Sunday, October 18, 2009

Delicata Squash & Hazelnut Lasagne

Any kind of winter squash would work with this lasagne, layered with toasted hazelnuts, chard, tofu ricotta, and an oat milk bechamel. I don't make bechamel-type sauces very often because I think they turn out too sweet tasting. But, in this case, the squash is sweet too so the sauce doesn't stand out.

Lasagne is so fun to play around with; the possible variations on this theme are limitless. I like to serve this type of thing to omnis, because you gotta love lasagne no matter what!


Lasagne Ingredients

This makes a small batch, serving 4 average portions. It's basically 1 bread loaf pan piled high.

2 cups lightly baked winter squash, thickly sliced
1 cup lightly toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
10-12 chard leaves, de-stemmed
Tofu ricotta (recipe follows)
Lasagne noodles
Bechamel ( recipe follows)


Tofu Ricotta
12 oz tofu
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/4 cup pine nuts
Handful of fresh basil
Handful of fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients in food processor until well combined.

Oat Milk Bechamel
2 cups oat milk ( or soy, rice, almond, hemp, etc.)
1 tablespoon Earth Balance
3 tablespoons flour
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
pinch of Old Bay Seasoning or nutmeg

Melt Earth Balance over medium heat. When EB is melted stir in the flour until well combined. Move the roux out to the side of the pan, lower heat and let it cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Start adding the oat milk a little at a time while constantly whisking until the oat milk is all poured in. Raise heat to medium and continue to whisk until all lumps are gone and the sauce begins to thicken. Now add the mustard, bay leaf, and Old Bay. Continue whisking until desired thickness is achieved. Optional: taste and add a little salt if you think it needs it. Remove bay leaves before using.

Now, the fun part starts: layer the lasagne, sauce, squash, hazelnuts, chard and tofu in the pan. If you use a bread loaf pan, you can get 3 thick layers. Top with bread crumbs and hazelnuts. Bake covered in a 350 C oven for ~30 minutes until it begins to bubble. Uncover and let bake for another 15 minutes until the top is nicely browned. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.


Ciao for now:)

11 comments:

  1. Rose,

    That lasagne looks fabulous! I love the combination of squash, hazelnuts and chard.

    It was genius to make it in a loaf pan. I have never seen that before but it makes so much sense when you are cooking for two. I will be using that idea soon. Thanks for sharing!

    Quick question about the tofu ricotta. Did you use water packed tofu or silken tofu and what texture (firm, etc.).

    My husband will love this idea. Good thing I don't have any chard or he would want me to make it tomorrow.

    talk to you soon,
    Alicia

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Alicia,

    I used the silken Mori Nu kind, but I have made it with regular firm tofo too. I actually prefer the regular tofu because it makes a firmer more ricotta-like filling in my mind. The Mori Nu was all I had yesterday.

    I wanted to be healthier and use whole wheat noodles...but I couldn't find any. Of course, I should just not be so lazy and make some of my own...but it's hard for me to get that organized.

    The bread loaf pan works great for small batches.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rose,

    I have not tried to make tofu ricotta with the silken tofu before so I am glad I asked. We always have silken in the house since I discovered I can buy the organic stuff by the case through Amazon. Our Whole Foods doesn't always have the organic.

    I think the whole wheat lasagna noodles that I usually buy are Bob's Red Mill. Since I am not positive I wil check the next time I got to the store and will let you know.

    You are right it is better with homemade noodles. But I am not always that organized either.

    I am quite psyched to try the lasagne in a bread pan idea. That is so smart, and it never even entered my mind.

    Alicia

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  4. Wow. That is an interesting combination. The pic makes it almost look like dessert. Yum!

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  5. What a creative use of ingredients! I love your lasagna recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Shannonmarie:

    I thought it looked like a cake or something too.

    Thanks for commenting.

    Shenandoah & Lindsay:
    Thanks for commenting; the secret is using the bread loaf pan to get a solid stack.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I just love the look and sound of this one! So nice to have an alternative to tomato-based lasagnas, and somehow so much more elegant!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ricki,

    Thanks for your input; I prefer tomato-based lasagnes,but, like you say, it is nice to have a bit of a change once in a while.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Rose,

    Did you see your mention on the VMF Internat'l HQ?

    Your lasagne was definitely worthy of highlighting. It looks gorgeous and sounds even better.

    Alicia

    ReplyDelete
  10. This looks delicious and sounds really interesting. I think I'm going to have to make it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    ReplyDelete

 
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