Creamy Porcini mushroom lasagna

It's easy these days to feel insignificant. There are so many people doing the same thing the quality seems diluted. If you can't be the absolute best at what you do you are ignored. The computer game my husband and his work colleagues worked hard on for three years recently got cancelled. A few months before the release, the publisher, a major company, pulled the plug. Why? They didn't feel it would be the best on the market, so why take a chance. 105 people lost their jobs because a big corporation only cares about money. What's new or surprising about that? 

There are literally thousands of food blogs existing, some of them are exceptionally good, enough to make small fry like me feel inadequate. What does it take for people to really notice you? I recently took a course called 'Food writing in the modern media landscape' which I hoped would help answer some of these questions. The focus of the course wasn't really what I expected, however, so I'm still struggling along. So, I ask you, the readers and fellow bloggers, what do you think makes a good blog?

For the time being while you think about that, we have mushroom lasagna. Another Italian meal in two days, after everything I said about not being an Italian food lover. The truth is I had some cooked lasagna left over and didn't want to throw it away, (this low carb stuff is expensive). Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes are clean the fridge days, so whatever is glaring at me to be eaten is eaten. 

I picked out a new Marsala at the liquor store on Saturday, (seen above), more seduced by it's pretty label than anything else. I generally use it for cooking but enjoy imbibing in a glass or two as well. I think I may have made a mistake purchase. This stuff is so sweet it is like treacle. The few slugs I poured into the mushrooms overpowered any other flavour and they became dessert mushrooms. Look at the ingredients; sugar, frozen egg yolks, what did I buy? I attempted to quell the sweetness with salt, (that didn't work), black pepper and paprika, but nothing would dilute it.  I advise you not to use this for anything other than gentile sipping.

Recipe: 2 mushroom lasagna

1/2 tbsp oil

1/2 tbsp butter

2 slices smoked Prosciutto or bacon or pancetta

1 shallot, diced finely

1 large or 2 small cloves garlic, finely diced

1 carton crimini mushrooms, diced

1 handful dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in boiling water for 20 minutes

2 tbsp finely diced fresh oregano

1/4 cup Marsala (not Cremovo), red wine or sherry

2 tbsp chicken stock or 1 stock cube

White 'sauce'

1/4 cup ricotta

2 tbsp mascapone

2 tbsp Philadelphia cheese

2 tbsp sour cream

1/2 cup grated cheese

pinch of salt

black pepper

4 cooked lasagna noodles

Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan over medium to high heat and saute the Prosciutto or other until crispy.

Add the shallot, garlic and crimini mushrooms and stir well. 

Add the drained porcini and a little of the soaking liquid (about 1 - 2 tbsp) and stir well. Let everything cook for about 10 minutes over low heat. You want the mushrooms to start evaporating their liquid and drying slightly to concentrate the flavours.

When the mushrooms start to look like they are shrinking and drying, add the alcohol and stock and saute over medium heat for about 20 minutes until dry. Taste and season if you need to.

Mix the white sauce ingredients together well and set aside.

To assemble, first spread the mushrooms into a baking dish, cover with the lasagna and then the white sauce layer.

Bake for about 20 minutes at 400oF until the top becomes golden brown with darker patches of melted cheese.