Lasagna with cauliflower and wild mushrooms

Ingredients:

For the tomato sauce:

• 2 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• A pinch of dried flakes red pepper
• 1.5 teaspoons of honey
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basilica
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 3 cups canned plum tomatoes in its own juice, together with the juice

For the cauliflower béchamel sauce:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 2 tbsp. l. olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 tbsp (60 g) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup wheat flour
• 5 cups hot whole milk
• 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup finely grated cheese Pecorino Romano

For lasagna:

• 30 g dried porcini mushrooms
• Coarse salt
• 16 dried lasagna sheets
• 450 g sheep's milk ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
• 3 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• Freshly ground pepper
• 3 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 700 g of frozen wild mushrooms of different varieties
  (porcini mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, aspen mushrooms, honey mushrooms and butter mushrooms), chop
• 2 shallots, finely diced
• 600 g of cheese Fontina, grate coarsely

Preparation:

1. Prepare tomato sauce: In a saucepan, heat olive oil to medium-high temperature.
   
   Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and basil to the pan and continue cooking, mashing the tomatoes with a spatula, until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.
   
   Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the sauce to a blender and puree until smooth; return to the saucepan and add the parsley, honey, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste.
2. Prepare the béchamel sauce with cauliflower: Preheat the oven to 180°C. Separate the cauliflower into florets, cut the larger ones into smaller florets, and place in a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add 1.5 cups of water to the dish, cover with aluminum foil, and cook until tender, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven.
3. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Continue stirring, pour in 4 cups of hot milk, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
   
   Add the cauliflower, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, then blend until smooth. Strain the sauce into a clean saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over low heat. Stir in the nutmeg, cheese, salt, and pepper to taste, and cook for 1 minute. If necessary, thin the sauce with the remaining hot milk.
4. Prepare lasagna: Place the porcini mushrooms in a bowl with 1 1/4 cups boiling water and let sit for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna sheets and cook for 5 minutes; drain in a colander and rinse under cold water. Transfer to a serving platter. Increase the oven temperature to 190°C.
5. In a separate bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, 1/2 cup parsley, 1 teaspoon thyme, and 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese; season with salt and pepper.
6. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushroom mixture and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the shallots and cook until golden brown, about 6 minutes.
   
   Strain the porcini mushrooms through a sieve, reserving the liquid, then coarsely chop and add to the saucepan; cook for 1 minute. Add the mushroom liquid and continue cooking for another 6 minutes, until the liquid has almost completely evaporated. Stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons thyme and 1/4 cup parsley, season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
7. Spread some of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a 25 x 35 cm baking dish. Then pour in a small amount of béchamel sauce and top with 4 lasagna sheets. Then spread some of the cheese mixture, some of the mushroom mixture, and sprinkle with a little fontina cheese and pecorino romano. Season with salt and pepper.
   
   Continue layering ingredients in the same order, repeating 3 more times and finishing the final layers with lasagna sheets, béchamel sauce and pecorino romano cheese.
8. Place the pan on a baking sheet, cover with aluminum foil, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for another 30-40 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with parsley, and let rest for 15 minutes. Serve the lasagna with the remaining tomato sauce.