Truffle Lasagne Recipe
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Serves: 8
Filling:
- 6 dried small shiitake mushrooms
- 20g/0.7ozs sliced porcini mushrooms
- Truffle oil*
- 1 large brown onion, peeled and diced
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
- 900g/2lbs mushrooms, sliced thinly
Bechamel Sauce:
- 100g/3.5ozs truffle butter (Coppertree does a great one)
- 100g/3.5ozs plain all purpose flour
- 4 cups/1 litre/2.11pints milk (skim or full fat), hot
- 120g/4ozs truffle cheddar cheese, grated
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
For the lasagne
-
200g/7ozs mozzarella, grated
-
100g/3.5ozs truffle cheddar, grated
-
375g/13ozs fresh lasagne sheets (6 sheets)
-
Extra truffle oil, truffle and truffle cheddar for serving
To make homemade truffle oil add a few shavings of fresh truffle to a cup of extra virgin olive oil and gently heat to 50C/120F. It will last for 3 days in the fridge.
Step 1 - First rehydrate the dried mushrooms. Place the shiitakes and porcinis in a bowl and cover with a cup of boiling water. Cover and allow to rehydrate for 30 minutes. Chop up the onions, garlic and fresh mushrooms while the dried mushrooms are rehydrating. Preheat oven to 180C/350F and grease a lasagne tray (mine was 22x34cms/9x14inches).
Step 2 - When the mushrooms are hydrated slice them up removing the stems if they are tough or woody. Place a large saucepan onto medium heat and add the truffle oil and fry the onion until softened. Then add the mushrooms and sauté using some of the mushroom soaking water. Sauté until the mushrooms are soft and cooked through (around 15 minutes).
Step 3 - Make the béchamel sauce. Heat the butter in a saucepan until melted. Add the flour and stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk gradually whisking the whole time. Once it is smooth add the truffle cheese and salt and allow to melt through and thicken. Thermomix directions: Place the butter, flour, milk, cheese and salt and set to 10 minutes, speed #4, 90C.
Step 4 - The lasagne should have three layers of mushrooms, four layers of bechamel and six layers of pasta. Spread a quarter of the bechamel on the base of the lasagne dish. Then add a layer of pasta and then cover with a third of the mushrooms. Layer with the bechamel, another third of mushrooms, then bechamel and repeat until you have a layer of pasta and then top this with the last quarter of bechamel sauce. Sprinkle grated mozzarella and truffle cheddar on top and then bake for 30-35 minutes, turning halfway to evenly brown the top. I like to cool lasagne completely and refrigerate it and then serve it the next day as it cuts cleaner and the flavours develop. To reheat from cold, cover with an oiled sheet of foil (so the foil doesn't stick to the cheese) and heat for 30-35 minutes at 180C/350F.
Step 5 - Slice the lasagne into pieces and drizzle the slice generously with the truffle oil. Shave extra truffle and truffle cheese over the top.