Mushroom Lasagne

When I think of British summers, I like to imagine myself cheerfully hopping around the garden, BBQ tongs in hand, muttering excitedly about my homemade marinade de soir. The slightly disappointing reality is that many of my summer evenings in Essex are actually spent stuck inside with no BBQ imminent, unless bravely undertaken in a desperately unattractive cagoule in the rain, possibly beneath some propped up bin liners. And so annoyingly, cosy pasta dishes still have a place on the menu in the summer time... and this delicious mushroom lasagne is just the thing. Brilliantly good for you, low in cholesterol and still tasty - all at once. And not a BBQ in sight.

Ingredients

  • 800g ish Mushrooms
  • 4 Onions
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Plain Flour
  • 600ml ish Milk (not full fat)
  • English Mustard
  • Worcestershire Sauce
  • Salt & Pepper
  • White Wine
  • Garlic
  • Basil or Pesto (or Parsley)
  • Lasagne Sheets (dried)

The component parts of this Lasagne are White Sauce – Lasagne Sheets (dried) – Mushrooms – Onions – Breadcrumbs

To get the White Sauce ready – heat 2 tbsp Olive Oil and whisk together with 2 tbsp of Plain Flour.  Add around a pint (500 or 600ml ish) of Milk and stir over a medium heat.  Bring the Sauce to the boil, and add 2 tsp English Mustard, a big dash of Worcestershire Sauce and some Salt & Pepper.  The Sauce should be the right consistency after it’s boiled for a few minutes – not too runny, but not too thick to pour either (add more milk and bring to the boil if it’s is too thick).  Set aside once you’ve tasted it and are happy…

To get the Mushrooms sorted, first clean them with kitchen roll (don’t wash them) then slice them (thick ish slices).  You can use any variety of Mushroom, and sometimes a mixture is best (you could also used some Dried Mushrooms). Heat a pan and fry them in Olive Oil over a reasonable heat for a couple of minutes.  After 5 ish minutes, when the Mushrooms are starting to cook and catch a little colour, add a few cloves of crushed Garlic and fry for a moment or two before splashing a dash of White Wine into the pan.  Cook off the alcohol and season the Mushrooms with Salt & Pepper to taste.  Set the Mushrooms aside on a plate – making sure you don’t lose any juices…

In the same pan – fry 3 or 4 large Onions in Olive Oil (with a sprinkle of Salt) until they are sweet and sticky.  This might take 15 – 20 minutes over a low heat.

To layer the Lasagne – start with the right sized dish.  The first layer should be half the Onions, then half the Mushrooms before a single layer of Lasagne and then half the White Sauce.  Repeat again, with Onions, Mushrooms and then add some Basil leaves (or Pesto) all over before the final sheet of Lasagne, which you should top with the remaining White Sauce and a few handfuls of Garlic Breadcrumbs

Bake the Lasagne at 200˚c for half an hour covered with foil, and then another 10 – 15 minutes without the foil – make sure the pasta is cooked through (easy to pierce through with a fork or knife – but not too soggy!)

Enjoy with a tart Tomato Salad, or a crisp Green Salad with Red Onions…

Make plenty because this healthy Mushroom Lasagne is excellent as leftovers the next day, hot or cold

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