Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [129]
Stir in the chopped spinach, tarragon, and nutmeg. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, then set the skillet off the heat. Cover and set aside.
To make the white wine velouté, place the cut-up 8 tablespoons butter and the onion in a large, cool saucepan and set it over medium-low heat. As the butter melts, stir often so that the onion is coated.
Reduce the heat to low and cook until the onion is very soft, almost caramelized, and golden, stirring often, about 12 minutes.
Cover, reduce the heat even further, and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Meanwhile, position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F.
Take the lid off the pan and sprinkle the flour evenly over the onion. Whisking constantly, cook just so the flour loses its raw taste and forms a paste with the liquid in the pan, about 20 seconds. Do not brown.
Whisk in the broth and milk in a slow, steady stream. Raise the heat to medium-low and continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the sauce starts to bubble and gets noticeably thicker, about 2 minutes.
Whisk in the wine and continue simmering, whisking all the while, until thickened like a heavy cream sauce, about 2 minutes. Set the pan aside off the heat and give the mixture one more good whisking.
If you’re using fresh pasta: Cook the sheets, as per the directions below. Cook them only a minute or two, just until they’re set. Drain in a colander set in the sink.
If you’re using dried noodles: Cook them the same way but for about 4 minutes, just until they start to get tender; drain them in a colander set in the sink.
Assemble the casserole in a 13 × 9-inch baking dish this way: ½ cup white wine velouté, spread across the bottom of the dish; 2 sheets of homemade pasta, 3 no-boil noodles, or 4 to 5 cooked, drained dried lasagna noodles; 2 cups white wine velouté, spread over the noodles with a rubber spatula; half the mushroom ragù, spread gently over the casserole; a third of the grated cheese; 2 more sheets of homemade pasta, 3 no-boil noodles, or 4 to 5 cooked, drained dried noodles; 2 cups white wine velouté; the remaining mushroom ragù; half the remaining grated cheese; the remaining pasta; the rest of the white wine velouté; and finally the rest of the grated cheese.
Bake, uncovered, until bubbly and set, about 40 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.
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Lasagna Noodles
If you’re making lasagna noodles from fresh pasta, follow steps 1 through 3 on section Pasta and Noodles. Once you have long sheets, cut them so they’re 11 or 12 inches long; trim their edges so they’re about 5 inches wide. Save the shorter sheets for lasagna noodles, too; you’ll need to patch these together in the pan as you build the lasagna. Drape the sheets over a kitchen towel placed over a cupboard door; dry for 30 minutes before boiling. Only boil them until they float to the surface, less than 1 minute—they will cook more in the casserole. Drain in a colander set in the sink. Be forewarned: the noodles are easily torn.
Or use no-boil lasagna noodles, a newfangled convenience. They’re wider and shorter than the standard noodles; they must be placed in the pan parallel to the 9-inch side. They don’t really fit (they’re too short), but they expand as they soak up the sauce in the oven. Indeed, we used the no-boil noodles extensively in testing these lasagna. They’re brilliant for soaking up extra moisture and correcting a watery sauce.
Or substitute the standard, dried lasagna noodles. You’ll need about 12, maybe 15 noodles. Boil and drain according to the package instructions, then slice to fit and patch together in the pan, laying them parallel to the 13-inch side.
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Asian Noodles
Noodles have a long history in Asia. Although there’s a specific provenance for every recipe here, most of these dishes now escape nationalist origins. They’re found across the continent