Sometimes things just go together: Peanut Butter & Jelly, Chips & Salsa, Macaroni & Cheese, Beer & Pizza, Batman & Robin, Zan & Jayna, Bo & Luke. I am unsure why these things are so simpatico. But for some reason, they complement each other. Sure these things are great by themselves; however, combine the two and they become greater than themselves. Their flavors, super powers, or personalities seem to balance out each other creating an amazing, perfect, harmonious duo.
I think Sting described it best in Synchronicity I – “A connecting principle, linked to the invisible, almost imperceptible, something inexpressible, science insusceptible, logic so inflexible, causally connectable…” – Police 1983.
This harmony of ingredients provided me with the inspiration for my next dish. Mushrooms and spinach just work together, in my humble opinion, in everything from a risotto to a frittata to a salad. So, let me give you my twist on a classic recipe with my version of SPINACH AND MUSHROOM LASAGNA. This recipe does take a bit more time to prepare so perhaps you can save it for a special dinner party with friends, an intimate evening with your harmonious foil, or if a couple of celebrities come a knockin’ at your door. I understand Tom Wopat is a huge mushroom fiend.
Ingredients
- 2 Lbs Assorted Fresh Mushrooms (chopped)
- 2 Oz Dried Assorted Mushrooms (optional)
- 1 ½ Cups White Wine (optional)
- ½ Cup Vegetable Broth
- 6 Garlic Cloves (minced)
- 1 Med Onion (diced)
- 1 Tbs Fresh Rosemary (minced)
- 2 Tsp Dried Thyme
- ¼ Tsp Ground Cumin
- Salt and Pepper to your taste
- 32 Oz Baby Spinach (cooked, drained, chopped)
- 16 Oz Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles
- 1 ½ Cups Panko Bread Crumbs
- 3 Cups Cashews (soaked overnight)
- ¾ Cups Rice Milk
- ½ Lemon (juiced)
- 2 Tbs Nutritional Yeast
- 2 Tsp Fresh Parsley (minced)
- 2 Tsp Fresh Chives (minced)
- 2 Tsp Fresh Oregano (minced)
- 2 Tsp Garlic Powder
- Salt & Pepper to your taste
- 7 Cups Rice Milk
- ¼ Cup AP Flour
- 2 15oz Cans of Cannellini Beans (rinsed & drained)
- ¼ Cup Rice Parmesan (optional)
- Salt & Pepper to your taste
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Boil the noodles according to the directions on the package, drain, and rinse with cold water to ensure they do not stick together. Then to cook the spinach, place it in boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain, and let cool. Once cooled, roughly chop the spinach and using your hands, squeeze any remaining water out of the leaves.
Now, I like to use dried mushrooms in this dish as I think they lend a certain depth of flavor to the lasagna. However, you can skip this step and look at the next paragraph. To use the dried shrooms, put them in a micro-safe dish along with the white wine and cook on high power for 4 minutes. When cool enough to handle, drain them (reserving the liquid) and roughly chop them to add to the other shrooms.
Okay, sauté the onion and garlic in the vegetable broth until the onion is soft and the garlic becomes fragrant (about 3-5 minutes). If you used the dried mushrooms, use the reserved liquid instead of the vegetable broth for sautéing. Now, add your mushrooms (and dried mushrooms) and cook them until most of the moisture has been cooked out (about 5-7 minutes). Then add your herbs and spices and white wine. Cook this mixture until the wine has been absorbed. Season to your taste with salt and pepper.
To make the ricotta, place all of the ingredients into a food processor to high speed blender. Puree the mix until you have a smooth and creamy paste. Then in a sauce pan, prepare the ingredients for the white sauce. First, whisk the flour into your rice milk ensuring there will be no clumps. Now add the beans and bring the liquid slowly to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Using an immersion blender, or in batches with a food processor, puree all the beans in the liquid. Return the liquid to the heat and simmer another 5-7 minutes or until the sauce is thick and creamy (think Ranch dressing).
Working in layers using a large lasagna pan, pour some sauce, then noodles, then mushrooms, then noodles, then spinach, then ricotta, then spinach, then noodles, then mushrooms, then noodles, then sauce, and finish with bread crumbs. Cover your dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes or until browned on top and bubbling. Take out of the oven and cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
http://www.grassfedcarnivore.com/spinach-lasagna/
Dinner is ready thanks to the dynamic duo of spinach and mushrooms. And the best thing about this recipe is that it gets better over time. So if Mr. Wopat doesn’t show up for dinner, you will have left-overs for the next night or to put in your freezer and save for a hectic weeknight supper. It’s your call, just enjoy the harmonious relationship that now exists in your lasagna pan. Longer Letter Later.
Love, Bob aka The Grassfed Carnivore
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