Sunday, October 2, 2011

Switcheroo

Much to the dismay of the hubs and the kid, I like to plan a "Meatless Monday" dish each week. Honestly, while I had heard about Meatless Monday for a while, and then actually went with it, I didn't realize there was an entire movement around it... I thought it was simply a fun, alliterative thing created by foodies or magazines or whatever somewhere along the way.

In fact, after visiting the Meatless Monday website, I learned not only about the health benefits of going meatless (reducing all sorts of nasty disease-y risk factors), but also about the science behind behaviors and Mondays. Interesting.


However, today is Sunday. And we're going meatless. Not for any particularly altruistic reason, but simply because the recipe seemed a little complicated, it needed a longer baking time than I usually can manage during the week, and tonight's rainy weather deemed it an ideal choice.

Truffled Wild Mushroom Lasagna
Source: Cooking Light, December 2010

Ingredients:
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 c. thinly sliced leek
  • 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 3/8 tsp salt (skip)
  • 7 c. cremini mushrooms (about 1.5 lbs)
  • 4 c. shitake mushrooms (about 1 lbs)
  • 2/3 cup fruity red wine
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme (didn't use fresh)
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano (didn't use fresh)
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage (ditto)
  • 3 tbsp white truffle oil
  • 1 tsp pepper (skip)
  • 2-1/2 c. low fat milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 3.5 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 2 c. fat-free ricotta
  • 1/4 c. fresh parsley (didn't use fresh)
  • 1 tbsp grated lemon rind (used lemon juice)
  • 8oz pre-cooked lasagna noodles
  • 1 c. mozzarella cheese
  • 1 c. parm cheese
Directions:
  • Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat-high heat. Add leek, garlic and 1/4 tsp salt; saute 2 minutes. Add 4 c. cremini mushrooms and shitake mushrooms, saute 10 minutes or until mushrooms release moisture and begin to brown. Stir in wine; cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in thyme, oregano, sage, truffle oil, and 2/3 tsp pepper.
  • Combine milk and bay leaf in a heavy saucepan; cook over medium heat to 180 degrees or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Remove from heat; cover and let stand 10 minutes. Strain mixture through a sieve in a bowl, discard by leaf. Set aside.
  • Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining 3 c. cremini mushrooms; saute 4 minutes or until tender. Add flour, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook 1 minutes, stirring constantly; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 8 minutes or until thick. Stir in remaining salt, pepper and nutmeg.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Combine ricotta, parsley, lemon and remaining black pepper in a bowl. Spread 1/2 c. milk mixture in bottom of 11x7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over sauce; top with 2 c. mushroom mixture. Sprinkle with 1/4 c. mozzarella and 1/4 c. parm. Arrange 3 noodles over cheese. Top with 1 c. ricotta mixture. Repeat layers once with 3 noodles, 2 c. mushroom mixture, 1/4 c. mozzarella, 1/4 c. parm, 3 noodles and 1 c. ricotta. Cover with foil; place baking dish on baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Remove from oven, increase temp to 450 degrees. Uncover lasagna and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. mozzarella and 1/2 c. parm; bake an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 piece)
Per serving: 424 calories; 17.7g fat (6.4 sat; 2.2 mono; 8.1 poly); 23.7g protein; 41.3 carb; 31mg chol; 455mg sodium; 393mg calcium

Reviews:
Am I glad I made this on a Sunday. It took me about an hour to prepare - from chopping to assembly - and then another 40 minutes to bake. I was pretty geeked out to be able to use my truffle oil again. It's very expensive, I've used it just once, and I hate to let ingredients like that just sit on the shelf. All that being said, while I thought the lasagna was tasty and it includes some of my very fave foods (mushrooms, cheese and garlic), I'm not sure it was worth all of the effort. Both boys liked it, although the kid didn't really eat any of the mushrooms (um, isn't that the point?). And, there are a ton of leftovers, something I'm sure will make my parents happy.

BTW: Goodbye Andy Rooney. Even as you sign off, I still don't get your appeal, but the hubs has enjoyed your pointless commentary for years.

Ranking:
Two forks - I didn't think it was that special for all of the time and effort.

I didn't use extra cheese - I swear!

3 comments:

  1. I thought it was super delish. Definitely at least 3 forks maybe 4. Actually mad I forgot to bring it in for lunch today. And Andy Rooney is the best, Sunday nights won't be the same!

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  2. I got a little verklempt watching Andy say goodbye last night. The great curmudgeon will be missed!

    This lasagne looks SOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOD (all caps)

    I love lasagne but agree; sometimes it's more hassle than it's worth. That said, if I could get the older of my daughters to touch a mushroom I'd make this in a heartbeat. Swap the ricotta with some silken tofu, use fresh mozzarella and half or a quarter of the Parm. and it's a low so dieters dream!

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  3. SF: Glad you enjoyed - too bad I'm not making it again - challenge or note!

    DD: Ooh - I am so going to try silken tofu in SOMETHING someday - just not sure what. What i do know for sure - I will not let the boys know in advance! Thanks for all of the tips!

    ReplyDelete