Wild mushroom lasagne recipe

White wine, double cream and Parmesan cheese make this a special pasta dish. Omit the Parmesan to make it a truly veggie dinner.

Ingredients

• 110g (3¾ oz) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the dish
• 60g (2¼ oz) plain flour
• 1.2l (2pt) whole milk
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 284ml (10oz) carton double cream
• 3tbsp roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 75g (2¾ oz) grated Parmesan cheese or vegetarian equivalent
• 1tbsp olive oil
• 600g (1lb 5oz) mixed
• Wild mushrooms, trimmed and thickly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 50ml (2fl oz) dry white wine
• 25g (1oz) dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 100ml (3½fl oz) hot water
• 300g (10½ oz) fresh lasagne sheets

Method

1. To make your lasagne, melt 100g (3½ oz) butter in a pan over a low heat. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon for 1 min, until the mixture is a light biscuity colour. Remove from the heat and slowly stir in the milk, a little at a time, until smooth. Return the pan to a medium heat and continue stirring until the sauce becomes thick and velvety.
2. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, then stir in the double cream, parsley and 30g (1oz) Parmesan. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
3. Heat the remaining butter and the olive oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan. Sauté the mushrooms for 2 mins on a high heat.
4. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 min more. Season with salt and pepper, pour in the wine, porcini and their soaking liquid and cook, stirring until the liquid has evaporated. Stir this mixture into the cooled white sauce.
5. To assemble the lasagne, butter a rectangular oven dish, approx 25cm x 15cm (10in x 6in), and cover the bottom with a layer of slightly overlapping lasagne sheets. Top with a quarter of the mushroom sauce, then continue layering the pasta and the sauce, finishing with a layer of sauce. Scatter with the remaining Parmesan, cover with cling film and chill.
6. Remove the cling film and cook the lasagne in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F, gas mark 6) for 30 mins.