Lasagna is an extraordinarily variable dish. This particular version, with speck and pears, is modern, and will (if you halve the recipe) be perfect for romantic occasions too, especially Valentine's Day. The full recipe, to serve 4:
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pound (220 g) fresh pasta, in sheets (store-bought will be fine)
4/5 cup (200 ml) béchamel sauce (see link to instructions; store bought will be fine too)
1/4 pound (100 g) speck in fairly thin slices (see note)
2 Williams pears, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
1/4 pound (100 g) mozzarella
1/4 cup (50 g) unsalted butter
A healthy pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
PREPARATION:
Begin by setting a pot of water to boil and heating your oven to 360 F (180 C). Lightly salt the water, separate the sheets of pasta, and cook them for three minutes. Remove them with a strainer and lay them flat on a clean cloth (not overlapping or the sheets will stick).Butter a baking dish proportionate to the volume of ingredients, or more than one if you are making individual portions.
Lasagna with Salmon and Robiola Cheese
INGREDIENTS:
10 ounces (250 g) sheets fresh lasagna
1 pound (450 g) fresh salmon fillet, finely sliced
1/4 pound (100 g) smoked salmon
1 pound (450 g) robiola or similar mild soft spreadable cheese (see note)
2 cups (500 ml) whole milk
1/4 cup freshaly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano
1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons fresh marjoram, minced, or 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
Salt and pepper, ideally pink (similar to black pepper, but the peppercorns are pink)
PREPARATION:
To begin with, Robiola is a mild, slightly tart spreadable cow's milk cheese from the north. In its absence I would combine cream cheese and ricotta.Returning to the recipe, chop the smoked salmon and combine it with the robiola, a teaspoon of ground pepper, half the marjoram, the milk, and salt to taste.
Mix well.Preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C).Grease a 9 by 11 inch (20 by 25 cm) baking dish and fill it, starting with a layer of lasagna, followed by a layer of the creamy mixture and one of the fresh salmon. Continue alternating layers until all is used up, closing with a creamy layer.Mix the breadcrumbs with the grated cheese, another half teaspoon pepper, and the remaining marjoram. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the lasagna. Cover the lasagna with a sheet of aluminum foil and bake it for 15 minutes. Remove the sheet and bake it another 5-7 minutes, and serve at once. A wine? White, and I might go with a Sauvignon Blanc from Friuli Venezia Giulia's Collio.
Vegetarian Lasagna
INGREDIENTS:
10 ounces (250 g) fresh lasagna
10 ounces (250 g) cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 1/2 pounds (700 g) round eggplants
2/3 pound (300 g) robiola (a mild slightly runny soft creamy cheese)
4 tablespoons milk
1/4 pound (100 g) baby spinach leaves
1 cup (50 g) freshly grated Parmigiano
A small bunch of chives, chopped
6 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
PREPARATION:
Trim the ends of the eggplants, slice them into quarter-inch (half cm) slices, put them in a colander, and sprinkle them with salt. Let them rest for about an hour, rinse them, pat them dry, and grill them on a lightly oiled cast iron griddle for a couple of minutes per side, seasoning them with salt and pepper as they come off the griddle. Slice the tomatoes and wash the spinach. Put the robiola in a bowl, work the milk into it, and then add the chopped chives.
While you are doing this, bring pasta water to a boil, lightly salt it, add a drop of oil to it, and cook the lasagna, a few sheets at a time; remove them with a slotted spoon when they are al dente and put them on a clean cloth to cool. Lightly oil an oven ish large enough to contain the ingredients and lay down a layer of lasagna, followed by a little of the robiola mixture, evenly distributed, and then eggplant, tomatoes, grated cheese, and a drizzl of olive oil. Repeat the sequence until all is used up, drizzle the last of the oil over the top, and bake in a preheated 400 F (200 C) oven for about 15 minutes. Serve at once. The wine? White, and I might go with a Vernaccia di San Gimignano, and more specifically Montenidoli’s Vernaccia Fiore.
Spaghetti Della Carne Di Cervo
Ingredients
1 lb ground venison
1 lb ground chuck
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, smashed then chopped
2 carrots , peeled finely chopped
2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 lb white mushrooms, washed sliced
1 (15 ounce) can petitie diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup merlot (optional)
to taste olive oil (evoo)
Directions
Sauté onions, celery and garlic in very large pot in 2 tablespoons olive oil until almost translucent.
Add meats, carrots and begin to cook until meat is done.
Add all remaining ingredients: canned tomatoes and sauce and mushrooms and spices, Worcestershire and wine.
Simmer for a few hours--the longer the better stirring occasionally.
Serve over favorite pasta with some garlic bread.
Eggplant and Spaghetti Timballo
INGREDIENTS:
2 large eggplant
14 ounces (350 g) spaghetti
A 1-pound can (400 g) of tomatoes
6 ounces (150 g) salted ricotta, shredded (Salted ricotta is firm, and should be available in a well stocked delicatesse
If it is not, use pecorini romano
2 cloves garlic, crushed
20 basil leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt
PREPARATION:
Wash the eggplant and cut them lengthwise into half-inch slices. Put the slices in a colander, salting each layer, and set the colander in the sink for an hour to allow the salt to draw the juices from the eggplant. Sauté the garlic in 3 tablespoons of oil until it begins to turn golden, then remove and discard it.
