Category: Entrees

Servings: 2
Prep Time: 45 min
Source: Gourmet October 1993
Double recipe for leftovers. Likely will need more broth/water, particularly after standing with added pasta

Ingredients
1/4 cup diced pancetta or 2 slices of bacon, chopped
1 sm onion, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
1 sm rib of celery, chopped fine
1 carrot, sliced thin
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
16 oz can white beans, rinsed well and drained
16 oz can tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/3 cup tubetti or other sm tubular pasta
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley leaves
freshly grated Parmesan as an accompaniment

Directions
In a heavy saucepan cook the pancetta over moderate heat, stirring, until it is crisp, pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat, and in the remaining fat cook the onion and the garlic, stirring, until the onion is softened. Add the celery, the carrot, and the broth and simmer the mixture, covered, for 5 minutes.
In a bowl mash 1/3 cup of the beans, stir them into the pancetta mixture with the remaining whole beans and the tomatoes, and simmer the mixture, covered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in the tubetti, simmer the soup, covered, for 10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente, and if desired thin the soup with water. Let the soup stand off the heat, covered, for 5 minutes, stir in the parsley, and serve the soup in bowls sprinkled with the Parmesan.

Servings: —
Source: Martha Rose Shulman
recipeNotes: Advance preparation: The mushrooms can be cooked up to 4 days before the lasagna is assembled and baked. The béchamel can be made a day ahead. Whisk well and reheat gently before straining into the mushrooms and assembling the lasagna. The assembled lasagna can be tightly covered and refrigerated for a day before baking. Leftovers will keep for 3 or 4 days. Reheat in a low oven or in a microwave.
This lasagna tastes very rich, even though it really isn’t. It combines an olive oil béchamel with a simple mushroom ragout and Parmesan cheese. I prefer no-boil lasagna noodles because they’re lighter than regular lasagna noodles. But I still boil them because I think the results are better if they’re cooked until they’re flexible (a couple of minutes) first.

Ingredients
For the mushrooms:
1 oz (about 1 cup) dried porcini or shiitake mushrooms
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots or 1 sm onion, finely chopped
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
Salt
1/2 cup fruity red wine, such as a Côtes du Rhône or Syrah
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Freshly ground pepper

For the béchamel:
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp minced shallot or onion
2 Tbsp sifted all-purpose flour
2 cup milk (may use low-fat milk)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the lasagna:
1/2 lb no-boil lasagna noodles
4 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)
A few leaves of fresh sage (optional)

Directions
1. Place the dried mushrooms in a glass measuring cup and pour 2 cups boiling water over them. Let soak 30 minutes, while you prepare the other ingredients. Place a strainer over a bowl, line it with cheesecloth or paper towels, and drain the mushrooms. Squeeze the mushrooms over the strainer to extract all the flavorful juices. If using shiitakes, cut away and discard the stems. Then rinse the mushrooms, away from the bowl with the soaking liquid, until they are free of sand. Squeeze dry and set aside. Chop coarsely. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the soaking liquid and set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add the shallots or onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. 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 to sweat, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and turn the heat to high. Cook, stirring, until the liquid boils down and glazes the mushrooms, 5 to 10 minutes. 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.

3. Meanwhile, make the béchamel. Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Add the shallot or onion 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. It should have the texture of wet sand. 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. Strain while hot into the pan with the mushrooms.

4. Assemble the lasagna. Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil or butter a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add 3 or 4 lasagna noodles, just the number you need for one layer. Cook only until flexible, and using tongs or a skimmer, remove from the pan and set on a kitchen towel to 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. Cook the next layer of noodles and continue to repeat the layers (I get three layers in my pan), 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 if you want the edges of the noodles crispy and the top lightly browned, continue to bake uncovered for another 5 to 10 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

Servings: 4
Source: Martha Rose Shulman
Perciatelli are hollow long noodles that also go by the name bucatini. Their texture is robust, supporting a robust sauce like this one. Because the noodles are hollow, they cook much more quickly than spaghetti, so keep your eye on them so they don’t get too soft.

Ingredients
1 sm cauliflower or 1/2 large
cauliflower, broken into florets (about 1 pound)
Salt to taste
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
1 14 oz can chopped tomatoes with juice, pulsed a few times in a food processor or mini processor
Pinch of sugar
2 Tbsp capers, rinsed and chopped
3/4 lb perciatelli (bucatini)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

4 anchovy filets
2 oz pecorino, grated (1/2 cup), or 1 oz each pecorino and Parmesan

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425F. Core the cauliflower and break it into florets. Toss with olive oil and roast on sheet pan until brown in spots and al dente.

2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet and add the garlic, anchovy filets, and chili flakes. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds, and stir in the puréed tomatoes, a pinch of sugar, and salt to taste. Add the capers simmer 10 to 15 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant. Taste and adjust seasonings.

3. Bring the water in the pot back to a boil and add the perciatelli. Cook al dente, usually about 7 or 8 minutes. Add about 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the pan with the cauliflower and stir. Drain the pasta and add to the pan, along with the roasted cauliflower, parsley and the pecorino. Stir together and serve.

Advance Preparation : You can make this through Step 2 up to a day ahead and reheat on top of the stove.