If you’re ever in the Lake Winnipesaukee area, as we were last month visiting family, stop in at the New Hampshire Mushroom Company in Tamworth. If you’re lucky, the mushroom-growing rooms will be open to the public when you visit. Unfortunately, most of the crew was out giving a mushroom foraging tour the day we visited, so no back room tour for us. Nonetheless, we still managed to score a HUGE box of gorgeous shrooms – Lion’s Mane, Chestnut and Blue Oyster. I was a bit worried we’d never manage to use them all, but my fears were ungrounded, as we had several occasions the following week to share our bounty with family.
First, I made the most wonderful Mushroom Lasagna for dinner at Irene’s with Mr TBTAM’s family, based on a recipe from Martha Rose Shulman. We left the leftovers for Irene, and were pleased to hear it was just as delicious the next day when reheated.
Two days later, Mr TBTAM and I made a pasta using the leftover cooked lasagna noodles (If you cook the whole pound box instead of the half pound called for in the recipe you have a LOT of leftover noodles) that I sliced into long tagliatelle-like shapes and tossed with the same mushroom mixture as in the lasagna, substituting heavy cream for the bechamel. OMG, perfection!
Finally, again using that very same recipe as a base, Rachel and I made mushroom toasts to serve my family, who came over for dinner while she and brother Joe were staying with us. This time, we served that cooked mushroom mixture atop toasted slices of a baguette from Metropolitan Bakery in Reading Terminal Market. The only thing better than those toasts was having my sibs and their spouses around our dining room table, probably the thing I had missed most when moving to NYC 30 years go, and the thing that makes me happiest about our move back home to Philly.
Here are the three recipes. Enjoy!
Mushroom Lasagna
Ingredients
Mushrooms
- 1 ounce mixed dried mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 shallots finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used Lions Mane, Chestnut and Blue Oysters, but you can use crimini if that's what is available)
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup fruity red wine
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- Freshly ground pepper
Béchamel
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- Salt
- freshly ground pepper
Lasagna
- ½ pound dried lasagna noodles
- I cup grated mixed Parmesan/Pecorino Romano cheese
Instructions
- Soak the dried mushrooms in a glass measuring cup with 2 cups boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain in a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl, squeezing to extract all the juices. If using shiitakes, cut away and discard the stems. Measure out 1½ cups of the soaking liquid and set aside. Rinse the mushrooms until they are free of sand, squeeze dry and chop coarsely. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil a 2-quart rectangular baking dish.
- Cook the Mushrooms. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add shallots. Cook, stirring often, until tender. Add the garlic, stir together for about 30 seconds, then add the fresh and reconstituted mushrooms and salt to taste. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms begin to soften and sweat. Add the wine and turn the heat to high. Cook, stirring, until the liquid boils down. Add thyme and stir in the mushroom soaking liquid. Bring to a simmer, add salt, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the mushrooms are thoroughly tender and fragrant and the surrounding broth has reduced by a little more than half, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in some freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt.
- Make the béchamel. Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Add the minced shallot and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, until smooth and bubbling, but not browned. Whisk in the milk all at once and bring to a simmer, whisking all the while, until the mixture begins to thicken. Turn the heat to very low and simmer, stirring often with a whisk and scraping the bottom and edges of the pan with a rubber spatula, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce is thick and has lost its raw-flour taste. Season with salt and pepper. Pour while hot into the pan with the mushrooms.
- Meanwhile, boil the water with a little olive oil for the lasagna and cook the noodles according to directions, till al dente. Drain. Spoon a thin layer of béchamel and mushrooms over the bottom of the dish. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread a ladleful of the mushroom/béchamel mixture over the noodles and top with a layer of Parmesan. Continue to repeat the layers, ending with a layer of the mushroom/béchamel mixture topped with Parmesan. Cover with foil and place in the oven. Bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue to bake uncovered for another 5 to 10 minutes till edges are slightly crispy and top is browned. Serve.
Tagliatelle with Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 ounce mixed dried mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 shallots finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used Lions Mane, Chestnut and Blue Oysters, but you can use crimini)
- ½ cup fruity red wine
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- Freshly ground pepper
- Salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 pound dried tagliatelle
- grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
Instructions
- Soak the dried mushrooms in a glass measuring cup with 2 cups boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain in a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl, squeezing to extract all the juices. If using shiitakes, cut away and discard the stems. Measure out 1½ cups of the soaking liquid and set aside. Rinse the mushrooms until they are free of sand, squeeze dry and chop coarsely. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add shallots. Cook, stirring often, until tender. Add the garlic, stir together for about 30 seconds, then add the fresh and reconstituted mushrooms and salt to taste. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms begin to soften and sweat. Add the wine and turn the heat to high. Cook, stirring, until the liquid boils down. Add thyme and stir in the mushroom soaking liquid. Bring to a simmer, add salt, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the mushrooms are thoroughly tender and fragrant and the surrounding broth has reduced by a little more than half, about 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning as needed.
- While the mushrooms are cooking, boil salted water for the pasta and cook the pasta in the water till al dente, then drain and toss in with the mushroom-cream mixture. Sprinkle generously with grated cheese and serve.
Mushroom Toasts
Ingredients
- 1 ounce mixed dried mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 shallots finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound fresh mushrooms sliced (I used Lions Mane, Chestnut and Blue Oysters, but you can use crimini if that’s what is available)
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup fruity red wine
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- Freshly ground pepper
- extra virgin Olive oil
- 1 long baguette
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
Instructions
- Soak the dried mushrooms in a glass measuring cup with 2 cups boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain in a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl, squeezing to extract all the juices. If using shiitakes, cut away and discard the stems. Measure out 1½ cups of the soaking liquid and set aside. Rinse the mushrooms until they are free of sand, squeeze dry and chop coarsely. Set aside.
- Cook the Mushrooms. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add shallots. Cook, stirring often, until tender. Add the garlic, stir together for about 30 seconds, then add the fresh and reconstituted mushrooms and salt to taste. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms begin to soften and sweat. Add the wine and turn the heat to high. Cook, stirring, until the liquid boils down. Add thyme and stir in the mushroom soaking liquid. Bring to a simmer, add salt, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the mushrooms are thoroughly tender and fragrant and the surrounding broth has reduced by a little more than half, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in some freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt. Keep warm while toasting the baguette slices.
- Toast the Baguette Slices. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice baguette, arrange slices on a baking sheet and generously brush with olive oil. Bake until lightly toasted, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Assemble Toasts. Spoon warm mushroom mixture atop the baguette slices. Sprinkle generously with grated cheese and serve.
