This new recipe is the shit, yo!

For the oatmeal molasses rolls I told you about 2 posts ago, go here. I am too damn lazy to type the whole thing out. But they are fabulous. Add honey butter and be a happy camper. I promise.

I found my husbands all time favorite recipe. For now anyway. He ate 2 or 3 platefuls the first night, had more for lunch the next day, and then finished it off yesterday. I don't know if he'll want it again until next year (which is kind of sad, since I only got 2 helpings before he ate it all).



Butternut Squash and Sage Lasagna

• 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated (2 cups)
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/4 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
• Fresh Lasagna Noodles, (you will need only 1/2 of the batch), cut into 4-by-13-inch strips and cooked, or store-bought dried noodles, cooked
• 4 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/4 cups)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss squash, oil, and 1 teaspoon salt on a baking sheet. Season with pepper. Bake until light gold and tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Combine ricotta, cream, yolks, mozzarella, and a pinch of nutmeg in a medium bowl. Season with salt.
3. Melt butter in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. As soon as it starts to sizzle, add sage, and cook until light gold and slightly crisp at edges, 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Place squash in a medium bowl, and mash 1/2 of it with the back of a wooden spoon, leaving the other 1/2 in whole pieces. Gently stir in sage-butter mixture and stock. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Spread 3/4 cup of ricotta mixture in a 9-cup baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1/2 of the butternut squash mixture over noodles. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1 cup of ricotta mixture over noodles. Repeat layering once more (noodles, squash, noodles, ricotta). Sprinkle Parmesan over ricotta mixture.
6. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until cheese is golden and bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

I can tell you this is pure awesomeness in your mouth. I never was a big fan of squash before, but I have used it a lot recently, and I truly like it now. It is so good fresh from the farmers markets, and I feel I should eat as much as I can now before it is gone for the season.

I did not make fresh noodles, and none were to be found at my market that day. At least not lasagna noodles. So I used the flat kind that require no pre-cooking. They worked fine, so don't stress about that.

That isn't to say I didn't want to make my own noodles, but someone (Jay) won't let me get any new kitchen gadgets or appliances until I get rid of some of the ones I already have since we are running out of room. I can argue that I had 2 new wall units added to our kitchen so I would have room for my many lovely kitchen things, but he sees things a little differently, I guess. Whatever, if he wants this lasagna again, I had better get my pasta maker.