Lasagne with Mushrooms and Ham

This sauce builds flavor in a saute pan with olive oil, garlic, ham, porcini, and fresh mushrooms. Tomatoes simmer uncovered until the oil separates, and the finished sauce is tossed with pasta.

This sauce starts with shallot or onion cooked in butter and oil, plus a small amount of pancetta, prosciutto, or ham. Tomatoes and porcini simmer uncovered until the sauce separates, then it gets tossed with pasta and finished with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table.

Lasagne with Mushrooms and Ham

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Servings: 6 servings

Course: Main Dish

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

Main Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb 680 g fresh, firm, white button mushrooms
• 3 tbsp 45 ml vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp 42 g butter plus more butter for greasing and dotting a 9 x 12 inch (23 x 30 cm) bake-and-serve lasagne pan, at least 2 1/2 inches (6.5 cm) high
• 1/3 cup 80 ml onion, chopped very fine
• Two small packets OR 2 oz 55 g dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted
• Filtered water from the mushroom soak
• 1/3 cup 80 ml canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 2 tbsp 30 ml chopped parsley
• Salt
• Black pepper ground fresh
• Homemade yellow pasta dough 3 large eggs and approximately 1 2/3 cups (400 ml unbleached flour)
• 3/4 lb 340 g unsmoked boiled ham
• Bechamel sauce 2 cups (480 ml milk, 4 tbsp (56 g) butter, 3 tbsp (45 ml) flour, 1/4 tsp (about 1 ml) salt)
• 2/3 cup 160 ml freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus additional cheese at the table

Equipment

• Oven
• Skillet

Method

 

1. Rinse the fresh mushrooms quickly, drain, dry thoroughly, and slice them very thin lengthwise.
2. In a saute pan, warm the oil, 3 tbsp (42 g) butter, and the chopped onion over medium heat.
3. When the onion turns translucent, add the reconstituted porcini, the filtered soaking liquid, tomatoes, and parsley. Cover the pan slightly ajar, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook until the liquid evaporates.
4. Add the sliced fresh mushrooms, salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Raise the heat to high and cook uncovered 7 to 8 minutes, until the mushrooms’ liquid evaporates. Taste and correct seasoning, then set aside.
5. Make the yellow pasta dough. Cut into lasagne strips, parboil them, and spread them on cloth towels to dry.
6. Preheat the oven to 400 F (205 C).
7. Cut the ham into very thin julienne strips.
8. Make the bechamel sauce and keep it warm over very low heat (a double boiler works well).
9. Butter the lasagne pan and spread a little bechamel on the bottom. Lay down a single layer of pasta, fitted edge to edge with minimal overlap.
10. Mix the mushrooms with all but 2 to 3 tbsp of bechamel. Spread a thin layer over the pasta, scatter some ham, and sprinkle with Parmesan. Repeat layers (pasta, mushroom-bechamel, ham, Parmesan) to reach at least 6 pasta layers.
11. Finish with the remaining bechamel only, sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan, and dot with about 2 tbsp butter. Bake on the top rack 10 to 15 minutes until lightly golden. If no crust starts forming after the first few minutes, increase the oven by 50 to 75 F (30 to 40 C). Do not bake longer than 15 minutes total.
12. Rest about 10 minutes, then serve from the pan with extra Parmesan at the table.

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