Chicken & Crookneck Lasagna

With a little less cheese and a lot more veggie, this squash and chicken lasagna is my new favorite summer pasta. The layer of fresh basil packs a punch, so don't underestimate that vital ingredient!

2 small yellow crookneck squash, grated

1 onion, diced

1 Tbsp garlic

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup cottage cheese

10 oz chicken breast, cooked and cubed

1/2 cup grated parmesan, divided

1 jar spaghetti sauce

5-6 lasagna noodles

1 small bunch fresh basil, washed

1 egg

1 Tbsp milk

Boil the lasagna noodles two at a time, for four minutes each; set aside.

In a separate pan, saute onion in olive oil for 2 minutes; add squash and garlic and cook until tender. Add ricotta, chicken, and 2 Tbsp parmesan (save the rest of the parmesan for the topping). 

Spray a deep casserole dish with nonstick baking spray. Pour enough spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Layer: noodles, half of the squash mixture, spaghetti sauce, noodles, remaining squash mixture, whole basil leaves (cover the entire layer), spaghetti sauce, and remaining noodles (if any remain). Add a thin layer of spaghetti sauce over the top. 

Mix remaining 1/4 cup parmesan with egg and milk; pour over top.

Bake, covered, at 375* for 20 minutes. Remove lid and bake uncovered for an additional 15-20 minutes or until sides are bubbly and parmesan topping is cooked through.

Pumpkin Ravioli

Every bit as amazing as it sounds. I forgot to take pictures, but it's probably for the best because as delicious as it was, I don't make the prettiest ravioli! It was my first time; I'll get better. This recipe is from Food Network's Wolfgang Puck and uses the pasta dough recipe below.

Ingredients:

• 10 Tbsp unsalted butter (heck yeah!)
• 1 lb fresh pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
• 2 cups heavy cream (double heck yeah!)
• 1/2 bay leaf
• 2 Tbsp fresh sage, minced
• 2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 recipe pasta dough (below)
• 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
• Semolina or all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 shallots, chopped

Heat a saute pan over low heat and add 4 tablespoons of the butter. When the butter is foamy, add the cubed pumpkin and cook, stirring often to stop it from sticking and burning, until it softens and falls into a puree.

Turn the pumpkin into a saucepan, add 1/2 of the cream and half the herbs and cook over a low heat for approximately 1 hour, or until the puree is thick and the liquid has evaporated. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching. Remove from the heat and beat in an additional 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the beaten eggs, season, to taste, with salt and pepper and set a side to cool.

On a floured surface, roll out the pasta as thin as possible. Cut into 2 sheets and brush 1 of them with egg wash. Using a teaspoon, place 24 equal mounds of the pumpkin puree on the egg-washed dough, about 2 inches apart. Cover the mounded dough with the second sheet of pasta and press around the mounds of pumpkin to seal the dough.

Using a ravioli cutter or a sharp knife cut the ravioli. Dust a tray with semolina and place the ravioli on it.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, while you make the sauce.

Prepare the sauce: In a saucepan, reduce the stock with the shallots to 1/2 cup. Add the remaining cream and reduce by half. Over a low heat, whisk in the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, a little at a time, over low heat. Strain the sauce into a clean saucepan and add the remaining sage and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the ravioli to the rapidly boiling water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain. Add the ravioli to the sauce and bring just to a boil. Correct the seasonings.

*I used canned pumpkin instead of fresh pumpkin and a little red onion in place of shallots. I also did not strain the sauce before finishing it. It turned out soooo good! And I gotta say, Joe is one of the best sous chefs a girl could ask for!

Pasta Dough

Super basic, super simple recipe for homemade pasta dough. Modified* from Mr. Wolfgang Puck's recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients in food processor and process until dough begins to mass on the blade, 1-2 min. Remove and press into a ball. Wrap ball in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least two hours to rest before rolling and cutting.

I borrowed Grandma's pasta cutter from Mom for this. Man, that's the only way to go! I can't imagine rolling that dough out thin enough by hand. It's so easy with the pasta machine! (I know, I totally sound like an infomercial...)

* The only modification I made from the original recipe was to use just all-purpose flour rather than half all-purpose and half semolina. Because I did not have semolina on hand. And I may or may not know what semolina is... And I'm pleased to say it turned out great without it!

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Thanks to Jenny for this recipe, which comes from the "Everyday with Rachel Ray" magazine. We made it for a quick, easy Saturday lunch and it worked great! It could become a weekend tradition. I doubled the recipe and cooked it in twelve regular sized muffin pans. I think we should try it out for a party sometime.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
4 ounced cut up pepperoni
1/2 cup store bought pizza sauce
2 Tablespoons chopped basil
1 red bell pepper, sliced.

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350*. Grease a 24 mini-muffin pan. Mix together flour and baking powder; whisk in milk and egg. Stir in cheese and pepperoni. Let sit for ten minutes.

2. Stir the batter and pour into the muffin cups. Bake 20-25 minutes, until puffy and golden.

3. Microwave pizza sauce to warm, and stir in 1 Tbsp. basil. Remove pizza puffs from pan and sprinkle with other Tablespoon basil. Serve puffs with red pepper slices on the side and sauce for dipping!