FOUGERE’S FAVORITES

BY SARA FOUGERE · PHOTOS BY L.G. PATTERSON

My dad was very generous. He was a child during the Great Depression and the middle child of eight kids. He always said that they were poor when he was young, but never went hungry. They used the land to grow crops and raise animals and they always shared. He took what he learned from those childhood experiences to eventually build one of the largest cattle and crop farms in the state.

He and my mom always made sure to help those in need, and those who didn’t have the same opportunities they had. He loved to share a few acres of one of our Ray County farms with families who grew produce for markets in Kansas City. Some of my favorite memories involve rides with him, stopping by the farms and helping pick tomatoes, melons and every squash imaginable. My kids have fond memories of their Poppy taking them to those river bottoms and helping his farm friends pick pumpkins, and then bringing some of them home.

I am so fortunate to be able to share some of the meals I make weekly. Included is a recipe, which uses the seasonal harvest that is delicious and has amazing flavors. However, it is one my dad would need to add a steak on the side. To him it just wasn’t a meal without beef on the plate. He's been gone 8 years. I still drive the farms in his old truck that my brothers keep running and think of how much I learned from him.

INGREDIENTS 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese 12 uncooked lasagna noodles Whole butternut squash, around 3 pounds 1 large onion, chopped 3 tablespoons butter 2 minced garlic cloves ½ cup fresh chopped sage Salt and pepper 2 teaspoons minced garlic 3 tablespoons butter ½ cup flour 5 cups whole milk 1 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

Preheat oven to 375. Spray butternut squash with cooking spray and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until skin is soft. Let cool and peel skin with a vegetable peeler or knife. Cut in chunks and remove seeds from bulb end.

Make sauce while squash is cooling. Brown garlic in butter, whisk in flour and cook for 3 minutes. Add milk and whisk in the salt and chopped sage. Whisk constantly until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes, until thickened.

Make filling by cooking onion in butter over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add squash chunks and remaining filling ingredients and cook until squash is tender, about 15 minutes.

To assemble, spray a 9x13" glass dish with cooking spray. Spread ½ cup of sauce in the bottom of the pan. Top with 3 lasagna noodles. Spread ²⁄₃ cup sauce over noodles, a third of the squash filling and some of the parmesan and mozzarella. Repeat the layers 2 more times. Top with the last 3 noodles, the remaining sauce and cheese. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for about 10 more minutes until top is browned. Let sit 15 minutes before cutting.