Mushroom Lasagna
Adapted from a recipe by Ina Garten. Serves 2.
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450g/1 pound mushrooms
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3-4 cloves garlic
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oil for frying
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50g/1.7ozs butter
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4 tablespoons plain all purpose flour
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2 cups milk, warmed
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a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
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150g dried oven ready lasagna sheets (5 sheets)
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1/2 cup reggiano cheese
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salt and pepper
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Brush mushrooms clean with a pastry brush and slice finely. Chop garlic too. Heat a saucepan or cast iron pot on medium heat and fry the mushrooms and garlic in two batches. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Step 2 - I use the same pot for the bechamel sauce. Using a flat bottomed wooden spoon or spatula, melt the butter and then add the flour and cook for a minute making sure that the flour doesn't stick to the bottom. Then gradually add the milk (I find it easiest to take the pot off the heat to do this) until the milk is combined and the mixture is smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3 - Grease a small rectangular pan. Even though the lasagna sheets don't require boiling, as this isn't quite as liquid as a tomato sauce, I wet the sheets individually under cold water just to help them become softer. In a tray add some of the bechamel sauce, then add a moistened lasagna sheet. Then top with mushrooms, then another sheet, then more bechamel and so on until you have one lasagna sheet left. Add more bechamel on this and then sprinkle cheese on top and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. Lasagna is easier to cut once it has cooled down a bit.