Portobello Mushroom Lasagna

Moving a bit slowly over here. We awoke Monday of last week to a blanket of snow.  It was gorgeous.  A tree-branch-bending-with-the-weight-of-the-snow, hushed stillness kind of gorgeous.  We sat watching from the front window.  We gobbled up blueberry pancakes.  We eyed the snow some more.  We put on long johns and sweaters and snow pants and boots and jackets and mittens and hats and more socks and headed outside.  We threw snowballs and went for a walk and took a few trips down our neighbor's front lawn on a cardboard box.  It was a great snow day.

By the time Tuesday rolled around, the snow had turned to ice and cabin fever set in. Instead of dropping off dinner, we invited Jenny and her crew to join us.  Lizzie and Jude got to grab toys from each other play and the adults got some much needed human interaction.  In between cries of, "no, mine", we did manage to catch a shot of the little sous chefs amicably and enthusiastically supporting our mealtime efforts.

Appetizer for the night was the crowd pleasing clementine. 

Portobello Mushroom Lasagna ~ from Barefoot Contessa at Home 
Kosher salt
Good olive oil
3/4 pound dried lasagna noodles
4 cups whole milk
12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms
1 cup freshly ground Parmesan


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt and a splash of oil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.
For the white sauce, bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan. Set aside.
Melt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture all at once. Add 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring first with the wooden spoon and then with a whisk, for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick. Set aside off the heat.
Separate the mushroom stems from the caps and discard the stems. Slice the caps 1/4-inch thick.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan. When the butter melts, add half the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and they release some of their juices. If they become too dry, add a little more oil. Toss occasionally to make sure the mushrooms cook evenly.
Repeat with the remaining mushrooms and set all the mushrooms aside.
To assemble the lasagna, spread some of the sauce in the bottom of an 8 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then more sauce, then 1/3 of the mushrooms, and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan. Repeat 2 more times, layering noodles, sauce, mushrooms, and Parmesan. Top with a final layer of noodles and sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes, or until the top is browned the sauce is bubbly and hot. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes and serve hot.

The finished product - brown and bubbly and perfectly delicious

Dinner is way more enjoyable with friends

I usually serve the lasagna with a spinach salad.  I didn't have any greens so Jenny was kind enough to bring over a salad and also some cupcakes for dessert. This is really a great meal to share with another family as I think it is best the day of cooking.  I do eat the leftovers, I just find that the top layer of noodles get a bit too crunchy when reheated.

Speaking of sharing with other families, I have been having fun bringing dinners over to friends with new babies in the house.  I have made three meals in the last two weeks. Inspired by Sweet Mama Jane, I made  Chicken and Artichoke Spezzatino for baby Ava's family and added some Banana Crunch Muffins to their delivery bag.   Baby Virginia's family enjoyed some Black Beans and Rice and the best damn jalapeno cheddar cornbread you have ever put in your mouth.  For baby Oliver's family, I made my mom's pumpkin bread and Barefoot's Mexican Tortilla Soup  Welcome to the world sweet friends! After Jude was born, having meals dropped was such a saving grace.  I was so completely overwhelmed those first few weeks/months.  I was so grateful for every single friend who stopped by to share some love.

To all of our readers (all 3 of you), what are your favorite meals to bring to friends who just had a baby?  What was your favorite meal to receive?