FOR THE LOVE OF LASAGNA
Kale and mushroom version is delicate and delicious
Lasagna is like pizza: Even when it’s bad, it’s good.
With pizza, the saying goes, it’s still melted cheese on warm bread. With lasagna, sub in warm noodles for the bread and you’ve got the same idea.
What could be wrong with such bubbly goodness?
That doesn’t mean there aren’t better and worse lasagnas, of course. You can make your own pasta dough, labour over the sauce and fillings, and use the best possible cheese for something positively sublime on the one hand or reach into the freezer for something positively un-sublime on the other.
I think most of us lasagna-loving home cooks fall in the middle, paying attention to the quality of the ingredients but striving for ways to put it together as quickly and easily as possible.
I based this version on a recipe in Six Seasons (Artisan) by Joshua Mcfadden and Martha Holmberg. I love its use of kale and mushrooms (two of my favourite fall-ish ingredients, though you can get them year-round), as well as a velouté (a flour-thickened slurry of vegetable broth and milk) rather than tomato sauce.
But after making it, I couldn’t help but enrich it, adding an egg to the ricotta filling and one of my favourite cheeses, smoked mozzarella, inside and on top.
The result was just what I was after — something a little more delicate than a typical meatand-tomato-sauce affair but still hearty, cheesy and rich. Just as a good lasagna should be.
Serves: 8
6 tbsp (90 ml) unsalted butter
■
(may substitute vegan butter, such as Earth Balance)
1/4 cup (60 ml) flour
■
2 cups (500 ml) vegetable
■ broth, homemade or low-sodium store-bought
1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
■ or reduced fat milk (may substitute non-dairy milk)
1 tsp (5 ml) kosher salt, or more
■ as needed
Freshly ground black pepper
■
1 lb (454 g) button or cremini
■ mushrooms, trimmed and finely chopped
12 oz (340 g) kale, thick ribs
■ cut out, leaves cut into very thin strips
1/4 tsp (1 ml) crushed red pepper
■ flakes
16 oz (460 ml) whole-milk
■ ricotta (may substitute vegan ricotta)
1 tbsp (15 ml) finely grated
■ lemon zest
1 large egg (optional)
■
One (9-oz/256 g) box no-boil
■ lasagna noodles (may substitute gluten-free noodles)
8 oz (226 g) or 2 cups (500 ml)
■ shredded smoked mozzarella (may substitute vegan cheese shreds, such as Violife or Daiya) 2 oz (56 g) or 1 cup (250 ml)
■ freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional; may substitute vegan Parmesan)
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) with the rack placed in the middle.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 tbsp
(60 ml) of the butter.
3. Add the flour, stir to make a smooth paste and cook, stirring, so the raw flour flavour cooks out, 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the broth and the milk.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking to eliminate lumps. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.
5. Season with 1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt and a few grinds of the pepper, taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. (Remember that the store-bought broth might be salty.)
6. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tbsp
(15 ml) of the butter.
7. When it stops sizzling, add the mushrooms, 1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt and a few grinds of the pepper and cook, stirring and scraping the pan occasionally, until all the moisture from the mushrooms has been released and evaporated and they begin to brown and stick a bit to the pan, 10-12 minutes.
8. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
9. Wash the kale thoroughly, leaving the water clinging to the leaves. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the remaining 1 tbsp (15 ml) of butter.
10. When it stops sizzling, add the red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds.
11. Add the kale and the remaining 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) salt and cook, tossing frequently, until the kale is wilted and very tender, about 10 minutes.
12. You may need to add a few splashes of water as you’re going along if the pan gets dry. Taste and season with more salt, if needed.
13. In a small bowl, whisk the ricotta, lemon zest and egg, if using, until combined.
14. To assemble the lasagna, spread half the flour-milk mixture (called a velouté) in an even layer on the bottom of a 9-by-13inch (22-by-33-cm) baking dish.
15. Arrange the noodles in an even layer, breaking the noodles to fit as needed.
16. Spread the mushrooms evenly over the noodles and then top with the kale, distributing it evenly. Top with half the smoked mozzarella.
17. Arrange a second layer of noodles, then top with evenly spaced dollops of the ricotta.
18. Gently spread the ricotta, without disturbing the noodles, to make an even layer. Add one more layer of noodles, pour over the remaining velouté and finish with the remaining smoked mozzarella. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top.
19. Bake 40-50 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown and the juices are bubbling around the edges.
20. Let the lasagna cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting and serving.
Make ahead: The assembled lasagna can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw a frozen lasagna overnight in the refrigerator before baking. The baked lasagna can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.