Pumpkin & goat’s cheese lasagne
PREP + COOK TIME 3 HOURS SERVES 8
3.4kg butternut pumpkins, halved lengthways (see tips)
1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
4 medium leeks, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1kg firm ricotta
3 egg yolks
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
1¼ cups (100g) finely grated
Parmesan
1 cup (250ml) pouring cream
¼ cup finely chopped fresh
sage leaves
1½ tbsp finely chopped
fresh chives
6½ fresh lasagne sheets
150g soft goat’s cheese,
crumbled
ROCKET & PEPITA SALAD
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
100g baby rocket leaves
¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seed
kernels), toasted
1 Preheat oven to 200°C.
2 Divide the pumpkin halves, skin-side up, between two large oven trays, drizzling each pumpkin half with oil. Season. Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours or until very tender. Cool. Remove the seeds, then peel away skin. Working in batches, place pumpkin in a large sieve over a bowl; leave to drain excess liquid, reserve. Transfer pumpkin to a bowl and mash with a potato masher.
3 Heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the leek and garlic, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until soft. Combine the leek mixture, mashed pumpkin, nutmeg and reserved pumpkin liquid. Season.
4 Process the ricotta, egg yolks and lemon rind in batches until smooth. Add 1 cup (80g) of Parmesan and the cream, then pulse until just combined. Stir in the herbs. Season.
5 Oil a 3.5-litre (14-cup) ovenproof dish, around 24cm x 30cm x 6cm. Place 2 lasagne sheets in the base of dish. Spoon over a third of the ricotta mixture and smooth the surface. Top with half the pumpkin mixture. Repeat layers, then top with 2½ lasagne sheets and another third of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with goat’s cheese and the remaining Parmesan. Cover with a layer of baking paper, then foil. (The lasagne will have three layers of pasta, two layers of pumpkin and three layers of ricotta mixture.)
6 Bake lasagne for 50 minutes. Remove foil and paper, then bake for a further 15 minutes or until golden and hot. Stand for 10 minutes.
7 To make the rocket and pepita salad, combine the lemon juice, mustard and olive oil in a large bowl. Season, then add the rocket and pepitas, tossing gently to combine.
8 Serve lasagne with salad.