Crab + Pine Nut Lasagna

For the béchamel:

1 head roasted garlic (directions below)

1 tbsp. olive oil

8 tbsp. butter

¼ cup sifted flour

4 cups milk, hot

grated zest of 2 lemons

salt & pepper

For the lasagne:

2 tsp. Butter

12 oz. Dungeness crab meat

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese

½ lb. mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced

½ cup ricotta cheese

¾ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

one or two packages of “No Boil” lasagne noodles

To roast the garlic:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut 1/8 to 1/4 inch off the top of the head of garlic and place it in the center of a piece of foil and drizzle with olive oil and wrap the foil securely around the garlic. Roast in oven until garlic is soft, 30 to 45 minutes, then allow it to cool. Squeeze garlic from the skins and mash into a paste; set aside.

For the béchamel:

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring for 1-1/2 minutes. Whisk in hot milk and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is as thick as heavy cream, 30-35 minutes. Add garlic paste, lemon zest, and salt & pepper to taste. Remove pan from heat and cover surface of sauce with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.

To assemble the lasagne:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish with the butter. Line bottom of dish with an even layer of pasta noodles, breaking noodles and patching as necessary. Scatter some crab over pasta, and then sprinkle some of the grated cheeses some the mushrooms, some pine nuts, and then some of the béchamel. Cover with another layer of pasta, scatter more crab, cheeses, and mushrooms, then add dollops of ricotta, and spread half the remaining béchamel on top. Cover with another layer of pasta, spread the remaining béchamel on top, sprinkle with the remaining grated cheeses, and scatter remaining pine nuts on top. Bake until bubbling and golden brown on top, about 30 minutes.

Serves 8-12.