The Sensational Lasagna with Fiolaro Broccoli is one of a kind. The original recipe calls for a particular variety of Broccoli that is also a SlowFood presidia.
This particular broccoli grows only on a small hill close by Vicenza, our hometown.
The lasagna is one of those recipes that you won’t forget. This pasta dish is definitely a comfort food that Italian families prepare for special occasions.
Even though it is not a quick fix recipe, the preparation does not have to scare you.
Follow a few simple steps, find the high quality ingredients, and unleash your creativity. You can add proteins, like we do in our recipe, or you can make it only vegetarian, even gluten free.
We combine the Sensational Lasagna with Fiolaro Broccoli with sausage. It is a really peculiar dish.
The Fiolaro Broccoli taste – mild, grassy and sweet – binds perfectly with the sausage sweet flavor. In addition, the besciamella sauce ties together all the flavors that will stay in your culinary memories for a long time.
Since we are always looking for simple and seasonal ingredients, we found that the Spigarello Broccoli is the closest to the Fiolaro Broccoli here in California.
Anyway, the lasagna tastes great as long as you find a good substitute in the Broccoli family!
Ingredients
- Homemade fresh lasagna pasta:
- 2 1/3 durum wheat semolina flour
- 3 large eggs
- alternatively, buy 1 pack of fresh lasagna pasta
- Filling:
- 2 lbs Spigarello Broccoli (rapini work as well, or any other veggie from the Broccoli family)
- 4 sausages
- 1 slice garlic
- Parmesan cheese, EVO, salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 glass white wine
- Besciamella sauce:
- 1/4 gallon whole milk
- 1/3 cup butter
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- Salt and ground nutmeg
Instructions
How to make the homemade fresh lasagna pasta:
- Pour the durum wheat semolina on a flat surface; with your hand make a hole in the middle and add the eggs. Mix all together.
- Knead the dough with your hands for about 5/6 minutes until the dough is smooth. Alternatively, use a stand mixer.
- Flatten the dough with a pasta maker.
- Cut the dough in small pieces and roll them in the pasta maker, starting from the thickest measure. Fold it in half and roll it again in the pasta maker with a smaller measure. Repeat until you reach the measure you like.
- Usually for the lasagna we use the second to last measure.
- Let the lasagna layers rest in a dusty surface.
How to prepare the filling:
- Boil the Broccoli in salty water (keep in a separate bowl some of the cooking water);
- Finely chop the vegetables.
- Sauté the Broccoli in a pan with EVO and the slice of garlic. After a few minutes, add the sausages in small pieces. If you like you can add half glass of white wine
How to make the besciamella sauce:
- Heat the milk without reaching the boiling temperature.
- In a pan melt the butter and add the flour. Add the milk while mixing continuously, for at least 10 minutes. Add salt and nutmeg to taste.
How to prepare the lasagna:
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Cook the lasagna in boiling and salty water (add also the cooking water from the Broccoli) for 2-3 minutes, just a couple of lasagna per time; add 1 Tbsp of EVO to the water so they don't stick to each other.
- Take the lasagna off the water with a kitchen tong. If you don't want to start with the lasagna composition right now, cool down the lasagna with cold water and let them rest on a moist cloth.
- Start with a lasagna layer on the base of a buttered baking pan, add some besciamella, broccoli, sausage and parmesan cheese. Repeat for all the layers.
- Bake in the oven for 25-25 minutes.
The Fiolaro Broccoli Slow Food Presidia
As you might have already guessed, the Lasagna with Fiolaro Broccoli and Sausage is a truly peculiar plate. The Fiolaro Broccoli derives its name from the sprouts along the stem of the plant, in Venetian dialect “Fioi” that means children.
The Fiolaro broccoli is also a Slow Food Presidia. Slow Food is a worldwide known Italian association that aims to protect the biodiversity, the territories, and the knowledge of traditional productions.
The Fiolaro Broccoli is at risk of disappearing because currently there are only two main producers. That is why it is so important to eat seasonal and local!
If you want more suggestions on how to eat seasonally, please subscribe to our newsletter (form is in a sidebar) and receive your free e-book!
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If you have any questions, please contact us at thecookingflower@ilfiordicappero.com or comment below.
Ciao!
Martina and Elisa
