White lasagna

Lasagna with chard, spinach and sausage

Recipe (4 servings) ingredients:

For the dough:

• 300g flour (I always use ‘de Cecco’ flour)
• 3 whole eggs
• salt

How to prepare the pasta dough:

On a flat surface, sift the flour and dig a hole in the center into which the eggs will be added. Start mixing with a fork and incorporate the flour little by little. Once the flour is all mixed with the yolks, start mixing using your hands until the mixture is well homogeneous. Season with salt and if needed, add some water. Form the dough into a ball and wrap it inside a plastic wrap. Let it rest aside for at least 20 minutes and prepare the stuffing. For the pasta making, dust your work surface with some flour. Take a lump of dough and press it with your fingertips. Set the pasta machine at its widest setting and roll the pasta dough though it. If the pasta sticks, dust it with flour. Click the pasta machine down a setting and roll the dough through again. Fold the pasta in half, click the pasta machine back up to the widest setting and roll the dough through again. Repeat this process four to five times. The pasta dough becomes smooth and workable like that. Now it’s time to roll the dough out properly, working it through all the settings on the machine, from the widest down to the narrowest. Dust both sides of the pasta with some Cecco flour every time you roll it through the machine. When you’ve got down to the narrowest setting, fold the pasta in half lengthwise, then in half again, and again once more until you’ve got a square piece of dough. Turn it 90 degrees and pass it through the machine at the widest setting. As you roll it down through the settings for the last time, you should end up with a nice rectangular sheet of dough with straight sides.

If your dough is a little cracked at the edges, fold it in half just once, click the machine back two settings and feed it through again.

You should end up with several thin rectangular lasagna layers, cut at the size of your baking dish.

For the sauce:

• 400g sausage
• 400g fresh spinach
• 500g fresh chard (only the green leaves)
• 300g ricotta cheese
• 400g mozzarella (cut in slices)
• freshly grated parmesan
• 500ml ready to use besciamella
• 1tbs olive oil
• salt, pepper

Wash well the chard leaves and spinach and drain. Add the greens in a cooking pan and let them cook over medium heat. Stir occasionally to avoid them from sticking on the bottom of the pan and remove excess of water. Keep cooking until they become soft. Keep them aside.

Meanwhile, remove the skin around the sausages and chop them into small dices. Heat 1 tbs olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped sausages in the casserole pan and cook until brown (5-6 minutes) and all liquid is evaporated.

Smear a bit of besciamella on the base of your baking dish and cover with lasagna sheets. Spread over some of the greens, some of the cooked sausages, some fresh ricotta cheese and a few slices of mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper. Top with lasagna sheets and continue the some process until all your ingredients are finished. I usually try to do 3 to 4 layers. After your finish with the last layer, pour over the besciamella on top and place the remaining mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Let it cool down for about 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy this lovely meal with a glass of red wine!!!

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