butternut squash & hazelnut lasagna {recipe}

i'm not going to lie - had i looked this recipe up on my own i would not have chosen to make it for 2 reasons:

1. no-boil lasagna sheets? really? isn't that like, super white trash lazy?
2. the cracking, then toasting, then the rubbing off of hazelnut skins

the hazelnut issue is one that has haunted me for years. i once made linzer cookies from complete scratch for the holidays one year and stayed up with anthony, frazzled, until 3 or 4 in the morning rolling, freezing, cutting, baking (repeat until you want to crawl into the oven yourself) hazelnut dough. i remember the frustration of trying to rub and scratch the stupid freaking skins off those little nuts, having the skin bits collect under my nails in pain.

luckily for me, we made this in gainesville at the last 2009 girlfriend sweatshop weekend last week. it was so rich and divine!! we made sure to coat all bits of the no-boil lasagna so nothing would be hard or chewy and even though i was called in for hazelnut skinning duty, many hands made light work. additionally, we only had to work on 1 cup of nuts, as opposed to what felt like 50 cups of nuts when i'd done it previously.

also, i admit, i was the lazy one this weekend, doing almost nothing but working on my heart-shaped bokeh filter for my camera. thanks guys!


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Yield: Makes 6 servings
Active Time: 1 1/2 hr
Total Time: 2 1/2 hr

Ingredients
For squash filling
1 large onion, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1 cup hazelnuts (4 oz), toasted , loose skins rubbed off with a kitchen towel, and coarsely chopped

For sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups milk
1 bay leaf (not California)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

For assembling lasagne
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, coarsely grated (2 cups)
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (3 oz)
12 (7- by 3 1/2-inch) sheets no-boil lasagne (1/2 lb)


Preparation
Make filling:

Cook onion in butter in a deep 12-inch 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.

Make sauce while squash cooks:

Cook 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.)

Assemble lasagne:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Toss cheeses together. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in a buttered 13- by 9- by 2-inch glass baking dish (or other shallow 3-quart baking dish) and cover with 3 pasta sheets, leaving spaces between sheets. Spread with 2/3 cup sauce and one third of filling, then sprinkle with a heaping 1/2 cup 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 lasagne in middle of oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until golden and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let lasagne stand 15 to 20 minutes before serving.