Pumpkin Lasagne

Photo: flickr user avlxyz

Ingredients

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1 cup dry white vermouth

3 cups 2 inch-cubed pumpkin, steamed until soft (see Note)

2 rounded tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

1 rounded teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1 pound good-quality precooked lasagne noodles such as Bar

Dalverde

cup grated Parmesan cheese

10 to 12 fresh sage leaves

Preparation

In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter with olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute onion until translucent. Reduce heat and add vermouth and pumpkin. Smash pumpkin with a potato masher or back of a fork. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine with other ingredients. Keep at a low simmer.

Meanwhile, make a white sauce: In a medium non-reactive saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add flour and cook for 3 minutes, stirring continuously with wooden spoon. Add milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir continuously until mixture is slightly thicker than buttermilk. Add to pumpkin mixture. Stir to thoroughly combine. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use 1 tablespoon butter to butter an 11-by-7 1/2-by-2 inch baking dish, then cover bottom with sheets of precooked noodles.

Spread about 1/2 inch of pumpkin mixture over noodles and sprinkle 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan over it. Repeat layering until all pumpkin mixture is used, ending with a layer of noodles. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Scatter sage leaves over top. Dot with remaining tablespoon of butter. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more, or until bubbly at the sides and golden on top. Serve immediately.

Note: Use Sugar Pie, Sweetie Pie or Baby Bear eating pumpkins for this recipe. You also can use Hubbard or butternut squash. If you have leftover pumpkin or squash, freeze the rest for future lasagna.