Pumpkin Lasagna

It doesn't get much more Fall-ish than pumpkin lasagna!  It's a warm, snuggly dish that over the years has become a must on my cooking to-do list when the leaves start to change.  The preparation is very easy and requires minimal cooking.  I happen to be a user of no-boil lasagna noodles.  Though they lack the toothier texture offered by the ruffles of the traditional variety, I think they're just fine.  The fact that their use eliminates the requirement to wash a (big) pot makes it well worth it in my opinion.  

This started as a low fat, low salt recipe.  Unfortunately, as such, it seriously lacked flavor.  So I've made some changes over time and will provide the recipe as I prepare it.  I've never tried it with the dried sage the recipe calls for.  Fresh is so much better that I just don't keep the dried stuff around.  Thyme, dried or fresh, is another great alternative. 

Pumpkin Lasagna

1/2 lb sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/4 tsp salt, divided

2 Tbsp olive oil

16-oz can pureed pumpkin

1/2 cup half-and-half

Herbs (Options: 2 tsp chopped fresh sage or 1 tsp dried thyme or 2 tsp fresh thyme)

1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper

9 no-cook lasagna noodles

1 1/2 cups reduced fat ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a skillet, saute mushrooms, onions and 1/4 tsp salt in oil until tender; set aside.  In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin, cream, herbs, pepper and remaining salt.  Spread 1/2 cup pumpkin sauce in an 11x7 baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Top with three noodles.  Spread 1/2 cup pumpkin sauce to the edge of the noodles.  Top with half of mushroom mixture, 3/4 cup ricotta, 1 cup mozz, and 1/4 cup Parm.  Repeat layers.  Top with remaining noodles and sauce.  Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.  Uncover; sprinkle with remaining Parm, and bake for 10 minutes longer.  Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

  

I also wanted to share the apple pie result from Fall Marathon.  I've tried a number of pastry recipes, and I've found Barefoot Contessa's to be the most delicious, as well as the most fool proof!  She uses a food processor, which makes it easy and fast.  I know pastry can be stressful. The best bits of advice I can give are to use super cold ingredients, don't dawdle (so those ingredients stay cold), and keep the pastry moving while you're rolling it out.  Give it a quarter turn with every roll; this gives you a nice circular result and also ensures that you'll be able to pick it up at the end!  This is kind of a weird thing to say, but I swear dough seems to sense nerves...kind of like a horse.  It never fully cooperated with me until I stopped being scared of it and took the position of authority.  Back to the recipe - I actually don't make the innards of her Barefoot's pie, since I think her quantity of citrus is a bit overpowering.  So I combine the techniques of my two fave gals and use Barefoot's crust and Marth's filling. 

Perfect Pie Crust:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.

I use this recipe as a guideline for the filling.  http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/classic-apple-pie 

The BEST part: 
kids in bed....warm slice of pie....mound of vanilla ice cream....husband....pj's.....couch....
funny tv show.