PUMPKING & GOAT CHEESE LASAGNE

PUMPKING & GOAT CHEESE LASAGNE image

Yield 12-15 servings

Number Of Ingredients 26

Ingredients

FOR THE PUMPKIN FILLING:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
8 sage leaves
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
12 cups cubed pumpkin flesh (this is from a 5-lb pumpkin or about half a decent-sized pumpkin, a proper eating one not the Halloween kind, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch rough cubes)
1/3 cup dry vermouth or white wine
¼ cup water
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper
FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE:
3 cups canned or bottled tomato sauce, preferably organic with no added salt
2 cups water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt or 1 tablespoon table salt
good grinding of pepper
FOR THE CHEESE LAYER:
1 lb soft fresh goat cheese (chèvre)
1 ¾ cups whole milk ricotta cheese
3 eggs
Good grating of fresh nutmeg
12 fresh lasagne sheets (approx. 1 ¼ lbs)
½ lb fresh mozzarella cheese
1 cup pine nuts, toasted in a hot dry pan
Salt and pepper

Steps:

To make the pumpkin filling: 1. Heat oil and butter in a shallow Dutch oven or cast-iron braiser and fry sage leaves over gentle heat for about 2 minutes. 2. Add chopped onion and minced garlic to pan and fry very gently for another 10 minutes. 3. Add pumpkin pieces, turn well in the oniony oil and, after about 5 minutes, add vermouth (or wine), water and diced tomatoes. Simmer, covered, for an hour, stirring occasionally so the pumpkin cooks evenly. Taste for seasoning and leave to cool. For the tomato sauce: 1. Simply pour the tomato sauce and water into a large jug or bowl, and stir in the sugar, salt and pepper, whisking it all together. To make up the cheese layer: 1. In a separate bowl beat the goat's cheese and ricotta with the eggs, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. 2. Preheat the oven to 400°F, slipping in a large cookie sheet as you do. 3. To assemble the lasagne, begin by putting 2 cups of the cold tomato sauce in the bottom of a roasting pan 4. Then layer with a third of the lasagne sheets, overlapping them well (Italians do it with the pan horizontal but the pasta vertical, if that makes sense, but I don't know that it truly matters ). Leave the rest of the tomato sauce aside for the time being. 5. Layer a third of the pumpkin filling over the lasagne, and dollop on a third of the cheese mixture, with a rubber spatula. Then start again with a layer of lasagne, followed by pumpkin, then the cheese. Repeat once more - lasagne, pumpkin, and the last of the cheese mixture. 6. Pour the remaining cold tomato sauce over, letting it sink down and be absorbed in the layers. 7. Slice and chop the mozzarella and dot over the top. 8. Bake in the oven, on the cookies sheet, for 1 hour. Once baked, take it out of the oven and let it stand for 15-30 minutes to make cutting and serving easier. 9. Sprinkle the toasted pine nuts over the lasagne, and cut into squares to serve.