Pumpkin Lasagne ai Quattro Formaggi
Pumpkin Lasagna with Four Cheeses
This one needs a Family Tree. So here goes. I have been a fan of Domenica Marchetti for quite some time. Lucky me, I won a copy of her newest book, The Glorious Pasta of Italy from Paula Yoo of Write Like You Mean It. (Great name, Paula. Great site.) I had just begun to give the book some serious reading when David Leite of Leite’s Culinaria included Domenica’s recipe for Pumpkin Lasagne in his Weekly Update. (If you do not already subscribe, sign up for a wealth of information.) And as if I needed any more convincing, Kathy included the recipe in her Food Lover’s Odyssey (another site not to be missed) Top 10 Italian Recipes from Around the Web. See what I mean about the Family Tree?
I had been looking for something different for a first course for Thanksgiving when the Pumpkin Lasagne recipe caught my eye. Lasagna, why not? What surprised me was that the pumpkin puree is in the pasta, not between the layers. By the way – don’t be thrown by lasagne ending with an “e”. The name of this recipe refers to the multiple sheets of pasta known individually as lasagna. The final “a” of Italian feminine nouns changes to “e” in the plural. Mystery solved.
I had never used pumpkin, zucca (TZOOK-kah) in Italian, in pasta before, but I was game for it. The puree blends readily to form a fragrant dough that rolls with ease, yet has enough body to be really hassle free when boiled, drained and layered in the baking dish.
The pale gold pasta bakes up to tender perfection. And of course, there are those great brown crispy edges and the top bubbling with cheese, hallmarks of the perfect baked pasta dish. Quite simply, it is sublime. Make your own lasagna noodles once, and you will never use store bought again.
Domenica calls for 10 ounces of crumbled Gorgonzola dolce, 8 ounces of cubed mozzarella, 8 ounces of shredded Fontina and fully 3 cups of grated Parmigiano; this is a cheese lover’s delight. With four layers of pasta and different combinations of cheese between each layer and on top, this never seems heavy or boring. The cheeses meld and marry, their various textures and tastes complementing one, mitigating another and blending beautifully with the Bechamel. I would offer a word of caution – be sure to taste the Gorgonzola prior to purchasing – some can be much stronger than others, and with 10 ounces, you want to be certain you are getting what you want. The Gorgonzola is an important component here – it gives dimension to the dish, so choose wisely. This dish is easy to put together and positively glorious when brought to the table. By the way, don’t worry about containers for leftovers. You won’t need them. This lasagna rocks.
I am happy to make room on my shelf for The Glorious Pasta of Italy, and I suggest you do the same. You’ll be hearing more from me about it, but I wanted to put this quick post out since Thanksgiving is upon us.
Click here to view the recipe on Leite’s Culinaria.
Note: You can click on any picture for a larger image, and to see a slide show!
I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.
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The Glorious Pasta of Italy
by Domenica Marchetti
Hardcover, Chronicle Books (May 18, 2011)
280 pages
ISBN-10: 0811872599
ISBN-13: 978-0811872591
Sunday, November 20th 2011 at 8:51 pm |
Wow! I just love recipes with pumpkin in them, so this really looks enticing. Believe it or not, I’ve never made my own pasta but you’ve inspired me to give it a try. My only problem with this recipe is the gorgonzola… if I eat a lot I get a headache! Maybe I’d just go lighter on this cheese and heavier on the others. It looks amazing (I prefer my lasagna with bechamel too.) Thanks Adri.
Monday, November 21st 2011 at 7:38 am |
Hi Diane,
I love that you are inspired to try your hand at pasta making – I will pass that on to Domenica. She will be very pleased to hear. As for the Gorgonzola dolce – I hear you. Depending on its age it can be quite mild or rather strong. I have to be very careful with it myself. It does play an important job in this dish. With all the mild cheese, fully one pound of mozzarella and Fontina combined, you need something to punch it up. I suggest taking the recipe to your fave cheese seller. Tell them your quandary. They will let you taste the Gorgonzola dolce and you can select a mild one. Then, use half the amount. Seriously – it will be wonderful. I have made it with the full amount, and then with 6 ounces. If the Gorgonzola you taste still does not grab you, you may proceed without it – you just will not have quite the depth of flavor you would have had with it. I am so glad you stopped by. And when you make this, I would LOVE to have a photo for my Readers’ Gallery. Will you be celebrating Thanksgiving in absentia? Best of luck with the pasta- you’ll have fun!
Tuesday, November 22nd 2011 at 11:28 am |
Another couple of thoughts – you can see from the animation that this dough is really quite easy to work with – I am flipping it back and forth with no difficulty. When you first start to roll it, you may find that as you pass it through the rollers you may need to add a bit more flour. Just go ahead and add a bit. It will be terrific. Also Domenica Marchetti, creator of this recipe just commented, and she suggested you might ask your cheese seller for a substitution for the Gorgonzola dolce. Great advice. These sellers love their products and are very familiar with them. They are always anxious to help.
Monday, November 21st 2011 at 12:03 am |
Never tried pumpkin lasagne, but it looks must-try lovely.
Monday, November 21st 2011 at 7:52 am |
Benvenuto Mette!
I am glad this caught your eye. It is a well traveled recipe, that’s for sure. The pumpkin really is unique. I worried that it would render the pasta dough difficult to manage, but really not at all. And once baked, the pasta was amazingly light and tender. I grew some Moscade de Provence zucche (pictured in the post) this summer/fall and this was a new way to use them. I am always so pleased to hear from you. All the best to you for a wonderful holiday season!
Monday, November 21st 2011 at 10:20 am |
Mouth watering!!!!!!
Monday, November 21st 2011 at 2:12 pm |
Hi Anthony,
Thanks! This one really intrigued me because the idea of putting pumpkin in the pasta dough had never occurred to me before. The pasta was delicate and tasty, and with all the cheese, this one was a total cheese lover’s fantasy. Love it! Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Monday, November 21st 2011 at 2:13 pm |
beautiful lasagna, Adri. I especially love the pearls with bare feet!
Monday, November 21st 2011 at 4:23 pm |
Ciao Bree,
I am glad you like the lasagna. Give it a try. It really is something special. And you know me and those pearls. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Thanksgiving!
Monday, November 21st 2011 at 4:40 pm |
Ciao Adri,
I wanted to say thank you for the shout-out! You made one of my favorite recipes in the book, and I love all the photos you posted with your text. They illustrate the recipe’s steps beautifully. Your suggestion to Diane that she ask the advice of a cheese seller is spot-on. They may even be able to provide a substitute if she wants to steer clear of the gorgonzola altogether.
Tuesday, November 22nd 2011 at 8:03 am |
Hi Domenica,
I am so pleased you visited my site. This is such a great recipe, and I have heard so many lovely things about it. Thank you for your comments – I bet Diane will have great success; the “Gorgonzola issue” looms large for some of us. When I have sought the advice of a special seller, whether it be at the Artisan Cheese Gallery near me, a butcher or liquor store, I have always come away with good info. It is well worth a consult with a specialist, I always say. I wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 22nd 2011 at 6:50 pm |
Ciao Adri,
I never knew you could make pumpkin lasagna, but it actually sounds delicious and doesn’t look too difficult to make. This is perfect for the holiday season, I’ll have to try it myself!
Larry
Wednesday, November 23rd 2011 at 1:01 pm |
Ciao, Larry,
This one is really special, and I am glad it caught your eye. As you can see from the animation, the pasta itself is quite easy to work with; it bakes up to remarkably tender perfection. The addition of the Gorgonzola dolce lifts the dish from the realm of the ordinary. Do taste the Gorgonzola dolce, however before you purchase it as there can be wide variations in its strength, depending on age and so on. And when you make this, I’d love it if you would send a photo to me for display, along with your URL, in my Readers’ Gallery. I just love to see what people do with the things they see here. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, and thank you so much for stopping by my site!
Wednesday, November 23rd 2011 at 9:49 am |
Hi Adri,
What a great blog and I love that you included other blogs for me to read and subscribe to. I love cheese and this is a perfect recipe for an Italian component to an American holiday! Thanks for sharing
Wednesday, November 23rd 2011 at 1:17 pm |
Benvenuto, Elizabeth,
Thank you for your kind words. Each day as I cruise the web I am astonished the utterly amazing work people do. There are many blogs from food professionals, and they are terrific, as one would expect them to be. But it is the ones from home cooks that blow me away. Some of them are so beautifully done, and to see the work of others is most inspiring. There are lots of us out there who just have fun sharing our work and mingling with other writers. cooks and bloggers.
This is a pretty cool recipe. After the recipe popped up a few times I figured the Gods of Cooking were telling me something. I had some lovely pumpkins from my garden, so the whole enterprise was a go. Like you, I thought it was a perfect Italian touch for Thanksgiving. I am confident our guests will agree. I am so pleased you stopped by. I hope you return often. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Saturday, November 26th 2011 at 7:14 pm |
Adri – The lasagne looks as tempting and delicious as it did in Domenica’s post. Thank you also for the kind words about Food Lover’s Odyssey.
Saturday, November 26th 2011 at 9:14 pm |
Benvenuto Kathy,
I am so pleased you stopped by to have a look. After I saw the lasagne included in your best of the web, I knew I had to try it. Let me add that you have one of the best sites around. Each time I visit, I marvel at the volume of great information you consistently provide. And your gustatory travels make life worth living for the armchair travelers among us. Brava!
Tuesday, January 24th 2012 at 4:06 pm |
I see what you mean about the photos. Yours are very well lit and and love the motion of seeing you roll the pasta through. This Lasagna looks scrumptious. I am going to love checking out what you are cooking from now on. Thanks for coming to my blog it was wonderful to read your thoughts.
Tuesday, January 24th 2012 at 9:24 pm |
Benvnuto! I am so glad you stopped by. And I love hearing your thoughts. The lasagne was great – it is the creation of Domenica Marchetti of DomenicaCooks. It was the perfect Thanksgiving innovation. I hope you return often. I will most certainly be a regular visitor to Questfordelish.