Pumpkin Lasagna + Halter Ranch's Côtes de Paso for #winePW {#sponsor}

The second Saturday of the month is one of my favorite days. Do you know why? Because it's our #winePW - Wine Pairing Weekend - reveal. I love it. How can you not adore bloggers who love food and love wine. It's a fantastic event from which I always make a wine shopping list. And this month, I'm hosting. Fun, fun, fun.

The theme I selected: Fall fruit pairings. Here's my October #winePW invite. Think apples, pumpkins, quince, and more! There's no question which Fall fruit I featured, right?

It’s the time of year when "pumpkin" and "pumpkin spice" gets tossed into everything from a four dollar coffee confections to hand cream, and from every baked good imaginable to seasonal ales.

Don’t get me wrong, I am right there on the pumpkin wagon. A couple of years ago I devoured so many pumpkin dishes that I had an allergic reaction. I'm not kidding...unfortunately. So, now, throughout pumpkin season, I limit my pumpkin culinary creations to one per week.

Almost all of my pumpkin creations begin with pumpkin puree. Don’t buy it in a can, please. If you can wield a knife and turn on your oven, you can make your own pumpkin puree. Making pumpkin puree couldn't be simpler. Click for how I make pumpkin puree.

And being the savory gal that I am, when I start to see pumpkins at the farmers' markets, I immediately think savory creations. I had two pumpkins and decided that they needed to be made into lasagna for this #winePW pairing.

In the Glass...

I connected with Halter Ranch through David of Cooking Chat and was excited to receive a complimentary bottle of their Côtes de Paso* for tasting and pairing for this event. And, since they are not too far from me, I'll definitely plan a tasting trip down there soon.

Côtes de Paso is a Rhône-style blend of four varietals from Halter Ranch's sustainably farmed estate vineyard. It's 43% Grenache, 23% Mourvèdre, 23% Syrah, and 11% Tannat. The included tasting notes suggested pairing with meats, charcuterie, and Mediterranean fare.

As soon as we uncorked the bottle, Jake and I were intrigued. We smelled fruit and spice. It was definitely not a demure wine.

The wine is nicely weighted with balanced acidity and tannin. It's bright and interesting. It was a fantastic match for my pumpkin lasagna.

In the Middle of the Plate... 

Ingredients

For the sauce

• olive oil
• 1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 2 C fresh kale, chopped
• 1 C cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 2 C homemade pumpkin puree
• 1/2 fresh tomato sauce
• 2 C whole milk ricotta
• 1 ½ - 2 t hot red pepper flakes
• handful coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley
• handful coarsely chopped other fresh herbs (I used a mixture of basil, oregano, and lemon verbena because that's what my Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf had in his herb garden)
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper

Everything else

• no-bake lasagna noodles
• small curd cottage cheese
• shredded mozzarella
• shredded asiago
• shredded provolone
• freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving

Procedure

In a large flat bottom  pan, sweat the leeks and fennel in a splash of olive oil until they are softened and beginning to turn translucent. Add in the kale and cook until just wilted. Add in the cherry tomatoes and cook for a minute or two. Fold in the pumpkin puree, tomato sauce, and ricotta cheese to form a sauce. If it's too thick, pour in up to 1/4 C warm water - or add in a splash of your wine! Season with fresh herbs and salt and pepper to taste.

In a large baking dish, layer: sauce, pasta, cheeses. Sauce, pasta, cheeses. Repeat until your dish is full or you're out of ingredients.

Cover with foil. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake for an hour - or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Wine Pairing Weekend #5 Bloggers
Here's what all of the bloggers have created for the October Wine Pairing Weekend!

On the Menu...

Savories
Pumpkin Lasagna with Halter Ranch's Côtes de Paso by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Squash and Sausage Soup with Pumpkin Cornbread and McKinley Springs 2010 Bombing Range Red by Tasting Pour
Linguine with Roasted Carnival Squash and a Garnacha by Cooking Chat
Pinot Vs. Syrah - Pork Tenderloin with Fig & Apple Sauce by Confessions of a Culinary Diva

Apple Cider Pork with Red Cabbage and Oak Aged Apple Cider by Curious Cuisiniere

Sweets

Harvest Fruits-Maple Crisp paired with a Riesling by Eliot's Eats

Caramelized Almond Apple Upside Down Cake with a Late Harvest Riesling by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Forgotten Fire Late Harvest Riesling and Warm Apple Crisp by Grape Experiences

Peach and Ginger Cobbler and Tablas Creek Petit Manseng by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog

Surprise!
Wines for a Sweet & Savory Fall Harvest Meal by foodwineclick

Fall Fruit and Wine Pairing by Rockin Red Blog

Autumn Pumpkin Food Flair by Vino Travels -- An Italian Wine Blog

Butternut Squash Risotto: White Wine or Rosé by Pull That Cork
Autumn Puff Pastry Tart and La Crema Chardonnay by It's Okay to Eat the Cupcake

Join the #winePW conversation: 

Follow the #winePW conversation on Twitter throughout the weekend and beyond. If you're getting this early enough, you can join us for a live Twitter chat on our theme "Fall Fruits + Wine Pairings" on Saturday, October 11th, from 11 a.m. to noon Eastern Time.

And that's a Wrap...

...on our October #winePW event. My Pumpkin Lasagna + Halter Ranch's Côtes de Paso pairing was delicious! I'll pin this recipe and other posts on my #winePW pinterest board. David, our host, also has a Wine Pairing Weekend pinterest board. 

Just found out that Sarah of Curious Cuisiniere will be hosting November's #winePW on Saturday, November 8! Start thinking about your Creative Thanksgiving Pairings.

If you can't find Halter Ranch's Côtes de Paso, swap out for any Rhône-style red blend. And if you try this pairing - or just the wine - I would love to hear what you think. Comment below, find Culinary Adventures with Camilla on facebook, or tweet to me at @Culinary_Cam.

*DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary bottle of wine from Halter Ranch but I was not compensated in any way – for my time, to create a recipe, or to publish positive comments. I was not required to use this product as part of my recipe. My opinions, as always, are my own.