Wild Mushroom, Spinach, and Chicken Lasagna

I got in this funk when a couple patients canceled and the AIDS community clinic that I started volunteering at canceled 5 mins before I was due to arrive. The only thing that could pull me out of this funk was cheese...and spinach...and mushrooms...and more cheese.  What made this recipe so enjoyable was how time consuming and detail oriented it was and since I had plenty of time, the day just kinda flew by.  In the end, I pulled this amazing lasagna out of the oven and all was right with the world.

This is like making 3 small meals at once since everything has to be done in steps.  There are ways to short cut.  You can buy frozen spinach and a alfredo sauce in a can but its really worth it to just go all out.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

5 pounds fresh spinach, stems removed (I only used about 3lbs)

3-5 cloves garlic, finely sliced

3/4 lb chicken

1 pound ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons coarse salt

1 3/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2-3 pounds wild mushrooms, (chanterelles, oyster, crimmini or shiitake), trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces

3/4 cup Madeira wine (or white wine - I used sav blanc)

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

4 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese

1 one-pound package fresh spinach lasagna sheets

Directions

1. Wash spinach leaves well in three changes of cold water; shake dry. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large pan over medium heat. Add half the garlic; sauté until light golden, about 2 minutes. Add half the spinach leaves, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain spinach in a colander. Repeat with another tablespoon butter and remaining garlic and spinach. When spinach is cool enough to handle, squeeze to rid it of liquid. Roughly chop spinach; place in medium bowl. Add ricotta, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add a third of the mushrooms; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Saute until mushrooms are softened and browned, about 10 minutes. Deglaze skillet by pouring 1/4 cup Madeira into hot skillet with mushrooms and using a wooden spoon to loosen bits cooked onto skillet. Cook mushrooms until liquid has almost evaporated. Transfer cooked mushrooms to medium bowl. Repeat with another 2 tablespoons of butter, another third of the mushrooms, and 1/4 cup Madeira. (Reserve the final third of mushrooms and Madiera for topping.) Add two-thirds of the chopped parsley to bowl with cooked mushrooms; stir.
3. In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat 4 cups milk. Melt 8 tablespoons butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Slowly add warmed milk; cook, whisking constantly, until mixture bubbles and becomes thick. Remove pan from heat. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the nutmeg, and 1/2 cup grated cheese.
4. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Set aside 1/2 cup sauce. Assemble lasagna: Spread 1/2 cup sauce in bottom of 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Place layer of lasagna sheets in pan, trimming to fit; spread 1 cup spinach mixture, 1 cup mushroom mixture, and 1/2 cup sauce on top of lasagna sheets. Repeat layers several times. For last layer, place a layer of lasagna sheets on top; spread 1/2 cup sauce over lasagna sheets. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup grated cheese. Bake lasagna until top is golden brown, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let stand 20 minutes before serving.
5. Just before serving, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add remaining third of the uncooked mushrooms; season with the remaining teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until golden and tender, about 10 minutes. Deglaze skillet, with mushrooms in it, with the remaining 1/4 cup Madeira. Stir in the remaining third of fresh parsley.
6. In a small saucepan, combine reserved 1/2 cup sauce with remaining 1/2 cup milk. Over medium heat, whisk until warm and smooth. Spoon cooked mushrooms over each serving, or serve on the side. Serve lasagna with warmed sauce