Roasted Portobello Mushroom and Prosciutto Lasagna

Every month I browse through my food magazines and clip recipes. It gets a bit obsessive at times, as I’ll pull recipes from up to a dozen magazines a month, far more than I have time to make, especially given my on-again-off-again stints in the kitchen. Sometimes, I’ll go through my clipped recipes and toss a few away. But there are some that remain, month after month, year after year, tempting me. This is one. This recipe has been sitting around since October 2004 when I cut it out of Bon Appetit. Why I didn’t make it last year or the year before that, I can’t tell you. I only know that when I came across it again a few weeks ago, I knew its time had come. I was right.

Recently, my friend Janet asked me for some quick, comforting suggestions for autumn meals. While this recipe is comforting, it’s also time-consuming. (Sorry, Janet.) But the time invested is worth it. Each bite offers a unique blend of mushrooms, prosciutto, rosemary, thyme, and/or nutmeg, and the sauce is both light and rich. I would serve it at a dinner party when you want something familiar and gourmet in a single dish.

Roasted Portobello Mushroom and Prosciutto Lasagna

INGREDIENTS:

Filling:

- 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 1/2 pounds (about 10) portobello mushrooms, stems trimmed
- 1 cup chopped prosciutto (about 6 ounces)
- 2/3 cup chopped shallots (about 2 large)
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Sauce:

- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 14-ounce can low-salt chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups (about 8 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Lasagna:

- 1 pound lasagna noodles
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

DIRECTIONS:

For filling:

1) Preheat oven to 400°F.
2) Brush rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
3) Toss mushrooms with 2 tablespoons olive oil in large bowl to coat. Arrange mushrooms, gill side up, in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4) Roast until tender, about 45 minutes.
5) Cool. Cut mushrooms into 1/3-inch-thick slices.
6) Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat.
7) Add prosciutto; sauté until browned, about 3 minutes.
8) Add shallots, rosemary, and thyme. Cook until shallots are tender, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.

(Mushrooms and prosciutto-shallot mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill).

For sauce:

1) Bring milk, broth, and bay leaf to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes; discard bay leaf.
2) Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
3) Whisk in flour; stir 2 minutes.
4) Whisk in hot milk mixture; bring to boil, whisking frequently.
5) Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
6) Remove from heat; stir in Gruyère, Parmesan, and nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For lasagna:

1) Cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender but slightly undercooked (noodles will finish cooking in oven). Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again; pat dry.
2) Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.
3) Spread 1 cup sauce over bottom of prepared dish.
4) Arrange 1/3 of noodles over sauce, overlapping to fit.
5) Spread about 1 2/3 cups sauce over noodles.
6) Arrange 1/2 of mushrooms over sauce. Scatter 1/2 of prosciutto mixture over mushrooms.
7) Arrange 1/2 of remaining noodles over mushrooms, overlapping to fit.
8) Spread 1 2/3 cups sauce over noodles.
9) Arrange remaining mushrooms over sauce, sprinkle with remaining prosciutto, and top with remaining noodles.
10) Spread remaining sauce over noodles, sprinkle Parmesan cheese over, and dot with butter.
11) Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake lasagna until top is golden brown and sauce is bubbling, about 45 minutes (about 1 hour if refrigerated). Let stand 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

Preparation note:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Mushroom notes:
Keep an eye on the mushrooms so they don’t burn. I used a few shitake mushrooms, as well.

Nutmeg note:
Fresh nutmeg ground in a mortar and pestle makes a noticeable difference.

Broth note:
I used vegetable broth, as I don’t like the meaty flavor of chicken broth.

Noodle note:
I accidentally bought no-cook lasagna noodles. I cooked them for just a couple minutes, and this worked fine.

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Bridal Shower Shortbread

Weddings are exhausting. Especially when they are planned and carried out in little over six months. Since The Pirate proposed to my sister Julie this spring, there have been three (count 'em, three) ceremonies/celebrations (the wedding at my cousin’s house in Seattle and two parties in Los Angeles and London), a bachelorette party, a bachelor party, three bridal showers, a rehearsal dinner …

Finally, the festivities are over. I returned from London two days ago, leaving my sister behind to enjoy domestic bliss in her new flat in Brixton. After sleeping for 12+ hours without moving a twitch, I woke to find that it’s time for life to get back to normal, which means writing, editing, working with the kids’ programs, doing a little shopping at Trader Joe’s, figuring out what to choose next on Netflix, and posting a blog entry.

The following shortbread recipe is one of my favorites, inspired by Laurie Colwin, whose two food books, Home Cooking and More Home Cooking, gave me the courage to take risks in my kitchen, back when I was in my twenties and working at Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle. It is one of the easiest recipes you will ever make, tastes far better than any store bought shortbread you can buy, and always impresses the people you give it to. The two sticks of butter help, of course, but so does the whole wheat, which gives each bite a grainy texture that is addictive. This was my contribution to the Los Angeles Bridal Shower #1. Our friend Trae added the blueberries to give some color to the plate. Raspberries or a drizzle of chocolate would also perk things up nicely.

Kim’s Classic Shortbread

Ingredients:

- 2 sticks salted butter
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup wheat flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt

Directions:

1. Cream butter with sugar. (I use a beater; you can also use your food processor).

2. Sift flours, baking powder, and salt. Work this into the above mixture. (I’m usually too lazy to sift, and the shortbread has always come out fine.)

3. Pat the dough down into an 8-inch shortbread mold. If you don’t have a mold, use a round cake pan, ungreased. The dough will be crumbly, but once you pat it down it takes its shape. Score the dough, making 6 wedges. (I have also scored the dough to make pieces approximate 1 inch by 1 ½ inches, as in the photo above).

4. Bake shortbread in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until the edge is golden brown.

5. Let it cool for 20 minutes and then remove from mold. Cut it into wedges or slices before completely cooled.

Pan note:
The last time I made this, I used my springform pan, which made for easy cutting.

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Almond & Cinnamon Shrimp with Avocado Mousse

At the beginning of May, a pirate named Clive came from London to visit my sister. While he was here, we threw a California cuisine-themed party to celebrate—for the party I made Almond and Cinnamon Shrimp with Avocado Mousse. This appetizer vanished within minutes of being placed on the table. The shrimp is both spicy and sweet (but not too sweet) at the same time, and the mousse, while it looks like guacamole, is creamier, providing balance for the cayenne in the shrimp.

A few days after the party, there was further reason to celebrate. Clive proposed, and he and Julie are getting married in August.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Almond and Cinnamon Shrimp with Avocado Mousse
From the Almond Board of California/Chef Tammy Hunyh, Tamarine Restaurant, Palo Alto, California

Ingredients for shrimp:

- 1 lb large shrimp (13 to 16 per pound), peeled and deveined
- 1/2 tsp Saigon cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 cup sliced almonds, chopped
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- salt and pepper

Directions:

1) Combine shrimp, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt and pepper and toss to mix.

2) Heat 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a medium pan.

3) Add half of the shrimp to the pan and sauté over medium-high heat until cooked, about 1 minute on each side.

4) Immediately dip shrimp into almonds to coat.

5) Repeat with remaining butter and shrimp.

6) Serve warm with avocado mousse.

Ingredients for avacado mousse:

- 1 ripe Haas avocado, pitted and peeled
- 1 Tbsp crème fraiche
- 1 tsp mayonnaise
- 2 tsp fresh lime juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend well.

Note on cinnamon:
Vietnamese (Saigon) cinnamon is not essential, but if you can get your hands on it, I recommend it. It has a softness that adds a silken quality to this dish.

Note on amount:
I doubled this recipe, and next time I think I'll triple it!

Clive & Julie

(Clive is actually an actor who played one of Davy Jones’ pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean. But it’s just so much fun to say that my brother-in-law-to-be is a pirate!)

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Pictures by Julie Fay. Check out more at Julie’s website.