Radicchio Pasticcio (Italian chicory lasagna)
A delicious traditional vegetarian lasagna from Veneto, Northern Italy. Made with Italian chicory, pasta, shallots, béchamel and cheese, it comes together easily and tastes wonderful!
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 50 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 250 g lasagne (lasagna) ((9oz) fresh or dried)
- 2 shallots (peeled and finely chopped)
- 700 g radicchio (Italian chicory) ((24oz) I used 2 Treviso radicchio but you can use the round one as well)
- 200 g taleggio cheese ((7oz) or brie, fontina, robiola or scamorza)
- 90 g Parmigano or Grana ((3 oz) grated (strict vegetarians should use a vegetarian grating cheese))
- salt (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
- 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 40 g butter ((1.4 oz))
- 40 g all purpose flour ((1.4 oz))
- 500 ml milk ((17 floz))
- 1-2 pinch nutmeg (grated)
Instructions
- 1
Peel and finely chop the shallots. cut the taleggio cheese into cubes. Wash the radicchio and cut it into thin strips.
- 2
In a frying pan or iron skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil. Cook the peeled and finely chopped shallots until they start to soften. Add the radicchio and cook for 10-15 minutes over a very gentle heat. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- 3
Put the butter in a pan over a low heat, melt it, add the flour and mix until it forms a thick paste (roux). Then, remove it from the heat. At this point, slowly add the milk and stir continuously to dissolve the roux without making lumps. Put the pan on a moderate heat and keep stirring constantly until it starts to simmer and thicken.
- 4
Lower the flame. Wait a couple of minutes. Then, turn it off, add a pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg, mix it again for a few minutes and then allow it to cool to thicken it further.
- 5
In a large bowl combine the radicchio, half the grated cheese and the béchamel sauce, mix well and, if necessary, add salt.
- 6
If using dried pasta you will need to bring a pot of bailing salted water to a boil and then blanch the pasta sheets individually. Place them spread apart on a tea towel. Don't allow them to stick together.
- 7
Put a layer of lasagne sheets on the bottom of a greased oven dish. Cover it with a couple of ladles of the béchamel and radicchio mix. Distribute some of the Taleggio cheese pieces onto the radicchio sauce. Sprinkle a little Parmesan or Grana Padano. Then cover with another layer of lasagne. Continue until the ingredients have been used up, ending with a thin layer of radicchio sauce. Sprinkle again with grated cheese and add a few pieces of taleggio. Bake at 180°c degrees.
- 8
Cook for the first 10 minutes covered with aluminum foil and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes uncovered (until the cheese on top is golden). Remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly and serve.