Sharing meals with family and friends is one of the true joys of the holiday season. We all have our favorite dishes, from Grandma’s secret recipe for the perfect turkey stuffing to Uncle David’s apple pie. This year, our friends at two of Concord’s most beloved places, Debra’s Natural Gourmet and Verrill Farm, are sharing recipes that are sure to become perennial favorites.

Verrill Farm Butternut Squash Lasagna
Makes 8 to 10 servings

6 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed

2 cups onions, sliced

4 cups mushrooms, sliced

½ cup olive oil, divided

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 pounds ricotta cheese

2 large eggs

¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 9-ounce package no-boil pasta sheets

1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F and set aside a 9x13” pan.

Toss half the butternut squash in a bowl with ¼ cup olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon thyme, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast until tender and edges brown, about 30 minutes.

Place the remaining half of butternut squash in a pot, cover with water and boil until fork tender. Drain, puree or mash until smooth and season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper.

In a separate bowl, mix ricotta cheese, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, and the eggs.

In a shallow pan, heat ¼ cup olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, begin to brown (approximately 5 minutes). Add mushrooms and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Add mushrooms and onions to the ricotta cheese mixture and mix to combine.

Spread 1 ½ cups of butternut puree in the bottom of the pan. Cover with 3 pasta sheets, followed by 1/3 of the ricotta mushroom mixture, then 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese. Top with 3 pasta sheets, 1 ½ cups puree, 1/3 ricotta mushroom filling then 1 cup shredded mozzarella.

For the final layer, place four sheets of pasta, remaining puree, remaining ricotta mushroom mixture and 1 cup shredded mozzarella. Sprinkle with diced roasted butternut, chopped sage, and remaining grated Parmesan. Bake lasagna for 35-40 minutes on middle oven rack until the dish reaches an internal temperature of 140 F and cheese is golden. Visit Verrillfarm.com for more recipes.

Black Cherry Freezer Tart with a Hazelnut-Chocolate Crust

| © Debra’s Natural Gourmet

Black Cherry Freezer Tart with a Hazelnut-Chocolate Crust
Makes one 14-inch round tart or two 10-inch tarts

CRUST

2 cups of hazelnut meal 

½ cup raw nut butter (I use Brazil Nut butter) 

½ cup maple syrup 

¾ cup raw cacao powder 

A generous pinch of salt 

FILLING

10 ounces of pitted cherries (frozen is fine) 

¾ cup coconut manna 

½ cup orange marmalade 

½ Tbsp vanilla extract 

Optional: pomegranate molasses

Line your tart dish(es) with parchment paper to help remove the tart intact.

In a bowl, combine crust ingredients with your hands. Using your fingers and palms, press crust into your tart dish making the outer ridges about a quarter-inch high. Puree the filling. The filling is thick, so you want a strong blender, and you want your ingredients close to room temp, so they don’t thicken up too much. If you want more tartness and oomph, add pomegranate molasses to taste. Spread filling into the crust with a spatula.   

Freeze. Serve frozen, or very slightly thawed.  If desired, garnish with thinly sliced stone fruit, crystallized ginger, chopped nuts, cacao nibs, or edible flowers. Visit Debrasnaturalgourmet.com for more recipes.