Shiso-chorizo lasagne

Tod & I invented this one together earlier this week and have been eating it ever since. It makes good leftovers.
The fusion of Spanish and Japanese flavours surprised me. “Chorizo” in Japan is more like a slightly spicy frankfurter than the proper Spanish chorizo, so we added a little cayenne to the mix to pep it up. Shiso, aka perilla, is a piquant relative of basil but accept no substitutes. The mushrooms add an earthy flavor that tie the whole thing together–if you can’t find fresh shitake or maitake, portabello would substitute. To make this simple, I use an Italian brand of jarred pasta sauce that’s heavy on the garlic and contains no sugar.
Shiso-chorizo Lasange
1 pkg lasagne noodles, cooked al dente
300 g cottage cheese
1 egg
5 shiso leaves, shredded
2 cups mozzarella, grated
1 ball fresh mozzarella
8 fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced
12 button mushrooms, sliced
300 g maitake mushrooms, chopped
8 links “chorizo”
pinch cayenne
1 jar garlicly tomato pasta sauce
Olive oil for sautéing
salt and black pepper to taste
Saute the mushrooms in olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper. Evaporate off the liquid, remove from pan and set aside. Before adding to the lasagne, drain any additional liquid that has accumulated.
Slice the chorizo into thin rounds, sprinkle with cayenne and fry briefly.
Mix the cottage cheese, egg and shiso. Season with black pepper and salt.
In the bottom of a rectangular baking pan, spread a tablespoon of sauce. This will help prevent the lasagne from sticking to the pan. Place a layer of noodles over the sauce, then start layering the fillings, sauce and noodles to your liking. Top with a final layer of noodles, sauce and slices of fresh mozzarella.
Bake at 175/350 for 25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and brown. Allow to “set up” for about ten minutes before cutting.