Artichoke Lasagna, or Pasticio de Ciochi: This is an aristocratic dish; according to Amedeo Sandri, who learned to make it while serving his apprenticeship in a restaurant kitchen in Vicenza, it was developed by the cooks of one of Vicenza's leading families, the Marchesi Roi, who were renowned for the refinement of their dishes and their skill in combining ingredients and playing them off against each other. To serve 8:
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 cups (750 ml) whole milk
- 2/3 cup (120 g) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup (75 g) flour
- 12 sheets of lasagna (about a pound, or 500 g)
- 8 artichokes
- A medium onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- A lemon
- Olive oil
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- Half a bouillon cube
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A half teaspoon freshly minced thyme
- A pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano
Preparation:
Begin by cutting the lemon in half, squeezing it into a bowl of water, and adding the halves as well. Next, prepare the artichokes, by stripping away the tough outer leaves, trimming the tips, removing the stems and trimming away the insertions of the stripped-away leaves, cutting them in half, and scooping out any fuzz you may find in the chokes. As you finish with them, put them in the acidulated water to keep them from discoloring. Mr. Sandri doesn't mention the stems, but you can use them too, if you trim away the tough outer part -- if you look at a freshly cut stem end on you will see a ring; trim away what is outside it, dice what is inside it, and add it to the acidulated water.Mince the onion and the garlic, and sauté them gently in three tablespoons of butter and three tablespoons of olive oil. While the onion is cooking, quarter the artichoke halves lengthwise, and when the onion has become a translucent gold add the artichokes to the pot. Sauté for five minutes more, and then flavor the mixture with the thyme and the bouillon cube; sprinkle the wine over the artichokes, reduce the heat to a simmer, and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.
In the meantime bring a pot of water to a boil, salt it, add a tablespoon of olive oil to keep the sheets of lasagna from sticking to each other, and cook the pasta, a few sheets at a time, until they are al dente. When they are done remove them with a strainer, dip them in a bowl of cold water, and then and lay them flat on a kitchen towel.
At this point you are ready to assemble the lasagna: Preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C), and in the meantime make a béchamel sauce using the flour, 1/3 cup butter, and the milk (see instructions if need be). Butter an oven dish large enough to hold the ingredients and lay down a first layer of pasta. Follow it with béchamel sauce, artichokes, and some grated cheese, and repeat the order, until all is used up, divvying things out so the last layer is béchamel, cheese, and artichokes.
Dot the lasagna with the remaining butter and bake it in the oven for about a half hour, by which time it will be an elegant gold in color. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving it.
A wine? White, Sauvignon Bianco dei Berici.
