Wild Mushroom and Sausage Lasagne Rustica

Below is the recipe for the Lasagne I built yesterday. The key is quality ingredients. If a cook skimps on ingredients the final result is not as wonderful as it could be, and reflects poorly on the cook. Always, use only the finest ingredients you can find. God has given us beautiful things to eat. So be thankful to him, and also reward the craftsmen and farmers who work so hard to produce the best ingredients.


For the Red Pepper Sauce
1/2 pound lean italian spicy sausage (I perfer Whole Foods sausage recipe but any butcher who takes his work seriously will serve you well.)
1/2 pound lean italian mild sausage (Again, I prefer Whole Foods meat counter for this.)
2 table spoons cooking-quality olive oil
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced 1/4 to 1/8 inches thick
2 1/4 cups finely chopped yellow onion
3-6 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary needles, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (this ammount can vary wildly because "red pepper" on a spice jar label can mean almost anything.)
4 red bell peppers, finely diced but not minced
2 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, finely diced but not minced
Ham fat, as needed


For Wild Mushroom Sauce
2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
1 1/2 cup hot water
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter (not margerine)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I prefer Gold Medal brand. King Arthur is good, too.)
2 cups non-fat milk (Horizon Farms and Strauss Family Creamery are my local favorites, with Berkely Farms in a close third.)
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

Other Ingredients
1 box of Ronzoni oven ready lazagne
2 cups coarsely grated mozzarella cheese. Do not skimp on the cheese. Buy full-fat, high moisture.
2 cups coarsly grated Parmesan cheese. (Remember, if it is not made in Parma, Italy, it is not Parmesan cheese. I'm not kidding about this. If it comes in a box with a green lid it is not Parmesan cheese.)
Balsamic vinegar, just a splash.

Making the Red Pepper Sauce
In a 12" cast iron pan, cook the the sausage (if it has casings remove them before cooking) over medium heat, stiring it and breaking it up. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked sausage to a bowl. If thee is more than 1 table sppon of fat in the pan pour off the excess. If there is less than 1 table spoon of fat in the pan, add some ham fat (reserved in your freeszer from the last time you cooked a ham) until you have 1 tablespoon of hot liquid fat in the pan. Ad 1 tablespoon of olive oil, white mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste. Cook white mushrooms on medium heat until all water given off is evaporated and mushrooms are the color of milk caramel. Stir in onions, rosemary, red pepper flakes, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until onions have softened. stir in the bell peppers and tomatoes. Cook uncovered on medium heat for about 20 minutes. Stir often. Add sausage and cook for five more minutes.

Making the Wild Mushroom Sauce
In a small bowl soak the porcini mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain muchrooms in a seive, making sure to reserve 1 cup of the liquid. In a heavy saucepan melt the butter over low heat. Stir in flour to make a roux, whisking for 3 to 4 minutes. Add milk and reserved liquid from porcini mushrooms, bring to a boil while whisking constantly. stir in porcini mushrooms, nutmeg (I only use 1/2 a teaspoon). salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat whisking often until thickend, about 4 or five minutes.

Assembling the Lasagne
Pre-heat oven to 375 F.
In a large bowl of very cold water (Consider using ice cubes or refrigerated water if your tap water is warmer than 50 F.) soak the lasagne until soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the squares but do not pat them dry. Just shake the excess water off.
Use remaining olive oil to prepare a 13" x 9" baking dish.
In a small bowl mix the grated Parmesan and mozzerella cheeses together.
Layer 1 - Spread a small amount of the red pepper sauce in the bottom of the pan.
Layer 2 - Arrange three lasagne sheets on top of the sauce.
Layer 3 - Spread some of the mushroom sauce on top of the lasagna.
Layer 4 -Spread some cheese on top of the mushroom sauce.
Repeat layering until all lasagne sheets, red pepper sauce, mushroom sauce, and cheese has been put in the baking dish.
When the top layer of cheese has been put on splash with a little balsamic vinegar and put it in the middle of the oven 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I think this would be a fun dish to prepare with someone you love.

Happy eating!