See, we do not know the exact origins of lasagna. We do know that Romans ate something along the lines of what we now know as lasagna: there were strips of a very rough pasta, mixed in with a chickpea mash, and whatever else could be found. It was, essentially, food for soldiers on the march, and, given what Annalena knows, positively vile. It also contained no tomatoes. All of her readers should know by now that tomatoes did not enter the vocabulary of Italian cooking until after Columbus' and the voyages to the West.
Today, of course, it is very different. We all know lasagna. Or do we? Generally, in Annalena's experience, we know the traditional red one, with meat sauce, a heavy bechamel, and lots and lots of cheese. A lasagna that can render you immobile for a day or two. That is how Annalena's Nana made her lasagna. It was wonderful.
Annalena still makes a similar lasagna, but she leaves out the meat. She is more likely, however, to make a dish that is lighter, and plays with vegetables, like this one:
First, let's start with the noodles: you can get fresh lasagna noodles, and you can get dried ones. Fresh ones will make a lighter product, but you can't always find them. You can use dried ones and get a REALLY good lasagna: this one was. DO NOT USE THE NO BOIL noodles. They are vile. They are disgusting. They will make you wonder "why did they ruin perfectly good pasta?"
Annalena is not ambiguous about this whatsoever. Boiling lasagna noodles takes no time at all, especially if you follow her method, and you will be happy.
When you are making a lasagna, check how many noodles you will need to cover the pan you are using. This will determine how many layers you can make. If , for example, you have twelve noodles and the pan takes four (a usual scenario), you can only get two layers: you need noodles at the top, remember? So, if you want a super layered lasagna, buy extra.
You need a lot of ingredients here, but you can collect them over any period of time you like. Just wait to make the bechamel until the day you're going to make the whole thing.
This time around, Annalena used both butternut squash puree,
and roasted slices of butternut squash, for texture. (She also used greens, but we'll get there).
To make the squash puree, cut up a BIG butternut squash (not necessarily as big as this one):
Put the pieces skin side up on a sheet pan covered with parchment, and then roast it at 400 for at least half an hour. You can check to see if it's soft enough to puree, by pushing with a fork or a big spoon. If it collapses, it's ready. When it's cool, scrape the flesh off the skin (you CAN eat the skin, but let's stick to basics here), and puree it in a food processor. No liquid, no butter, no nothing. Just pure squash. This monster yielded six cups of puree, and the lasagna took half of that.
We're not done with squash though. Now, get a medium sized one - about two pounds. Peel it, cut it into slices, like half moons, toss those with olive oil and salt, and roast them for about half hour, also at 400. When you see browning, it's done.
What is a lasagna without cheese? Not lasagna, in Annalena's book. We're going to use GOOD quality ricotta - recite after Annalena: "good ricotta does not end with an -O", fontina cheese, mozzarella, and parmesan. We'll need a pound and a half of the ricotta, a half pound of the fontina, one pound of the mozzarella, and what you want on the parmesan.
These numbers, ragazzi, are improvisations. You will want the ricotta and the mozzarella, but if you can't find, or don't like fontina, get something else, or use more mozzarella. And if the quantities of the solid cheeses (the mozzarella and the fontina), bother you, change them. You WILL need the ricotta.
Now, to the bechamel, and this is where Annalena loses people. Melt a stick of unsalted butter and mix it with a half cup of flour. Whisk that together, until you've got a solid mass. Don't worry, you're fine. Now add three cups of milk, slowly. Many recipes say the milk must be warm. Annalena doesn't see a difference. Hot milk means another dirty pot. Just pour it in, and keep whisking, at low heat. Eventually, you'll get a very loose looking custard. Add some salt. This is one of the mother sauces. Annalena's people call it beciamella. Put a cover on it, and put it to the side, because now, it's time to work.
Cube those solid cheeses, and keep them separate. Put the ricottta into its own bowl. So, at this point you have:
1. a quart or so of beciamella
2 a pound of mozzarella, cubed
3. a half pound of fontina, cubed
4. a pound and a half of ricotta that doesn't end with an -O
5. lots of squash puree
6 roasted squash
7 a pound of noodles
You still with Annalena? Because now, like Stephen Sondheim, we're gonna put it together, bit by bit.
Get a large pot of water boiling and salt it. If you are going to add greens to your lasagna, now is the time: put them in for about three or four minutes, pull em out, run them under cold water, and chop them. Annalena used dandelion. Spinach is traditional, chard is good. Annalena does not like kale in hers, but it's YOUR lasagna. Also, if you are prepared, you could make those greens ahead of time. Or if you have some extras from another cook.
Remember how we determined how many noodles will be necessary to cover a pan? Well, now we'll see why. Take that many noodles, put them in the pot, and cook them for NO MORE than 4 minutes, if you're using dry. If you're using fresh, 30 seconds. Before cooking them, put a few spoons of the beciamella in the pan and cover the bottom. Now, put those noodles in.
Let's make our first layer. For Annalena this time, it was a half pound of ricotta, a cup of squash puree, about a third of the mozzarella, and a cup of beciamella. Mix that all together, and spread it over the noodles. You don't have to be precise, but make it go as far as you can.
Now, do the same number of noodles. When they're done, we go to layer number two. This time, the roasted squash, half the fontina, another half pound of the ricotta, and another cup of beciamella. Spread it again.
Third verse/same as the first. You do the same number of noodles. THIS time, mix the greens, the butternut squash puree (another cup), a cup of beciamella and another third of mozzarella.
And we finish up, with another layer of noodles, and by mixing everything that's left together, and pouring it over the whole thing. Put that in the oven, at 400, and let it cook for about half an hour. If you can fit it on a baking sheet, that's even better because it may drip.
Remember that parmesan? AH, Annalena knew you did. When the lasagna is finished, get out a cheese grater, and put whatever amount you want all over it. That way, you don't burn this lovely stuff.
And there you have it. Squash lasagna, with room for improv. Let's have another look at it:
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