Emerils Pumpkin Lasagna With Italian Sausage And Sage Recipes

EMERIL'S LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, Provolone, Mozzarella, Romano, egg, milk, basil and garlic. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper. To assemble, spread 2 1/2 cups of the meat sauce on the bottom of a deep dish lasagna pan. Sprinkle 1/4 of the grated cheese over the sauce. Cover the cheese with 1/4 of the dried noodles. Spread a 1/4 of the cheese filling evenly over the noodles. Repeat the above process with the remaining ingredients, toping the lasagna with the remaining sauce. Place in the oven and bake until bubbly and golden, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving. Slice and serve.
• In a large nonreactive saucepan, over medium heat, add the oil. In a mixing bowl, combine the meat. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. When the oil is hot, add the meat and brown for 4 to 6 minutes. Add the onions, celery, and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk the tomato paste with the stock and add to the tomatoes. Add the thyme, bay leaves, oregano, basil and red pepper. Mix well. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 2 hours. Stir occasionally and add more liquid if needed. During the last 30 minutes or cooking, reseason with salt and pepper and stir in the cheese. Remove from the heat and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

PUMPKIN LASAGNA WITH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• 1. In a skillet, cook the bulk italian sausage, diced onions and sage together on medium-high heat. The onions should be very tender and the sausage should develop some browning. Set aside to be added to the sauce later.
• 2. In a large 5-quart pot on medium high heat, add pumpkin, sweet potato and chicken stock and stir well to blend ingredients thoroughly. Continue to add cream cheese, syrup/sugar, balsamic vinegar and spices and stir well. Taste sauce for seasoning and add salt/pepper if desired. Stir frequently until mixture starts to simmer and remove from heat. Add meat mixture to the sauce and stir together.
• 3. Prepare lasagna noodles according to package directions. (I do this stove-top step last and I place the noodles in cold water so they don't stick together during the assembly of the lasagna.)
• 4. Preheat oven to 350F. Oil a lasagna pan (a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan is not quite large enough - but if you don't mind leftover noodles and sauce, it'll do just fine.)
• 5. Drop a layer of the pumpkin-sausage sauce in the bottom of the lasagna pan. Cover with a single layer of noodles. Ladle another layer of sauce over the noodles. Sprinkle on a quarter-cup of parmigian, a quarter-cup of romano and about a half cup of cheddar-jack cheeses over the sauce.
• 6. Continue layering noodles, sauce and cheese until the pan is full or you run out of ingredients. Place the lasagna pan on a baking sheet (to catch any spills or bubble-overs) and cook on the center rack of the oven for 30-40 minutes. Cheeses should be fully melted, edges should be bubbling. Remove lasagna from oven and let set for 5-10 minutes before serving.

EMERIL'S PUMPKIN LASAGNA WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND SAGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin with the extra- virgin olive oil, cinnamon, thyme, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper and toss to coat. Transfer to a large baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil. Bake until tender, about 30 minutes. Set aside, covered, until cool. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Heat a medium sauté pan over medium- high heat. When hot, add the olive oil, onion, fennel, apple, sausage, and marjoram and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sausage has browned and the vegetables have softened. Remove from the heat, transfer to a large mixing bowl, and set aside to cool. Gently fold the pumpkin into the vegetable- sausage mixture. Heat the butter in a small sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter begins to bubble and brown, add 1/4 cup of the sage leaves and cook until they are brown and crisp, 1 to 11/2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, mascarpone, heavy cream, beaten eggs, half of the mozzarella, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well to combine, then add the cooled brown- butter- sage hazelnut mixture and mix thoroughly. Increase the oven temperature to 375°F. Assemble the lasagna: Spread half of the pumpkin mixture in the bottom of the pan, sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, drizzle 1/4 cup of the stock over the top, and cover with 4 pasta sheets, leaving a little space between sheets. Spread 3 cups of the ricotta cheese mixture over the pasta sheets and cover with 4 more pasta sheets. Distribute the remaining half of the pumpkin mixture over the pasta, sprinkle the top with 1/4 cup of the remaining Parmesan, and drizzle with the remaining 1/4 cup stock. Place the final 4 pasta sheets over the top and spread the remaining ricotta mixture evenly over the pasta. Top w