Friday is market day in our home town, and what better way is there to start the weekend off than by buying top quality produce, straight from the farmers? (And then using that produce to prepare a delicious lunch for family and friends, obviously...)
Photo credit: Ariela Bankier / Tuscany for the Shameless Hedonist
Photo credit: Ariela Bankier / Tuscany for the Shameless Hedonist
Photo credit: Ariela Bankier / Tuscany for the Shameless Hedonist
Today on the menu - my quick and easy artichoke lasagna (I love, love, love artichokes. I love their delicate and intoxicating aroma, I love that sweet after-taste that lingers in your palate, and I love that you can you get 10 artichokes for 5 euro in the market!). Additionally, I picked up some pecorino cheese from the caseificio (artisanal cheese maker) near Scarperia (near Florence), roasted some green beans, and bought a large and decadent burrata (mozzarella filled with cream), to make sure no one stepped away from the table hungry or less than 100% satisfied :)
Making an artichoke lasagna is much easier than you might think. This is a classic "white" lasagna, which means there is no tomato sauce or ragu involved. The flavors are very light and delicate, but sthe lasagna is still incredibly creamy, thanks to the bechamel sauce.
To make my 20-minute artichoke lasagna you will need:
1 lemon
12 lasagna sheets (either fresh or dry. I used the fresh variety, but dry ones work perfectly, too. Read the instructions on the box, and see if your lasagna sheets (aka lasagna noodles) requir any pre-cooking / soaking.
10-12 artichokes (sometimes, when I don't have enough artichokes at home, I substitute a few of the artichokes with zucchini).
200 grams of grated cheese (I used a mix of Grana cheese and Parmesan cheese that I had at home. I wouldn't recommend using mozzarella here, I find that it's too chewy, and ruins the delicacy of this dish. If you really can't resist, then add some mozzarella, but don't use it to replace the Parmesan altogether.
For the beschamel sauce: 5 table spoons of butter, 5 tablespoons of all purpose flour, milk (the precise quantity of milk depends on how dense you like your bechamel. I used about 2-3 cups of milk, but I know that some recipes call for as many as 4 cups.
Salt, pepper, olive oil
Step 1: Cut the lemon in half, and rub your hands. Why? Well, if you've ever handled artichokes, you know that they will cause your hands to stain, and no amount of soap will remove those stains. By rubbing your hands with the juice of the lemon before you start working (repeat every once in a while as you continue peeling and chopping the artichokes), you will keep your hands fresh and stain free.
step 2: Peel the artichokes by snapping off the outer (thick, green) leaves until you reach the heart (heart = the delicate, yellow leaves). Cut off the top half of the artichoke. Peel the stem. This is what you should end up with:
Step 3: Cut each artichoke in half, and then each half into 3 or 4 pieces. Sautee lightly for 2 minutes in a pan with olive oil. To make things extra tasty, you can add a finely chopped shallot to the mix. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and sautee for another minute.
Step 4: Add water to cover the artichokes, and let them cook on low-medium heat until 95% cooked (that means that a knife can easily pass through the toughest part of the artichoke's base). Strain the artichokes from the liquid, but DON'T throw away the cooking liquid. Don't be over vigorous when straining, either - it's good to have a little bit of liquid left. We absolutely don't want dry artichokes.
Step 5: Add 100 grams of Parmesan cheese to the artichokes, along with a couple of tablespoons of the artichokes' cooking liquid, and mix well. The residual heat from the pan and from the artichokes will melt the cheese and create a tasty sauce. Note that this recipe calls for 200 grams of Parmesan cheese - 100 grams are used now, and the other 100 grams will be used later, for the lasagna's crust.
Step 6: Make the bechamel sauce - melt your butter over medium-low heat, add the flour, and mix very well with a balloon whisk. Turn down the heat to low, and let the mixture cook (while constnatly mixing) for a couple of minutes, to get rid of the "floury" taste of the flour. Now add half a cup of milk, and mix throughouly and continuously until a very thick sauce is created. Add 2 more cups of milk and continue mixing and cooking for about 6 minutes, until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Add some salt, pepper (nutmeg, too, if you like). If the bescamel is too thick, add more milk and mix well to incorporate it properly into the sauce. If it's too runny, let it cook for another minute (while constantly mixing with your balloon whisk) until it thickens back up.
Step 7: Lay your lasagna - start off with a tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the artichoke cooking liquid, to coat the bottom of the pan. Lay down a couple of sheets of lasgana (I used fresh lasagna sheets, that require no pre-cooking. If you are using dry lasagna sheets, read the instructions on the box - you might have to cook / soak your lasagna sheets/noodles first). Once the first layer of lasagna sheets is in place, top them with some of the artichokes, and a few spoons of bechamel sauce, and 1 tablespoon of the artichokes' cooking liquid. Repeat until you're out of artichokes (but don't use up all of your beschamel).
Photo credit: Ariela Bankier / Tuscany for the Shameless Hedonist
Step 8: Your last layer should be: lasagna sheets, a generous amount of bechamel sauce, and the rest of the grated cheese (100 grams).
Step 9: Send you lasagna to the oven. Bake uncovered for about 25-30 minutes, 180 degres Celsius / 350 degree Fahrenheit .
Step 10: Eat! Buon Appetito :)
