Lasagna with florence fennel, porcini mushroom and gruyère!
In the southern France riviera region, the food and the culture is very similar to the italian, which is very geographically close. Here is a recipe for a Southern France and Italian lasagna with porcini mushroom and gruyère cheese, where unlike in other recipes, each plate is prepared individually.
A bit of Pernod or Ricard also certainly will help create this southern France mediterraneanian feeling...
Ingredients:
1 pound egg lasagna noodles,
40 g of flour,
2 bulbs florence fennel (not to be confused with the spice called fennel,
this is harder to find),
600 grams of porcini-type, edible mushrooms; if unavailable use portabella,
3 shallots,
1/2 pound Gruyere cheese,
a sprig of thyme,
2 cups dry white wine,
1 cup cream,
3/4 cup vegetable stock,
some Pernod, sambuca or any good anise liqueur, to your taste
extra-virgin olive oil,
butter,
salt and pepper.
Instructions
I-We start the recipe
Cook the shallots in one tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of oil,
mix in the chopped fennel; pour in 1/2 cup Pernod, add the porcino mushrooms and saute
everything for 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper and season with thyme.
II-The béchamel sauce
Prepare a béchamel sauce with 2 tablespoons of butter, flour and the hot broth (instead of milk), dilute with the white wine,
cook for 10 minutes, then incorporate the cream.
Add salt and simmer for 2 minutes, pepper and half the cheese.
III-Assembling the individual lasagnas
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Boil your dry lasagna noodles for 6 minutes in boiling salted water and then drain well.
Forming the lasagna slices, since we wont ever be cutting them you need to pay
good care at creating a regular and nice shape; which shape, of course,
will disintegrate a bit with baking.
Line the bottom of 4 oven-safe plates (you will be serving this dish on those plates) with a little sauce, cover with a layer of lasagne, one of the other vegetables and sauce. Continue in the same way until
depletion of all ingredients, cover with remaining sauce and cheese and leave a
knob of butter on each slice. Brown in a preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until
each top has a nice 'au gratin' finish. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.
Serves 4 persons. Serve immediately.