VEGETARIAN LASAGNE — SAVEUR: THE NEW CLASSICS, p. 869 (ebook)
The online version differs only from the book in calling for regular lasagne noodles (the book calls for no-boil) and how the ingredient list is laid out (it’s divided in the book).
I made a few swaps and changes along the way. I used fresh pasta sheets (purchased from a local purveyor), I made the sauce ahead of time, then made the béchamel and assembled and did the initial baking of the lasagne a day before serving, and reheated and browned the top to serve. I also made some ingredient changes/additions. Instead of 2 pounds of shiitakes in the sauce, I used a pound of cremini, a little over half a pound of shiitakes, and a big handful of dried porcini rehydrated with the sun-dried tomatoes, since I had them (shiitakes were going for $10/pound). I added about a cup of the soaking liquid to the pot and let it bubble along with rest before adding the tomatoes and letting it all cook down further. I skipped the carrot in the béchamel and used two large shallots instead, and in assembling, I added a layer of caramelized onions in the middle.
This made a big, hearty lasagne and four of us ate less than half of it for Christmas dinner, but I anticipated its producing plenty of leftovers for low-effort meals. As far as the sauce went, the spinach and tomatoes kind of disappeared, leaving the mushrooms in the forefront, but the whole was really flavorful and umami-rich. The entire thing was delicious, if a bit sloppy on the plate. But then, my use of fresh pasta absorbed less sauce than no-boil noodles would.
