I happened to catch Throwdown with Bobby Flay yesterday; it was lasagna. The judges reviews of his spin on lasagna had me drooling. It's seems very labor intensive, but I'm definitely going to try it one of these days. Lasagna Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay, 2007 See this recipe on air Saturday May. 10 at 4:30 PM ET/PT. Bolognese Sauce: 4 tablespoons olive oil 3 pounds pork shanks (on the bone) 3 pounds beef shanks (on the bone) Salt Freshly ground black pepper 3/4 pound pancetta, finely diced 1 1/2 cups finely diced Spanish onion 1/2 cup finely diced carrot 1/2 cup finely diced celery 4 whole garlic cloves 1 cup dry red wine 3 cups homemade beef or chicken stock 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes and their juices 4 fresh thyme sprigs 3 sprigs fresh rosemary 6 sprigs flat-leaf parsley 1 cup tomato sauce, recipe follows Chopped fresh parsley leaves Chopped fresh basil leaves Ricotta Mixture 3 cups ricotta, strained in a cheesecloth lined strainer for at least 4 hours 2 large eggs 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Salt Freshly ground black pepper Tomato Sauce 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 large Spanish onion, finely diced 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes Salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves Bechamel (Mornay) Sauce 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 to 2 1/2 cups whole milk, heated Pinch freshly grated nutmeg Salt and freshly ground black pepper 3/4 cup grated fontina cheese 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Assembly: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter Bechamel Sauce 4 fresh sheets pasta, cooked for 2 to 3 minutes in boiling, salted water, drained or 1 pound lasagna noodles (cooked in boiling, salted water until slightly under al dente, about 5 minutes) Ricotta mixture Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Fresh basil leaves Bolognese Sauce For the Bolognese Sauce: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the shanks on both sides with salt and pepper, place in the pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Remove the shanks to a plate. Remove fat from the pan. Add the pancetta to the pan and cook until golden brown. Remove pancetta with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the pan and cook until soft and lightly golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the red wine, scrape the bottom of the pan and cook until completely reduced. Add the beef stock, diced tomatoes, thyme, rosemary and parsley and bring to a simmer. Add the shanks and 1/3 of the pancetta back to the pan, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat is tender and falling off the bone, about 2 hours. Remove the shanks to a cutting board and when cool enough to handle, shred the meat into bite-size pieces and place in a bowl. Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl. Place 3 cups of the cooking liquid into a large high-sided saute pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the liquid is reduced to about 3/4 cup. Add the shredded meat and the remaining cooked pancetta to the pan along with 1 cup of the tomato sauce, parsley and basil and stir to combine and just heat through. For the Ricotta Mixture: Stir together the ricotta, eggs, parsley, basil, cheese and salt and pepper in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld. For the Tomato Sauce: Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add the onions and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and red chili flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, bring to boil, season with salt and pepper and cook until the sauce is reduced and thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in the parsley and basil. For the Bechamel (Mornay) Sace: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and let cook for about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of the hot milk and continue whisking until the sauce is thickened and loses its raw flavor, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season the sauce with nutmeg, salt and pepper and whisk in the cheeses. If the sauce is too thick, whisk in some of the remaining milk. For Assembly: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with the butter. Ladle a thin layer of bechamel evenly over the bottom of the pan. Place a layer of pasta dough, cut to fit the inside of the pan on top of the bechamel and top the pasta with the ricotta mixture and spread evenly. Spread a thin layer of bechamel over the ricotta, sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parmesan and some basil leaves. Top with another layer of pasta and spread the meat mixture evenly over the top. Ladle an even layer of bechamel over the Bolognese mixture, sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parmesan and some basil leaves. Place the final layer of pasta dough over the meat mixture and ladle the bechamel over the top to completely cover the pasta and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of Parmesan. Place the pan on a baking sheet and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F, remove the foil and continue baking until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 25 to 35 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before cutting. Cut into slices and top with some of the tomato sauce, more grated cheese and chopped parsley and basil. Recipe Summary Prep Time: 2 hours 15 minutes Inactive Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 55 minutes Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Reporting back on the lasagna made with Barilla no-boil noodles. It was very good and a hit with everyone, vegetarians or otherwise. I forgot to take photos but there are some with the original recipe link. Mine looked similar but not quite as nice! I did not presoak the noodles, added 1/4 cup water after assembling, used 2 cups milk (recipe calls for 1 cup) and needed to cook it for an additional 15 minutes because the noodles were not done. I needed to use about 2 cups of milk to get the squash to the correct consistency. I roasted the squash a couple of days before assembly...maybe that made it drier. Even with that there was barely enough to cover each layer. But more might have made the flavor overpowering. The chard was almost non-existent in the end. I probably cooked it too much before assembling. I don't think I would add more of the squash, veggies or cheese as the flavor balance seemed just right for me. Thanks all for your very helpful suggestions! Here is a link that might be useful: Veggie Lasagna with Butternut Bechamel

Restaurants prep all manner of vegetables ahead of time for cooking, salads, sautes, just about everything. The trick is simply to make sure everything is clean and dry before slicing and sealed tightly before refrigerating. Lettuces should be cut or torn, soaked for 15 to 29 minutes in cold water and then spun vigorously so that they are quite dry when put into the fridge. It helps also to put a paper towel in the bottom of the container to absorb any liquid you missed. If you haven't a salad spinner...use my emergency method. Put the lettuces in a clean, lint free pillowcase, and then go outside and spin the bag in circles as fast as you can. The centrifugal force will dry the lettuces and your neighbors will think you are quite odd. Onions don't collect bacteria any more than any other vegetable, though I have heard that old wive's tale before. In fact, onions have been used for generations as a poultice because of their anti-microbial properties.

bless your tired heart! i love my smaller crockpot, and use it more than i ever did the bigger one...that's a great price! i'm using both for chrsitmas morning over-night breakfast cassarole...