Reflections + A Recipe

The other day my phone sent me a camera roll reminder of what “last year on this day” looked like. I try to be mindful of my screen time, but I do love this feature. The memory was from late October last year on the farm in Vermont. I traveled home to spend some much-needed quality time with my family and for a personal reset. As much as I adore Maui, it is refreshing to travel and get off the island, as it were. It certainly is hard to leave but knowing that I would finally finish up my autumnal chapters in The Outdoor Table with my family was exciting.

If I remember correctly, I had ten recipes left to create, mainly for the autumnal and late summer chapters. Given that Vermont is renowned for its autumn foliage, it was the perfect setting for these recipes. I had chosen the cover of The Outdoor Table months before, but my publisher made a last-minute request to change it. This rattled me as the snow was expected any day! It was a rush, to say the least, to get these recipes and a new cover shot. My mother, who is just as resourceful, helped me organize a new shoot for the cover. My publisher specifically requested a summer, lush, green alfresco type of ambiance - which wouldn’t have been an issue in Maui naturally, but Vermont in November? A completely different story! November is one of the darkest and, frankly, least attractive months. We had three days to get the shot before it was guaranteed to snow. I was so grateful for her help. We rustled together an old table in the tack room in the barn that was covered in horse grime and dust. I gave it a good scrubbing and sanding, watching the sky for any potential snowflakes.

As the garden was quite forlorn, with just hearty veggies and greens holding on, the flowers had been killed off by the frost. After a quick trip to the local supermarket, I found some “summery” blooms that would have to suffice. Our neighbor let us borrow some old chairs that matched our newfound barn table perfectly. It was such an odd feeling to replicate summer when snow was imminent any minute! I was stressed, to say the least, because I had put so much work and time into the book and wanted it to be just right.

I cooked a few summer favorites for the cover image that felt so out of place, but no one is the wiser in the end! My mother and her friend were wrapped up in blankets on their laps, putting on a cheery “hey-ho cheers to summer!” attitude with frozen fingers. It was quite comical because their teeth chattered through their smiles in the cold wind. Another pressing element as I shot the scene was the early sunset, around 4 PM. I love natural light, which can be tricky and unpredictable at that time of year in Vermont - light can be scarce and precious. With numb fingers, I shot the cover while dreaming of tropical Maui far, far away. (Also kicking myself why I didn’t capture more options on the island too!)

So given that the cozier months are upon us, I wanted to share one of the recipes I shot in Vermont last October. My mother had Airbnb guests at the time, two 80-year-old couples who were so sweet. It felt like we knew them forever. They were happy to taste test this lasagna and were quite the lively bunch with a few glasses of wine in them! As I cooked in the kitchen, they were curious about what I was making and doing, so naturally, I had to share. That lead to many old-fashioned card games by the table with stories (lots of stories) and words of wisdom…I felt like a kid again; frankly, there’s not much else to do in rural Vermont! It was a sweet memory, and I so appreciated their encouragement.

Here is the recipe that got many raised glasses from the bubbly (and tipsy) Rummikub playing group… I hope you enjoy it!

Butternut Squash & Apple Lasagna with Béchamel Sauce

Serves 6-8  

Ingredients:

6 strips (170 g) organic free-range applewood smoked uncured bacon, diced

2 large yellow onions, diced

1 eating apple (Cortland or honey crisp), peeled and diced

1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced

1 small butternut squash, diced into 1/2” pieces (about 2 cups)

2 cups (473 ml) whole milk

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups (roughly 470 g) sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper

2 cups (500 g) whole milk ricotta cheese

1 egg

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup (89 g) quality aged parmesan, grated

12 lasagna oven-ready sheets or dry noodle sheets

1 8 oz bag (227 g) baby spinach

1 tablespoon chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 375 F degrees and gather a 9” x 13” lasagna or casserole dish.

Add the pieces of bacon and onion to a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat and stir frequently until the bacon fat begins to render and the onions begin to become soft and translucent about 5 minutes. Once the bacon is slightly crisp, lower the heat and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to caramelize to a light brown. Season with a pinch of salt.

Stir in the diced apple and sage into the bacon and onion mix, cooking the apples until they are tender but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside to prepare the squash and béchamel sauce.

 Add the butternut squash to a small pot with enough water to cover and cook until an inserted knife goes through without resistance. Once tender, drain and run the butternut squash under cold water for a minute or so and set aside for now.

To make the béchamel sauce, warm the milk in a small sauce pot and bring it to a low simmer and then turn off the heat.

In another sauté pan, melt the butter over low heat and gradually add the flour, continually whisking until it becomes roux or wet paste. While whisking, pour in the warmed milk and continue to whisk over low heat until the milk is thoroughly combined, and any lumps are removed.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar cheese to the roux and gently melt the cheese until it is thoroughly incorporated into a creamy sauce. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Give it a taste and season with additional salt if necessary and set the sauce aside over a simmer to prepare the filling.

For the filling, combine the ricotta in a large mixing bowl with the egg, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, parmesan, and the remaining cheddar cheese. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a few cracks of black pepper.

If you are using dry lasagna noodles, cook them according to the box instructions until they are just al dente. The oven-ready lasagna sheets do not need to be cooked beforehand.

To assemble the lasagna, spread a few tablespoons of the béchamel sauce to the bottom on the casserole dish.

Layer 3 sheets of the lasagna noodles side by side on top of the sauce. Spread two tablespoons or so of the bacon and onion mixture evenly over the noodles. Spoon a tablespoon or two of the béchamel sauce over the bacon and onions. Sprinkle two tablespoons of the cooked butternut squash over the bacon and onions. Take a small handful of the spinach and scatter it over the butternut squash. Follow by spreading two tablespoons of the ricotta mix over the spinach. Top with another layer of lasagna noodles and repeat the process until you have 4 equal layers.

Once the lasagna is fully assembled, spread the remaining béchamel sauce evenly over the top of the noodles. Sprinkle with the chopped walnuts, additional grated cheddar or parmesan, and cracked black pepper.

If you are using oven-ready noodle sheets, bake for 60 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling. If you are using cooked lasagna sheets, bake for 40-45 minutes until golden and bubbling. Cover with aluminum foil if necessary, in the last 15 minutes of baking if the top is browning too quickly.

 Let the lasagna cool for 15 minutes before serving.