Purple Peacock Broccoli & Butternut Lasagna
Parties and gatherings are better with lasagna. Try out this recipe that uses the magnificent purple peacock broccoli, butternut squash, and caramelized onions to create a warming dinner dish.
Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash
1/2# bunch of purple peacock broccoli (or any other hearty winter green)
1# of onions
3 tbsp of butter
wine, vegetable stock, or water to deglaze caramelized onion pan
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg
white sauce recipe (see below)
12 lasagna noodles
salt/pepper to taste
White Sauce:
3 tbsp of butter
3 tbsp of flour
1.5 cups of milk
1.5 cups of vegetable stock
salt/pepper to taste
Kitchen Tools used: peeler, chef’s knife, cutting board, 2 sheet pans, 2 heavy bottom skillets or pans, spatula, pasta pot, sauce pan, whisk, immersion blender or regular blender, small bowl, 9 x 13 casserole dish, tongs
How to:
1. Roast the Squash
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Peel the butternut and slice for roasting 1/8 inch thick
Coat 2 baking sheets with your choice of fat and lay out butternut slices
Sprinkle with salt
Roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until cooked through
Set aside to cool
2. Start caramelizing the onions
Peel the onions and cut in half so they don’t roll around
Thinly slice them
Melt 3 tbsp of butter in a heavy bottom skillet or pan
Toss in onions and let cook on medium high for 5 minutes without turning - they should start to develop some color
Add a generous pinch of salt
Stir and continue cooking, turning occasionally but leaving long enough to brown the bottom layer
If it gets dry, add either wine, broth, or water to keep it from sticking
You can keep working on the other steps as long as you stir this once in awhile
The flavor starts to develop in as little as 10 minutes but get’s better the longer you let them cook
3. Prep the lasagna water
Start a pot of water on the stove that’s deep enough to cook 4 lasagna noodles at a time.
4. Make the white sauce
Melt 3 tbsp of butter into a heavy bottom sauce pot
Add in 3 tbsp of flour
Using a whisk, mix together to form a paste
Let that cook for about 3 minutes whisking frequently
Slowly drizzle in 1.5 cups of milk & 1.5 cups of broth while whisking
Let that cook on medium high heat, stirring frequently until it thickens
Once the butternut squash is done, add roasted pieces and using an immersion blender puree into a bright orange sauce.
If you're not using an immersion blender, use a traditional blender. Make sure to let steam out from top to prevent the lid from catapulting off.
5. Prep the ricotta cheese
Crack one egg into a small mixing bowl and whisk.
Pour in container of ricotta cheese
Mix
Salt and pepper to taste
6. Cooking purple peacock broccoli
Cut the heads in half and let soak in water to remove any hidden soil
Once clean, rough chop for sautéing
Add 1 tbsp of your choice of fat to a pan and heat on medium high
Toss in the chopped purple peacock broccoli
Sauté for about 3-5 minutes to develop flavor but not fully cook it.
7. Cooking the noodles/assembling
Mix the caramelized onions together with the cooked purple peacock broccoli
In a 9 x 13 casserole dish, spread a thin layer of the butternut white sauce
Toss 4 sheets of uncooked lasagna into the boiling water
Once tender but still a bit firm, pull out with tongs and layer in the pan on top of the sauce
Toss in another 4 sheets of uncoooked lasagna into the boiling water
While those are cooking, in the casserole dish top noodles with 1/2 of purple peacock broccoli and onion mixture
Dollop on top 1/2 of the ricotta
Top with 1/3 of the butternut white sauce
Once the next round of noodles is ready, repeat
The 3rd round of noodle cooking will be your top
Cover the top with the remaining 1/3 of the butternut white sauce
If desired, add some shredded cheese for a bubbly brown exterior
8. Bake at 375 degrees for around 45 minutes
9. Let cool for about 5 minutes and enjoy!
Prepare to be in the kitchen for about an hour preparing the dish for baking and cleaning up your food laboratory. It’s so worth it.
Happy Cookings!
Purple Peacock Broccoli, a locally grown late fall treat from Lato Sud Farm sourced from the Lackawaxen Farm Company’s Multi-Farm Box Share.
Assembling process - Sauce --> Noodles --> Veggies --> Ricotta.