Recipe: Butternut Squash & Hazelnut Lasagne

Butternut Squash is in full swing as the 'it' ingredient for the fall. This lasagne is a great application of the fall gord with the added crunch of hazelnuts.

• Lasagne Sheets - about 12
• 1 smaller butternut squash
• 1 cup hazelnuts, pre-shelled and roasted (and I fine crushed about 1/4 cup of hazelnuts just to spread over the top, making a dusting)
• 2 cups of creme
• 2 Tablespoons of butter
• 2 Tablespoons of APF (All Purprose Flour)
• 1 cup Parmesan, thinly grated
• 1 cup Ricotta
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 package (about 2 cups) Part-Skim Mozzarella
• About 1/4 cup Fontina
• 1 sprig and about 2 Tablespoons picked thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves

1. Preheat over to 400 degrees.
2. Boil Lasagne strips in 'sea' flavored water with about 3 Tablespoons of evoo.
3. Heat Butter and flour in medium sized pot, creating a roux. Slowly add creme, whisking in about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking until absorbed before adding the next 1/4 cup. Add 2 bay leaves, a sprig of time and turn heat to low to 'cook out' the flour flavor.
4. Peel butternut squash, cutting off the neck and discarding the rest. Slice squash into 1/4 inch thick pieces, about 2 inches wide and 4 inches long. Reserve about 3 of these slices to cut into brunoise for the topping.
5. Combine ricotta, salt, pepper, egg, 1/4 of the mozzarella, 1/8 of the parmesan and about 2 Tablespoons of picked thyme leaves.
6. Build lasagne. Make sure to spray with non-stick your lasagne pan before building. Start with 2 sheets of lasagne, the about 4 slices of butternut squash, sprinkled mozzarella, salt, pepper, then lasagne, and same order. After 3rd layer of lasagne, spread in ricotta mixture, about 1/4-1/2 inch thick (however you like), then lasagne, butternut, etc. another 2 times. Top off lasagne with remaining parmesan and brunoise of butternut squash - spreading all over lasagne.
7. Bake for about 20-30 minutes until butter knife slips through center of lasagne with little to no resistance.
8. Remove from oven and sprinkle hazelnuts and fontina over top of lasagne. Return to oven for another 10 minutes or so until fontina just starts to melt.