I have decided that for the month of October every Friday will be "Trick or Treat Friday" on the blog- I'll post a delicious treat or a beautiful trick. Today: one of my favorite fall dishes, my mom's pumpkin lasagna. Don't be intimidated by the many ingredients or several steps; this one is worth it.
Pumpkin Lasagna
Pumpkin filling:
1 stick butter
6 leeks, trimmed, rinsed and minced
4 cups pumpkin puree, fresh or canned
1/2 cup white wine
salt and pepper
Bechamel (white sauce):
1 stick butter
6 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
salt and pepper
3 large egg yolks, beaten
For the assembly:
1-1/4 pounds lasagna noodles, cooked and drained (or use no boil noodles)
1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto (or smoked ham)
1/4 cup sage leaves, torn into pieces
1-1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups walnut pieces, toasted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray a 15 X 10 inch baking pan and set aside.
Prepare filling:
Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and sauté, stirring occasionally until tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in pumpkin and white wine; cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper. Reserve.
Prepare béchamel:
Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and whisk 1 minute until smooth. Gradually whisk in chicken broth and half and half. Cook, whisking the bubbling mixture constantly, until smooth and thickened. Stir in Parmesan. Season with nutmeg.
Stir in 1/2 cup of the sauce into beaten egg yolks and whisk the mixture back into remaining sauce, blending completely. Stir 2 minutes longer; remove from heat. Set aside covered.
Make a layer of lasagna noodles in bottom of prepared dish. Top with 1/2 the prosciutto and 1/3 of the béchamel. Scatter half the sage leaves evenly over top. Cover with a second layer of noodles, all the pumpkin filling, 1 cup Parmesan and 1 cup walnuts. Make a third layer of lasagna noodles; top with remaining prosciutto, 1/3 of the béchamel and remaining sage. Make a final layer of noodles; top with remaining béchamel, walnuts, and Parmesan.
Bake uncovered 1 hour or until browned and bubbling. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
