Pistachio and mortadella lasagne recipe
A combination of delicious things from both north and south Italy, it's the embodiment of Italian unity. Pistachios are the star of this dish. Their jade hue gives the béchamel such a distinctive colour but most of all, though, they provide delicious texture and crunch. But they aren’t alone. Mortadella, a ham from the city of Bologna in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, punctuates the lasagne’s festive green with little studs of pink, and is just so pretty. The smoked mozzarella, a classic Neapolitan ingredient, adds further geographical diversity to the recipe and such incredible flavour.
Ingredients
- 200 g raw, unsalted pistachio nuts, shelled
- 15 –20g/0.5–0.7oz fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
- 80 g Parmesan, or vegetarian alternative, grated
- 1 garlic clove, halved
- 150 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 7.1 oz raw, unsalted pistachio nuts, shelled
- 15 –20g/0.5–0.7oz fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
- 2.8 oz Parmesan, or vegetarian alternative, grated
- 1 garlic clove, halved
- 5.3 fl oz extra-virgin olive oil
- 7.1 oz raw, unsalted pistachio nuts, shelled
- 15 –20g/0.5–0.7oz fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
- 2.8 oz Parmesan, or vegetarian alternative, grated
- 1 garlic clove, halved
- 0.6 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 100 g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 1 l whole (full-fat) milk
- 0.8 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 pinch each of salt and black pepper, to taste
- 3.5 oz plain (all-purpose) flour
- 3.5 oz unsalted butter
- 1.8 pints whole (full-fat) milk
- 0.8 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 pinch each of salt and black pepper, to taste
- 3.5 oz plain (all-purpose) flour
- 3.5 oz unsalted butter
- 4.2 cups whole (full-fat) milk
- 0.8 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 pinch each of salt and black pepper, to taste
- 500 g lasagne pasta sheets
- 300 g mortadella, diced into small pieces
- 350 g smoked scamorza, diced into small pieces
- 80 g Parmesan, or vegetarian alternative, grated
- 40 g unsalted pistachio nuts, shelled and coarsely chopped
- 17.6 oz lasagne pasta sheets
- 10.6 oz mortadella, diced into small pieces
- 12.3 oz smoked scamorza, diced into small pieces
- 2.8 oz Parmesan, or vegetarian alternative, grated
- 1.4 oz unsalted pistachio nuts, shelled and coarsely chopped
- 17.6 oz lasagne pasta sheets
- 10.6 oz mortadella, diced into small pieces
- 12.3 oz smoked scamorza, diced into small pieces
- 2.8 oz Parmesan, or vegetarian alternative, grated
- 1.4 oz unsalted pistachio nuts, shelled and coarsely chopped
Details
- Cuisine: Italian
- Recipe Type: Pasta
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 65 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
For the pistachio pesto
- Toast the pistachio nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium-high heat for around 3–4 minutes. Keep them moving to prevent them burning, and once lightly browned take the pan off the heat.
- Place the basil leaves, Parmesan, garlic and a drizzle of olive oil into a mortar and grind with a pestle until creamy.
- Add the pistachios and grind until they break down and combine with the mixture. You should have a creamy yet slightly chunky consistency. Drizzle in the remaining olive oil and continue to grind until you have a creamy paste. Add salt to taste.
For the lasagne
- Begin by preparing the béchamel. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat, then slowly add the flour, whisking until completely combined.
- Heat the milk in a separate pan. Gradually add the heated milk to the butter and flour mixture over a low heat, stirring continuously to ensure no lumps form. Stir the sauce until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, then add salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.
- Combine the béchamel with the pistachio pesto to obtain a creamy sauce.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
- Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the pesto-béchamel mixture into the base of 25 x 19cm (10 x 7.5inch) baking dish and spread to form an even layer. Cover with lasagne sheets – don’t worry if they overlap a little. Then add another layer of the pesto-béchamel. Follow this with a scattering of the mortadella and smoked scamorza and top with some grated Parmesan.
- Repeat the following steps – lasagne, pesto-béchamel, mortadella, mozzarella and Parmesan – until you have used up all the ingredients. You should have 4–5 layers of lasagne sheets.
- Top with the chopped pistachios, cover with aluminium foil and bake for 40 minutes.
- Once piping hot, remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
This recipe is from Perfect Pasta at Home by Pasta Evangelists. Published in hardback by Seven Dials, priced £20.
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