British · Vegetarian
Mushroom & Chestnut Rotolo
An elegant Italian dish featuring pasta rolls filled with wild mushrooms and chestnuts in a creamy wine sauce. This sophisticated vegetarian main course is topped with crispy sage and breadcrumbs for added texture.
The Method
Instructions
First things first, grab a bowl and pour in 350ml of boiling water. Pop your dried mushrooms in there and let them soak away while you get on with the rest of the prep. This soaking step is going to help those mushrooms plump up nicely and release their deep, earthy flavors. Set them aside for now; you'll need them in a bit.
Next up, take about three quarters of your chestnuts and blitz them in a blender or food processor with 150ml of water until you get a smooth, creamy chestnut purée. It should be rich and a little thick, almost like a sauce. Then roughly chop the remaining chestnuts into bite sized pieces , these will add a lovely texture contrast later on.
Now, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large non stick frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add your shallots along with a pinch of salt. Let them gently soften and become translucent , it usually takes about 3 to 4 minutes. You'll know they're ready when they feel tender under your spatula and smell sweet and fragrant.
Once the shallots have softened, toss in the garlic, chopped chestnuts, and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary. Stir everything together and let this mixture fry away for another 2 minutes or so. The garlic will start to release its lovely aroma, and the chestnuts will get even more flavorful as they mingle with the herbs.
Next, add your wild mushrooms along with 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and a good pinch of seasoning. Give everything a stir and let the mushrooms cook for about 3 minutes until they begin to soften and release their juices. You should start to see a bit of golden color on some of the mushrooms, which is exactly what you want.
Drain your soaked dried mushrooms, but don't throw away that soaking liquid just yet! Roughly chop the rehydrated mushrooms and add them to the pan, along with the soy sauce. Fry everything together for another 2 minutes to let those intense mushroom flavors deepen and combine beautifully.
Now for the sauce: whisk together the white wine, the reserved mushroom soaking liquid, and the creamy chestnut purée until smooth. Give it a taste and season it well with salt and pepper. Pour half of this sauce into your mushroom mixture in the pan and cook everything for about 1 minute until the sauce becomes glossy and coats the mushrooms perfectly. Don't forget to fish out and discard the rosemary sprigs before you set the mixture aside to cool a little.
Time to preheat your oven to 180C (or 160C fan , or gas mark 4 ). Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and prepare a big bowl of ice water. Gently lower your lasagne sheets into the boiling water and cook them for about 2 minutes, just until they're pliable and a little cooked but still firm. Then, immediately plunge the noodles into the ice water to stop the cooking process and keep them from sticking together.
Using your fingers, carefully peel the sheets apart if they're stuck, then transfer them to a clean tea towel to dry. Once they're dry enough to handle, spread a generous spoonful of your mushroom sauce over the bottom two thirds of each lasagne sheet. Starting from the side closest to you, roll the sheet up tightly but gently so the filling stays tucked inside. Then roll up the shorter ends towards the center as well to make neat little rolls.
Cut each roll in half, and arrange the pieces cut side up in a pie dish or a beautiful oven safe dish that you're happy to serve from directly at the table. If you have any extra mushroom sauce left over after rolling everything, just push it into some of the exposed pasta rolls , this will keep everything moist and packed with flavor.
Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the top of the pasta rolls, then pop the dish into the oven to bake for 10 minutes. You're looking for the pasta to soften fully and not offer any resistance when you gently poke it with a skewer , that means it's perfectly cooked through.
While the rotolo is baking, mix together your breadcrumbs, the last 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sage leaves, and a pinch of seasoning in a small bowl. Toss everything until the crumbs are well coated in oil and the sage is nicely distributed. After the initial 10 minutes in the oven, take the pasta out, sprinkle this breadcrumb and sage mixture over the top, and then return it to the oven for another 10 minutes. This will give you a gorgeously golden crust and crispy sage leaves that add a lovely crunch and a burst of herbal aroma.
Once it's done baking, let the dish sit for about 10 minutes before serving. This little rest allows the pasta to soak up any remaining sauce and for the flavors to settle in beautifully. Just before you bring it to the table, drizzle a little truffle oil over the top if you're feeling fancy , it adds such a wonderful earthy, luxurious touch that everyone will love.
Next up, take about three quarters of your chestnuts and blitz them in a blender or food processor with 150ml of water until you get a smooth, creamy chestnut purée. It should be rich and a little thick, almost like a sauce. Then roughly chop the remaining chestnuts into bite sized pieces , these will add a lovely texture contrast later on.
Now, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large non stick frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add your shallots along with a pinch of salt. Let them gently soften and become translucent , it usually takes about 3 to 4 minutes. You'll know they're ready when they feel tender under your spatula and smell sweet and fragrant.
Once the shallots have softened, toss in the garlic, chopped chestnuts, and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary. Stir everything together and let this mixture fry away for another 2 minutes or so. The garlic will start to release its lovely aroma, and the chestnuts will get even more flavorful as they mingle with the herbs.
Next, add your wild mushrooms along with 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and a good pinch of seasoning. Give everything a stir and let the mushrooms cook for about 3 minutes until they begin to soften and release their juices. You should start to see a bit of golden color on some of the mushrooms, which is exactly what you want.
Drain your soaked dried mushrooms, but don't throw away that soaking liquid just yet! Roughly chop the rehydrated mushrooms and add them to the pan, along with the soy sauce. Fry everything together for another 2 minutes to let those intense mushroom flavors deepen and combine beautifully.
Now for the sauce: whisk together the white wine, the reserved mushroom soaking liquid, and the creamy chestnut purée until smooth. Give it a taste and season it well with salt and pepper. Pour half of this sauce into your mushroom mixture in the pan and cook everything for about 1 minute until the sauce becomes glossy and coats the mushrooms perfectly. Don't forget to fish out and discard the rosemary sprigs before you set the mixture aside to cool a little.
Time to preheat your oven to 180C (or 160C fan , or gas mark 4 ). Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and prepare a big bowl of ice water. Gently lower your lasagne sheets into the boiling water and cook them for about 2 minutes, just until they're pliable and a little cooked but still firm. Then, immediately plunge the noodles into the ice water to stop the cooking process and keep them from sticking together.
Using your fingers, carefully peel the sheets apart if they're stuck, then transfer them to a clean tea towel to dry. Once they're dry enough to handle, spread a generous spoonful of your mushroom sauce over the bottom two thirds of each lasagne sheet. Starting from the side closest to you, roll the sheet up tightly but gently so the filling stays tucked inside. Then roll up the shorter ends towards the center as well to make neat little rolls.
Cut each roll in half, and arrange the pieces cut side up in a pie dish or a beautiful oven safe dish that you're happy to serve from directly at the table. If you have any extra mushroom sauce left over after rolling everything, just push it into some of the exposed pasta rolls , this will keep everything moist and packed with flavor.
Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the top of the pasta rolls, then pop the dish into the oven to bake for 10 minutes. You're looking for the pasta to soften fully and not offer any resistance when you gently poke it with a skewer , that means it's perfectly cooked through.
While the rotolo is baking, mix together your breadcrumbs, the last 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sage leaves, and a pinch of seasoning in a small bowl. Toss everything until the crumbs are well coated in oil and the sage is nicely distributed. After the initial 10 minutes in the oven, take the pasta out, sprinkle this breadcrumb and sage mixture over the top, and then return it to the oven for another 10 minutes. This will give you a gorgeously golden crust and crispy sage leaves that add a lovely crunch and a burst of herbal aroma.
Once it's done baking, let the dish sit for about 10 minutes before serving. This little rest allows the pasta to soak up any remaining sauce and for the flavors to settle in beautifully. Just before you bring it to the table, drizzle a little truffle oil over the top if you're feeling fancy , it adds such a wonderful earthy, luxurious touch that everyone will love.
Pairs Well With
