This recipe involves fresh pasta. To learn how to make fresh pasta at home, see my last post.
Sometimes we start out a recipe with the best intentions of carrying it through, only to be struck by creativity and veer far from the directions on the page. That is exactly how Jamie Oliver’s Open Stained-Glass Lasagne with Roasted Squash turned into Lauren’s Open Lasagne with Acorn Squash Puree, in all of it’s smooth, spicy, nutty deliciousness.
I started out wanting to make this recipe because it is intended to feature a beautiful homemade pasta consisting of thin sheets of lasagna rolled with fresh herbs between the doubled layers, producing a stunning stained-glass effect. Jamie Oliver made it look so pretty, I just had to try! Only one problem, I had a senior moment at the market and completely forgot to buy the necessary herbs.
Without the beautiful pasta, the roasting didn’t seem quite right to me. I was feeling more like a silky smooth, thick squash-velvet. And I wanted it loaded with spice and flavor. I kept Jamie’s spice recommendations…
…but opted to steam the squash and then puree it instead.
Which still was a little too thin for my liking. But that’s why cheesecloth was invented! If you have lived this long without a cheesecloth, you are really doing yourself a disservice – there are a million uses and they cost a few bucks and last for a very long time. Here I’ve quadrupled the cheesecloth and put it in a strainer with the squash over a pot to let the water drain out for approximately 20 minutes.
After the squash was drained of excess liquid, it was think and creamy, just what I was looking for.
I put it in a saucepan with 1/4 cup of vegetable stock, to add a little flavor and give it enough liquid to reheat it without burning (the liquid evaporates away) over low heat.
All that’s left to do is spoon this mixture between folds of a single strand of lasagna. For kitchen control freaks, this free-form pasta creation might be maddening, but I myself found it quite liberating (so much so that I forgot to take a picture). Garnish liberally with fresh grated Parmiggano Reggano and a drizzle of olive oil.
Lauren’s Open Lasagne with Acorn Squash Puree
Inspired by Jamie Oliver’s recipe in Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook
Fresh lasagne strips (see recipe here)
1/2 teaspoon ground corriander seeds
1-2 small dried red chiles
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large acorn squash, seeds and skin removed and cut into pieces
olive oil
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable stock
handful of grated Parmiggano Reggano cheese
Bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil. Peel the squash and remove the seeds. Cut the flesh into 1 1/2 inch pieces. When the water is boiling, add the squash and cook until tender and soft, about 10 minutes. Drain the squash and transfer to the food processor. Grind spices and add to the squash in the food processor.
Puree the squash mixture until completely smooth and transfer mixture to a strainer lined with a quadruple-folded cheesecloth. Set the strainer over a pot and allow the water to drain out for at least 10 minutes. Transfer the squash to a saucepan over low heat and add the stock. Cook until it is hot and steaming.
Boil lasagna, strain, and use one strand at a time for plating. place the end of the pasta flat on the plate, the add a spoon of squash. Fold the pasta back over the squash layer, then add another spoon of squash. Repeat until the pasta strand is completely folded with layers of squash in between. This can and should look uneven. Garnish with cheese and olive oil and serve right away.
