Judith Henderson’s Wine & Country Living

Readers have been requesting a favorite Wildberries lasagna recipe. This portabello-artichoke pie was always sold out before the end of the lunch hour and is still the most requested at Flying Aprons Catering.

I have found the secret to great mushroom-artichoke lasagna is to caramelize the vegetables before layering and to use heavy cream for sauce. For a dish of such delish', only a Locati Cellars'06 Columbia Valley Barbera will do. Locati Cellars makes the closest thing to old world Tuscan reds for the area and should not be missed.

Locati has a new wine-tasting room located on East Rose in downtown Walla Walla, housed in the Marcus Whitman Hotel's "wine closets" facing Rose and Second Avenue. I call these small units "closets" because of their quaint size, and what a location!

The '06 Locati Barbera I speak of is layered in pure Italian, chewy in texture, earthy to nose, mid-palate raspberry with a whimsical tannic finish. I adore this Barbera, pairing it with everything from red meats to vegetarian caramelized Portobello-Artichoke Lasagna.

Locati really understands the old-world technique in making his ruby red, food-friendly wine. He's kept the deliberate earth-in-a-glass, a savoring swirl that begs you to drink without moderation, earning 98 points from Wine and Country Living. Congratulations Locati Cellars and good fortune in your new location!

Until next week, "Eat Art, Drink Imagination!"

Caramelized Portobello-Artichoke Lasagna Serves 4

4-tablespoons butter

2-tablespoons olive oil

2-cloves garlic, minced

1-yellow onion, diced fine

1 3/4-pounds chopped Portobello mushrooms

1-grated carrot

1-teaspoon each: salt, pepper, nutmeg

2-jars artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1-tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1-teaspoon lemon zest

2 ½-cups heavy cream

9-pre-cooked strips of lasagna noodle

3-teaspoons flour

1 ½-cups grated parmesan cheese

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a Dutch oven, add butter and olive oil. When shimmering, add the next five ingredients and caramelize. Add artichokes, lemon juice and zest, mix well. Turn off heat. In an 8x8-inch baking pan, sprayed liberally with cooking oil, pour just enough heavy cream in bottom of pan to cover ¼-inch deep. Lay down three lasagna noodles, spoon ¼-sauted mixture over noodles, sprinkle mixture with 1-teaspoon flour, ¼-cheese and a little more heavy cream. Repeat steps to completion. Oil the shinny side of tin foil and place oil-side down over pan, crimp tight and place in oven for 35-minutes; remove foil and bake another 12-15 minutes. Cool lasagna for 10-minutes before serving.

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