The high counters of Italian grocery stores were covered with treasures, and the tall glass jar of croccante always caught my eye. The word croccante translates to the adjective crisp or crunchy, but the noun croccante is so much more that that. Essentially a brittle of deeply caramelized sugar with nuts or seeds, croccante has a history dating back centuries in Italy. The dolce is popular at holidays and celebrations, each region having their own specialty generally depending upon the local nut harvest.
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We hadn’t had lasagna in quite some time and with dear friends Professore and La Moglia coming to chat about an upcoming trip to Bologna, I though why not? Professore has often spoken of his Eggplant Parmigiano making days some years ago when he tended a garden in Massachusetts. I had my inspiration for our lasagna; something using layers of eggplant, 
