Pumpkin Lasagne "Bolognese"

 

Borrowed from three little halves:

https://www.threelittlehalves.com/2013/10/city-bumpkins-in-field-of-pumpkins.html

* 1/2 of Cheese pumpkin (mine in total was 6 lb)
* about 1 1/4 lb of lasagne noodles, fresh or dry 
* 1 1/3 cups of grated Parmesan


for the ragout 

* 18 oz sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
* 8 oz hardwood smoked bacon, cut into 1/4” dice
* 2 shallots, minced
* 2 carrots, cut into 1/4” dice
* 2 celery stalks, cut into 1/4” dice
* 2 cloves of garlic, minced
* 1 cup tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes (I used San Marzano)
* 2 cups vegetable broth
* 1 tsp fresh marjoram
* 3-4 sage leaves, minced
* 1-2 tbsp olive oil
* salt and freshly ground pepper


for the beschamel

* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 5 cups whole milk
* a generous pinch of grated nutmeg
* salt and freshly ground white pepper


hardware

9x13 inch rectangular baking dish



prepare the ragout

Heat a cast iron casserole over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook 3-4 minutes until nicely browned. Remove the bacon from the casserole and discard the fat. 

Add the olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots have softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add the carrots and celery and continue to cook, until the vegetables are barely softened, about 8 minutes. 

Add the garlic and the sausage meat, and cook over moderate heat, breaking up the meat to resemble ground beef, until the meat is mostly white. Add the bacon and herbs. Add the tomato sauce and broth and simmer half-covered over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and carrots are soft, at least 45 minutes. If you have time at your hands, cover and keep simmering for another hour and a half, and you will be extra rewarded. Season with salt and pepper.


roast the pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds. (I used only half of the pumpkin, and stored the other half for a different use.) Cut the pumpkin into slices, remove the skin, and then cut the flesh into 3/4 inch cubes. Drizzle the cubes with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.

Place the cubes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 40 minutes, until soft. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and let it cool.


prepare the béchamel

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the flour. Stir with a whisk and cook for about 2-3 minutes to make the white roux.

Pour in cold milk into the roux in small drizzles, whisking constantly. Once you have added about half of your milk, and the mixture has assumed the consistency of thick batter, you can start adding the milk in larger splashes. Keep on whisking constantly.

Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat, without stopping to whisk. When the sauce comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. (No need to say it again, keep on whisking.) Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.


cook the pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Prepare a skimmer (or two large forks), and a large tray lined with wax paper lightly oiled with olive oil. Boil several noodle sheets at a time about 2-3 minutes for fresh pasta (that will depend in the thickness of ther noodles), or according to manufacturer’s instructions for the dry pasta. Scoop them out with the forks, and lay them out on the tray. Repeat with remaining pasta. (I like to boil enough sheets for one layer, and assemble the layer completely, before cooking the next batch of pasta.)


assemble the dish

Preheat the oven to 375°F (350°F convection).

Oil the lasagne pan with oil. Add the first layer of pasta sheet, while overlapping them slightly. Ladle 1 1/2 cups of ragout over the noodles, spreading it evenly. Top the ragout with 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin cubes. Drizzle about one cup of béchamel over the pumpkins, and then sprinkle about 1/3 cup of parmesan. Repeat the process (pasta + 1 1/2 cups ragout + 1 1/2 cup pumpkins + one cup of béchamel + 1/3 cup parmesan) two more times, then top with the final layer of pasta. (For a total of four pasta layers.)

To finish the dish spread 1/2 cup of béchamel over the top layer of pasta, and then sprinkle with 1/3 cups of parmesan.

Bake the lasagne for about 50 minutes, until bubbly, crispy and browned on top. When the lasagne is done, let it rest for about 30 minutes before serving.

Serves 8