me.

Up next in the book: soups. Perfect timing, as winter is winding down finally. After that we'll be cooking meat- time to dust off the grill!

Kitchen 101- Gravy and Sauces

The Chef and I are putting our heads together to come up with what we think are some of the basic skills every cook should master. Not everyone needs to make flawless puff pastry or be able to sear foie gras like a master chef, but making some of the basics should be a priority for everyone who enjoys cooking and loves good food. Where to start? How about an everyday basic like making gravies and sauces? Grocery stores have made it too easy to cheat- with jarred gravy and mixes for every kind of sauce you can think of, many people just don't know how to make them from scratch anymore. We hope to change this. So let's start with a very basic form of thickening- roux.

What is a roux anyway? Quite simply- the easiest way to thicken a liquid. If you were forced to endure Home Economics as a junior high kid (like I was) you might have learned to make white sauce. Thin, medium and thick- each had a specific use and a different amount of butter and flour to thicken it. That, my friends, is roux. Melted butter or fat and flour, in equal parts, with milk or broth, makes your sauce or gravy.

Let's talk about white sauce, or Bechamel sauce, for a few minutes. I mentioned the three types of white sauce- thin, medium and thick. They are all made from the same basic technique- melt the fat, add the flour, cook out the raw flavor, add the milk. Bring to a boil and simmer. Thin white sauce is typically what you would want if you are adding cheese to the sauce. Medium white sauce is the Bechamel most of us are familiar with. Thick white sauce isn't as common as it once was. People don't make croquettes and dishes like that as much as in years past. 

Thin white sauce:

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

Medium white sauce:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

Thick white sauce:

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

Seems simple enough right? It is!! White sauce is so easy to dress up- a little bit of grainy mustard, some shredded cheese, chopped herbs, sauteed mushrooms or caramelized onions.

Now, what does cornstarch have to do with sauce? For people who prefer not to use wheat products cornstarch is the perfect option. Like roux, the cornstarch mixture used for thickening is called a slurry. For each one cup of liquid, you will need one tablespoon of cornstarch and one tablespoon cold water. Bring your sauce mixture to boil, then whisk in the slurry. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.

Yet another way to make an easy and delicious sauce is to make a reduction. A reduction can be made from almost any liquid- broth or stock, wine, juice. You can't get any easier than a reduction either- simply add your liquid to a heavy saucepan or skillet and boil gently to evaporate the liquid until you have a thick, glossy and luxe reduced liquid. You can add herbs or seasonings and strain them out before using. Red wine and port wine make incredible reductions and are a beautiful sauce for a perfectly cooked steak. Reduced fruit juices are awesome as syrups and flavorings, as well as meat glazes. Like sauces, reductions can be perked up with minced garlic or shallots, a shake or two of spice and some citrus zest.

With those basic sauce skills under your belt, you can dress up the simplest dishes. Have fun and experiment!