BUTTERNUT
SQUASH AND HAZELNUT LASAGNA
Active
time: 1 ½ hrs. — Start to finish: 2 ½ hrs.
1 large onion, chopped
3 T. unsalted butter
3 lb. butternut squash,
peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 t. minced garlic
1 t. salt
¼ t. white pepper
2 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf
parsley
4 t. chopped fresh sage
1 c. hazelnuts (4 oz.),
toasted, loose skins rubbed off with a kitchen towel, and coarsely chopped
1 t. minced garlic
3 T. unsalted butter
5 T. all-purpose flour
5 c. milk
1 bay leaf (not California)
1 t. salt
1/8 t. white pepper
½ lb. fresh mozzarella,
coarsely grated (2 c.)
1 c. finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (3 oz.)
12 (7x3 ½”) sheets no-boil
lasagna (½ lb.)
Cook
onion in butter in a deep 12” heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring
occasionally, until golden,
about
10 minutes. Add squash, garlic, salt, and white pepper and cook, stirring
occasionally, until squash
is
just tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, sage, and
nuts. Cool filling.
While
squash is cooking, sauté garlic in butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over
moderately low heat,
stirring,
1 minute. Whisk in flour and cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk in a stream, whisking.
Add
bay leaf and bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then reduce heat and simmer,
whisking occasionally,
10
minutes. Whisk in salt and white pepper
and remove from heat. Discard bay leaf.
(Cover surface of
sauce
with wax paper if not using immediately.)
Preheat
oven to 425°F. Toss cheeses together.
Spread ½ c. sauce in a buttered 13x9x2” glass baking
dish
(or other shallow 3-quart baking dish) and cover with 3 pasta sheets, leaving
spaces between sheets.
Spread
with 2/3 c. sauce and one third of
filling, then sprinkle with a heaping ½ c. cheese. Repeat layering
2
more times, beginning with pasta sheets and ending with cheese. Top with
remaining 3 pasta sheets,
remaining
sauce, and remaining cheese.
Tightly
cover baking dish with buttered foil and bake lasagna in middle of oven for 30
minutes. Remove
foil
and bake until golden and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let lasagna stand 15
to 20 minutes before
serving.
Makes
6 servings.