Pasta alla Norma
In the cookbook 'Globi's Italian Cuisine', star chef Gualtiero Marchesi tells how to make this...
Lasagne with Radicchio, Chestnut Cream and Bacon
Lasagne can be much more than a vehicle for the pasta sauce from the day before. Here we layer radicchio, chestnuts and bacon to create a sweet-bitter-salty version of the classic.
| Ingredients (6 servings) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 250 | g | lasagne sheets, preferably freshly made with egg |
| 750 | g | chestnuts, precooked |
| 3 | head | red radicchio |
| 5 | shallots, finely chopped | |
| 100 | ml | dry white wine |
| 500 | ml | milk |
| 300 | g | bacon, cut into strips |
| 50 | g | Parmesan or Grana Padano, grated |
| 2-3 | tablespoon(s) | olive oil, for frying |
| salt | ||
| pepper | ||
| 1 | pinch(es) | nutmeg, freshly grated |
Preparation:
- If you are using dried lasagne sheets, put the sheets in a pan of cold water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Remove and pat dry.
- Mash the chestnuts in a bowl using a potato masher.
- Halve the radicchio, remove the stalks and cut into wide strips.
- Heat a little olive oil in a pan over a gentle heat, add the shallots and fry until translucent. Add the radicchio and fry until soft. Set the shallots and radicchio aside.
- Add the white wine to the pan and stir, scraping up the browned bits from the base. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour the milk into a saucepan, season with nutmeg and a little salt and bring to just below boiling. When it is gently simmering, stir in the chestnuts. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until a homogeneous cream forms. Stir in the sauce from the pan.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C.
- Assemble the lasagne in an ovenproof dish: spread a layer of the chestnut cream over the base, place a lasagne sheet on top, spread with more chestnut cream and top first with radicchio, then with bacon and, finally, grated Parmesan. Repeat the layering process until all sheets are used up. Finish with chestnut cream, radicchio, bacon and Parmesan.
- Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the top is browned and the sauce is bubbling.
