Cookbook Challenge Week 11

Theme: Mixed

Menu: Mushroom & Leek Lasagne

Took me a while to decide on what to cook for this week’s challenge. I even made Week 12’s Egg Challenge earlier than this week’s challenge dish ;p This theme’s scope is quite broad since almost all dishes are different ingredients mixed together, so I got all different kind of recipe to try on, and feel a bit dilemmatic on which one to make.

Then I stumbled upon this recipe from Jamie Oliver’s Magazine, and I thought.. ooh this would be perfect! 

The end result was lovely, with the combination of the lasagne, mixed mushrooms, spinach and the bechamel - oh so beautiful..

Recipe (Adapted from Dave Barker, Fox & Hounds, Northamptonshire - extracted from Jamie Oliver Magazine Recipe yearbook 2009/2010)

• 2tbsp Olive Oil
• Knob of butter
• 1 White Onion, finely chopped
• 2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
• 4 leeks, thinly sliced
• 400g mushrooms
• 80g mixed dried wild mushrooms, soaked in 300ml water for at least 1 hour, then drained, mushrooms and water reserved separately
• 350g baby spinach, washed
• 500g dried lasane sheets
• Baby mozarella (optional), to top lasagne
• 40g grated parmesan, plus extra

Mushrooms & Parmesan Bechamel

• 750ml semi-skimmed milk
• 250ml mushroom stock (soaking water, as above)
• 1 small onion, peeled but left whole
• 2 bay leaves
• 100g unsalted butter
• 70g plain flour
• 60g grated parmesan

Method:

1. For the bechamel, mix the milk and the reserved mushroom stock together in a large saucepan with the onion and bay leaves. Cook over a medium heat for 4 minutes, but do not let it boil. Meanwhile, in another pan on a low heat, melt the butter and then add the flour. Keep stirring the mixture for several minutes to cook the flour. This makes a roux. When the milk mixture is just coming to the boil, remove the onion and bay leaves with a lottedspoon. Whisk the roux into the milk and keep whisking over the heat until it thickens. Add the parmesan and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Preheat your oven to 180C/Gas 4. Put a large frying pan on a medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. When they’ve melted together, add the onion, garlic, leek and fresh and rehydrated mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes or so, stirring frequently. Add the spinach and continue stirring until it has wilted down. Season to taste, then add the mushroom bechamel to the vegetable mixture, and stir to combine.
3. Line the bottom of a 2-litre ovenproof dish with lasagne sheets. Spoon over half the vegetable mix. Top with a layer of lasagne sheets and then cover with remaining vegetable mixture. Top with torn mozzarella (if desired), sprinkle over the parmesan, then place in the over to cook for 35-40 minutes, or until golden-brown and the lasagne is tender. Remove from over, scatter with parmesan and serve with a green salad.

Cook’s Notes: In Melbourne, Dried Mixed Mushroom can be found at asian groceries