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I was a bad girl this weekend.
A very bad girl.
I'm likely to be chastised most properly.
What did I do?
I made noise during quiet time.
You remember the leaves that fell on Saturday.
After careful consideration, I realized that my little leaf vacuum was not up for this job.ย So mon mari kindly got out the big guyโฆthe Wood Chipper!
After spending the morning raking the leaves into a huge pile on the terrace it was time to make mince of them.
That's when I screwed up.ย You see, in my joy at having so many leaves to send to the compost pile, I,ย apparently, forgot it was Saturday.ย I turned the chipper on at 2:00.
Here, in the back of beyond, the provincial nowhere land, deep in the heart of farm country, out in the sticks, we have quiet time.
We are meant to be quiet between 12:00 and 2:00 Monday through Friday.ย It's extended until 3:00 on Saturday, and on Sunday, we can only be noisy between 10:00 and 12:00.ย
Food is sacred here in France.ย Naturally, mealtime is correspondingly so.ย One is meant to spend an hour enjoying the, de rigueur, 3 course meal in peace.ย Noise is simply not acceptable.
And then the hard working farmer is expected to have his hour nap before going back to work; this being a rather a good practice, what with the wine and all consumed at lunch.
I disturbed the peace.
Mon mari pointed out that our farmer neighbor often starts his tractor up before 2:00 โ but he's theย local farmer, son of our next door neighbor and cousin to the rest of the hamlet.
I, on the other hand, am not.
I'm going to have to apologize.
Maybe I'll take them a Pumpkin Breadโฆ. I have enough in the freezerโฆ.
Sighโฆ..
I did find another use for some of my lovely pumpkin.
Now that winter is upon us it's time for comfort food: Lasagne!
I've seen wonderful pumpkin ravioli recipes on Presto Pasta Nights, founded and hosted by the lovely Ruth, of Once Upon A Feast.ย
I thought about it.
I opted for the easy way: lasagne!
Pumpkin, Leek and Sage Lasagne
1 onion
2 leeks
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
1 cup pumpkin (8oz, 250gr)
15 โ 20 fresh sage leaves
1 slice deli of baked ham, 8 oz (250gr)
1 tsp butter
1 cup shredded cheese (4oz, 125gr) Swiss, Gruyรจre, Emmenthal
Bรฉchamel
3 tbs butter
1/4 cup flour, (2oz, 60gr)
2 cups milk โ 16 oz, (500ml)
9 โ 10 sheets 'no-cook' lasagna noodles
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, (1oz, 30gr)
Leeks and Onions:ย Thinly slice the onion and leeks.ย Heat oil and butter in large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.ย Add onions, leeks and sautรฉ, stirring, for 1 minute.ย Cover the pan, reduce heat to medium low and let the onions and leeks cook for 10 minutes.ย Uncover, increase heat to medium and continue to cook until onions are golden and tender, about 10 minutes.ย Add the pumpkin and stir well to combine and heat through.
Sage and Ham: Cut the ham into thin strips, then the strips into smaller squares.ย In another skillet heat 1 tsp butter.ย Add sage leaves and sautรฉ until starting to get crisp.ย Add ham and sautรฉ until heated through and dry (it can give off a bit of water).
Bรฉchamel:ย In a medium saucepan heat the butter over low heat.ย Add flour and stir with a whisk for 1 minute.ย Add a little (1/4 cup) of the milk and whisk to combine.ย Turn heat up to medium and keep adding milk, a little at a time and whisking.ย You should have added all of the milk in a minute or 2.ย When all of the milk is in, bring to a boil (should almost be there), whisking.ย Then remove from heat.
Now you are ready to assemble: in a 9 โ 10" (22 โ 25cm) square baking dish, or soโฆmake the following layers:
~1/3 bรฉchamel sauce
~2 noodles, you may have to break a third one up to get good coverage
~1/2 onion, leek, pumpkin mixture
~2 noodles or so
~1/3 bรฉchamel sauce
~all of the ham and sage
~1/2 of the shredded cheese
~2 noodles or so
~1/2 onion, leek, pumpkin mixture
~2 noodles or so
~1/3 bรฉchamel sauce
~1/2 of the shredded cheese
~Parmesan
Cover and bake 425F (215C) for 20 minutes, or until noodles are done.ย Test in center with a sharp knife.ย Uncover and bake 5 minutes longer to brown cheese.ย Remove and let rest for 5 minutes.ย Cut into squares (or oblongs) and serve.
Don't forget to search your closet/pantry for skeletons โ especially over Thanksgiving.ย ย Remember, confession is good for the soul.ย It can be an actual recipe, or just the description of the, um, food or any food and holiday related debacle/story/mishapโฆ. Really, any dirty little secret you feel like sharing!ย ย Click for details!
Come on, tell!ย Share the painโฆyou'll feel better!ย And so will we!
There are still a few days left (through the end of this week) to sign up for Seasoned Eatings!ย More fun!
Oh, yeah, I have a really, really big compost pile!ย And I didn't loose any fingers, or gloves in the chipper.ย Did you'all see 'Fargo'?
Don't forget to visit Once Upon A Feast on Friday for all of the yummy pasta dishes.
WowโฆTHIS looks amazingโฆ Iโm definitely going to have to give this one a try.
I have so much to catch up onโฆ
I love any modification to the traditional lasagne and this one is particularly to my husbands liking (except heโd probably add some cottage cheese and spinach too!!)!
Katie, nice addition with the jambon. I too enjoy this type of lasanga.
Yes, I think I would add spinach to this already lovely lasagne!
Happy Thanksgiving to you. So happy to hear you left no fingers in the chipper! Loved Fargo!
Amazing recipe. I have most of those ingredients on hand. hoorah!
My cousin bought a house in France, he got married in the village this Summer. Itโs going to take him years to work out whatโs right and wrong and how to behave. Saying that, heโs never been one to behave so I donโt suppose it really matters. The lasagna looks really good.
We have โquiet timeโ here in Rhode Island, too, but itโs not as formalized. No shredders or chain saws before 10 am on the weekends. Thatโs about it!
I still canโt believe that happened to your beautiful her garden! (which, by the way, I am insanely jealous of โ without the leaves). You may have to apologize to the neighbors my dear, but I certainly donโt blame you! Your pumpkin recipes all sound fabulous โ Iโm especially drawn to the savory ones like this lasagna!
Very funny story โ you have the knack for humor โ and delicious sounding lasagne. Thanks for making my morning better (albeit at the expense of your poor neighborโs quiet time)โฆ
Genie, Thanks, and I hope you doโฆand I hope you love it!
Freya, I was trying to practice self- control โ thus, no cottage cheeseโฆThe spinach, tho, yeah, that would be good!
Thanks, Peter, I really like ham with squash and pumpkinsโฆand sweet potatoes!
And a Happy T-Day to you, too, Tanna! I almost lost a gloveโฆ.
Yellow House Cook, perfect if you can cook from the pantry!
Amanda, our neighbors are usually very kind and diplomatic when they point out the error of our waysโฆ
Lydia, it really is a pain because that is exactly when I like to be out workingโฆEsp in winter when it takes until noon to get warm enough! Shops all close for the 2 hours,too โ one really is supposed to eat!
Michelle, it was very strange โ the kiwifruit vines dumped as well โ fortunately the fruit was okay
Laurie, happy to oblige โ a grin and a chuckle is the best way to start the day!
Once I decided that a wood chipper would be a good way to clear away some cedar treesโฆ we had a huge mess (and an unhappy husband) Just one more of my Brilliant ideas! ~=D
Oh, I love that there is quiet time! I wish we had it around here. The pumpkin lasagna looks unbelievably fabulous! So rich!
Funny story, Katie! When we were in Paris we stayed in an apartment that had a fussy washing machine and dryer so we hung clothes out to dry on the balcony, not having a clue that one cannot air oneโs laundry in that manner. Luckily, our neighbors told us before the laundry police came knocking on our door.
That lasagna is a knockout!
Katie, I hope the delicious pumpkin bread will make things for the better! And seriously, your pumpkin lasagna sounds so good, I want to make it someday.
Quiet time? As I type there is construction work going on right outside my window and a jack-hammering that has been going on since I got up this morning! Maybe I should move to the โback of beyondโ next door to you ๐ Iโll let you use you wood-chipper if you give me a bit of that lasagna! It looks beyond delicious! ๐
That sounds sensational. If I was looking for a vegetarian main dish for Thanksgiving this year (and Iโm not only because weโre being guests this year instead of hosting), Iโd make this minus the ham. It would be perfect.
Wow, a quiet hour. Life is very different there, isnโt it?
Your lasagna looks so creamy good! Have a Happy Thanksgiving ๐
No quiet time in my part of the world! I have to go to Ohio in mid winter to get any quiet time. Food or wine always brings forgiveness. When you show up with your โpeace offeringโ I am sure they will not even remember the noise!
Happy Thanksgiving Katie!
Hi Katie,
what a funny story! All these rulesโฆ I would have trouble remembering all the โproperโ etiquette. This lasagna looks delicious!
Sandi, mon mari doesnโt allow me access to his toys without supervision. Heโs just no fun at all!!!
Pam, quiet time is nice โ If Iโd ever remember to be quietโฆ.
Christine, yes, one must be careful about airing the laundryโฆ although, a lot of the โlaundryโ rules are pretty recent.. And Thanks!
Thanks, Anh. All I have to do is convince them the pumpkin isnโt pig food!
Joey, itโs a deal! Although thereโs nothing like the sound of a jackhammer in the morning!
Julie, life is, indeed, different here. The lasagne would be perfect with out the ham. Mon mari needs his meat, thoughโฆ.
Thanks, Maryann, you, also ๐
Happy T-Day to you Deb. It may not be quiet but itโs warm..and usually sunnyโฆ with ocean breezesโฆ Itโs been raining and cold here all week!
Nora, as you can see, so do I! Thanks!
Iโm not so much about cooking pasta as my kids are having eczema. I am trying to make pasta or ravioli from gluten-free baking mix, but the results are not representative! I wonder if there are some recipes to make gluten-free lasagna? Your lasagna looks great! Iโm still disorganized with events, are you hosting the seasoned eatings?
I have made the pumpkin ravioli with walnuts a few years ago and it was great but it was a ton of work, I think that using it like this is much better and as you know I always love your menu.
Is there anything not to LOVE about this lasagna? Itโs fabulous, Katie. Truly.
Hmmmm. What would your village make of the bozo who blow leaves at 22:00 across the street from us? Gone are those long ago days when you could burn your leaf piles in barrels, when the neighborhoods smelled of fireplaces on high.
โFargoโ was a riot, probably my favorite Coen film. Thatโs some yummy lasagna, too.
I always love your stories and this time was no different. Iโm still laughing,but itโs only 1:30pm here so Iโm whispering ๐
Thanks for sharing a terrific lasagna for Presto Pasta Night.
Katie, I slip away from the blog world for a few days and come back to find your blog full of fun and delicious things! That lasagne looks out of this world. Your bloggin event โ โSkeletonsโ โ is a very entertaining idea. I canโt wait to read that round-up. I will look around for my skeletons! ๐
First of all, LOL at your โdisturbing the peaceโ story. Hope they donโt hold it against you! ๐
Second, that lasagna looks amazing. Unfortunately, we donโt really get pumpkins here in Norway โ had a few for Halloween, but thatโs it. Not even canned ๐
Itโll have to wait until I get back to Canada in other words!
Happy Thanksgiving to you!
Heidi
Arfi, you could try making lasange using cooled polenta cakes, sliced thinlyโฆor corn tortillas maybe?!? Iโm co-hosting it โ want to play????
Shayne, I love to eatโฆand to cookโฆbut Iโll usually take the easy wayโฆ
Susan, thanksโฆwe ate the WHOLE thingโฆ
The โbozoโ would have heard a lot of irate shutters slammingโฆ. We can still burn, but the leaves make such good compostโฆ Yeah, I loved Fargo..
Ruth, please, laugh quietlyโฆalthough, raucus laughter is, apparently, not against the โrulesโ
Jeni, come on, you must have SOME little thing you can shareโฆ
Heidi, ditto here for the pumpkin โ thatโs why I have to grow my own! Happy Thanksgiving to you, too!
Iโll be making your lasagne recipe. I froze a bunch of roasted pumpkin purรฉe, but not as much as you did ๐
Oh, for shame! What a racket that must have been! Your story about quiet time is great. It reminds me of how, in the summer, the park district guy takes the opportunity to mow the median dividing our street at dinnertime, without fail. Perhaps I should approach our city council about a quiet-time referendum?!
The lasagna looks fabulous. It could be made with fresh pasta, right? I just got a pasta maker (the hand-crank kind) and I want to try it out soon. I wonder if I would even need to cook the pasta beforehand.
Pumpkin lasagne is the best, isnโt it?
Lisa, when we make lasagne, we do not cook our fresh pasta before-hand. We just make sure that the first layer is lying on a thin layer of stock.
-Elizabeth
P.S. Skeletons in my pantry? You must be joking. We never make any mistakes ever. Heh. Or something. (Now, whereโs that broom for sweeping things under the carpet?)
Meredith, pumpkin freezes so well! And Iโve really been working at new recipes to use it this fall (you may have noticed) I made gnocchi last nightโฆ.
Lisa, you would not have to cook the pasta and the sauce is really meant for the no-cook noodles so it should be perfect for un-cooked fresh as well. It has a bit of extra โmoistureโ in it, so to speak for the noodles to absorb.
No, no, Elizabethโฆ. you must sweep them under MY carpetโฆ. These things must be told! Pumpkin lasagne is great!
I think we could really use a quiet time in the states. I know of a few people who would love it (ME!) and a few people who would have no idea what to do with themselves (MIL).
Kristen, I donโt mind it, normally, but in the winter itโs usually not warm enough to go outside to work until noonโฆand it starts getting cold again by 4 so the 2 hours really cuts in!
Oh myโฆ. I must make that, STAT.
xo
Rebekka
Rebekka, I hope you like itโฆ.