BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND AMARETTI MEZZELUNE
MUSHROOM AND MASCARPONE QUADRATTI
CHESTNUT PAPPARDELLE WITH BRAISED VEAL
SPINACH GNOCCHI WITH SMOKED RICOTTA
ORECCHIETTE WITH ZUCCHINI, RICOTTA, AND MINT
This is the chapter I am most excited about. My number one goal in writing this book is to teach all of America how simple it is to make homemade pasta. You might think that that’s easy for me to say because, for sure, I grew up making pasta. Well, that would be wrong. My mother never made fresh pasta, and I don’t remember ever making pasta with my grandmas either.
I do remember when I made pasta for the first time. It was in my apartment here in New York City, and the first thing I thought was: “Well, this is easy!”
Of course I grew up eating pasta, and so did and still do 99.9 percent of all Italians. It’s part of our culture, tradition, and lifestyle. It’s a major part of Mediterranean cuisine in general, which everyone knows is a very healthy way of eating. So please don’t even start telling me how pasta is fattening, has too many carbs, and so on. My friends, it all depends on how much you eat. If you eat a pound of pasta at every meal, in a few weeks you’ll look like a giant macaroni. If you eat modest amounts, it’s not going to be a problem.
After I teach you how easy it is to make homemade fresh pasta, I’ll show you how versatile it is by sharing some of my favorite pasta-based recipes. I’ll take you into the MasterChef kitchen for my famous Broccoli Rabe Girasoli, then to my grandmother’s kitchen with my favorite Christmas dish, Tortellini in Chicken Broth, then the Alps region in the fall with my Chestnut Pappardelle with Braised Veal, and the coast of the Adriatic Sea with the classic Linguine with Langoustines. For the finale I will treat you to my mother’s lasagna, something you won’t want to miss!
Once you start making your own pasta dough, you may never go back to store-bought. Try it and see! I like to make my dough with extra egg yolks, because not only does it give me a nicer color but it also helps keep my dough soft. I don’t really like to work the dough with my hands, so out of laziness and convenience I let my stand mixer work the dough for me. You can do the same or mix the dough in a bowl with a fork. Or you can be very old-fashioned and use your kitchen counter: Mound the flour on the counter, make a well in the center, and crack the eggs into it. Beat the eggs with a fork, gradually incorporating the flour into the well with the eggs, add the olive oil, and gather it all into a ball. When I make pasta this way, I always crack my eggs in a separate bowl to make sure I don’t get any shell pieces in the flour mixture, and I whisk the eggs with the olive oil before I add them to the flour.
I keep my dough soft and elastic and then adjust it when I am working it in the pasta machine. If you keep your dough very soft, when you pass it through the pasta machine, not only will it stretch out, but also it will get a little wet again. So then you add a bit more flour for the next pass-through so the pasta will be smooth to the touch and not wet or sticky. If you start out with dry pasta dough, when you start rolling it in your pasta machine, it will crack and eventually break. Trust me, you’ll get the hang of it!
3 cups (390 g) 00 flour (see sidebar), plus more as needed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
There is a big debate about what flour you should use for pasta dough. In Italy, we use farina “00” (or doppio zero), but many recipes call for regular all-purpose flour. Why is 00 flour better than all-purpose flour? My good friend Jordan, who is American but has a great passion for Italian food and Italian culture in general, puts it this way: All-purpose flour is ground too coarsely for pasta; 00 is a finer grind. If you don’t have 00 flour, he recommends mixing half all-purpose flour and half cake flour—all-purpose flour is too coarse, and cake flour is too fine, but when you mix the two, it all balances out.
Makes about 1 1/2 pounds (680 g)
Place the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. In a small bowl, whisk 4 of the eggs, the egg yolks, oil, and salt. Add the egg mixture to the flour and beat on medium-low speed for about 30 seconds to combine the ingredients, then switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed for about 2 minutes, just until a ball of dough forms, stopping the machine as needed to scrape any flour that sticks to the sides of the bowl. If you think that the pasta dough is getting too dry, you can mix in another egg; if the dough feels too wet and sticky, feel free to add a little bit more flour.
Sprinkle a work surface with flour and knead the dough for about 10 minutes, until it is springy, soft, and elastic. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 to 30 minutes at room temperature before rolling it out, or refrigerate it for up to 1 day; take it out of the refrigerator 1 hour before you are ready to roll it out, and let it rest, covered, at room temperature.
If you talk to any Italian grandmother, she’ll tell you that kneading is the most important part of making fresh pasta. Kneading will stretch and warm the gluten and make the dough springy and elastic. The technique: Stretch out the pasta dough, pulling from the center to the outside and pressing with the palm of your hand. Then return the part that you just stretched back into the center. Repeat, turning the dough so you are not always pulling the same section. Only add flour if you need to, and be careful: If you add too much flour, the dough will get very dry. Put on some music and let your muscles go. Kneading can also be done by running the pasta dough through the pasta machine over and over again. You roll it out, then you fold it and roll it again until it is soft and elastic. With practice, you will be able to feel when the dough has been kneaded enough.
This is the dish I presented to the judges at the audition for my second year on MasterChef. They were kind of intrigued about the broccoli rabe. In Italy, broccoli rabe is usually served as a side dish sautéed with shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes, not as a ravioli filling. I chose a pretty girasoli (which means “sunflower”) shape for my ravioli and studied every component of the dish to make sure it was at its best when I got in front of the judges. Well, it wasn’t, but it was good enough to get me a white apron, or maybe they just rewarded my boldness of presentation. I had to make the dish again in one of the final rounds to show the judges how far I’d come since that audition.
I improved the filling by adding lemon zest and going heavier on the seasonings, but I made a cheese sauce, and that was a mistake; the cheese congealed, and Chef Ramsay advised me to choose a simpler sauce that would accompany the ravioli, not overpower it. As soon as I came home from the show, I worked on it some more and perfected it, thanks to all I learned on MasterChef.
Making ravioli will take you a lot of time at the beginning, but when you get into the rhythm, you’ll see how in the end it actually saves you time. I’ve included lots of extra pasta dough and filling, because who wants to do all that work for just one meal? Then you get to store all the extra ravioli in the freezer for a quick dinner whenever you like.
Pastry bag or zip-top plastic bag, manual pasta rolling machine, pastry brush, 2 1/2-inch (6-cm) flower-shaped cookie cutter
8 ounces (225 g) broccoli rabe, tough ends trimmed, chopped
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 slice soft white sandwich bread, cut into tiny cubes
¼ cup (60 g) ricotta cheese, homemade (this page) or good-quality store-bought
¼ cup (25 g) freshly grated Pecorino Romano
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
00 flour (see this page)
1 recipe Fresh Pasta Dough (this page)
1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
6 tablespoons (90 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup (240 ml) vegetable stock, homemade (this page) or good-quality store-bought
4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 teaspoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano
½ cup (20 g) microgreens, such as baby arugula
3 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
¼ cup (30 g) toasted pine nuts
Serves 4, with lots of girasoli left over for you to freeze and cook up later (makes about 84 girasoli)
FIRST, WE’LL MAKE THE FILLING:
Fill a large bowl with ice and water to make an ice bath. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe to the boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the broccoli rabe to the ice bath. Let cool for a minute, then drain.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots and cook for about 3 minutes, until golden, then stir in the broccoli rabe and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
Transfer the cooled mixture to a food processor, add the bread, ricotta, Pecorino Romano, lemon zest, and nutmeg and process for about 30 seconds, scraping the sides once or twice, as needed, until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper, if needed. Spoon the filling into a pastry bag or into a zip-top plastic bag with one corner snipped off when you’re ready to fill the girasoli.
ROLL OUT THE DOUGH AND FILL THE GIRASOLI:
Clamp your pasta machine to a long counter or worktable and dust the work surface with 00 flour. Divide the dough into four to six pieces (I recommend using smaller pieces if you are new to making fresh pasta). Working with one piece at a time and keeping the other pieces wrapped in plastic, dust the dough lightly in flour and flatten it a little with your hands, then set the machine to 1 (the thickest setting) and run the pasta through, adding a little more flour if it starts to stick. Set the machine to 2 and run the flattened dough through again. Repeat, setting the machine to progressively thinner settings (higher numbers), dusting with 00 flour as needed, until you reach the thinnest setting. When you get to the final level, dust your work surface with semolina flour to prevent the dough from sticking.
Fold the dough in half crosswise to find the halfway point, then carefully unfold it and return it to the counter. Brush half of the dough with some egg wash mixture. From the pastry bag or zip-top bag, squeeze out about 2-teaspoon mounds of filling for each girasoli, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) between each mound on all sides. Fold the unfilled half of the pasta sheet over the mounds of filling and carefully press the two layers together to seal them, pressing around the mounds of filling and taking care to remove any air pockets.
Using a cookie cutter, press down and turn, centering the filling in the middle, to cut out flower-shaped ravioli. Place the cut girasoli on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet sprinkled with semolina flour, leaving a little space between each as you go. Sprinkle with additional semolina flour. Immediately transfer the baking sheet to the freezer. Begin rolling out and filling the remaining pieces of dough, one at a time. By the time you finish the next batch, the batch before it will be solid and ready to be popped into a freezer container or bag (if you were to place them straight into the bag before freezing them, they would stick together). Continue until you have run out of dough or filling. If you are completing the dish for tonight’s dinner, reserve 28 girasoli on a baking sheet and cover them with a dampened dish towel.
NOW WE’LL MAKE THE DRESSING FOR THE SALAD:
Combine the shallots, vinegar, and mustard in a blender and blend; with the machine running, add the oil in a thin stream and blend until emulsified. Set aside.
FINALLY, LET’S MAKE A SAUCE AND FINISH THE DISH:
Combine the stock and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large sauté pan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper and turn off the heat.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the girasoli in batches and cook until they float to the top, about 1 minute (2 minutes if you are using frozen girasoli). As you cook the girasoli, turn the heat under the sauce to high and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. As the girasoli are ready, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the pan with the sauce. Cook, moving the pan around so the girasoli get an even coating of sauce, until the sauce has thickened a bit. Place 8 girasoli in each of four plates, placing 1 in the center and the other 7 all around it, making the shape of a sunflower. Finish each plate with 2 teaspoons of the grated cheese.
Quickly combine the microgreens, tomatoes, and pine nuts in a medium bowl. Lightly dress the salad with the dressing (reserve any remaining dressing for another use) and divide the salad among the plates. Serve immediately.
LUCA’S TIP: You can leave the salad out of this recipe if you’d like to make it easier, but the salad and dressing bring extra levels of flavor that make this what I consider a restaurant-quality dish.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND AMARETTI MEZZELUNE
Pumpkin ravioli in a butter and sage sauce is a typical dish from Friuli. I like to use butternut squash instead of pumpkin and add amaretto cookies for extra flavor, a little sweetness, and crunch. Italian grandmothers would tell you to mark the round side of the mezzelune (or “half-moon”) with a fork, but I think it looks more modern without any marks. Making ravioli is a time investment, but you’ll soon get really good at it, and at the end of your work, you’ll have a freezer stocked with the makings of several great impromptu meals.
Pastry bag or zip-top plastic bag, manual pasta rolling machine, pastry brush, 3-inch (7.5-cm) round cookie cutter
1 (1 1/2-pound/680-g) butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes
6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 medium red onion, roughly chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup (120 g) panko bread crumbs
¼ cup (60 g) ricotta cheese, homemade (this page) or good-quality store-bought
¼ cup (25 g) freshly grated Grana Padano
¼ cup (30 g) crushed amaretti cookies
00 flour (see this page)
1 recipe Fresh Pasta Dough (this page)
1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
½ cup (120 ml) vegetable stock, homemade (this page) or good-quality store-bought
4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons freshly grated Grana Padano
4 teaspoons crushed amaretti cookies
Serves 4, with lots of mezzelune left over for you to freeze and cook up later (makes about 96 mezzelune)
FIRST, WE’LL MAKE THE FILLING:
Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. Place the squash, garlic, and red onion on the lined baking sheet and add the rosemary and thyme. Season heavily with salt and pepper, drizzle the oil on top, and toss everything with your hands to coat. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the squash is very soft. Remove from the oven and let cool. Remove the thyme and rosemary (don’t worry if you don’t get it all).
Place the baked vegetables in a food processor; add the bread crumbs, ricotta, and Grana Padano and process until smooth. Add the cookies and process to combine. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper, if needed. Let cool completely. (The filling can be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated. Remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before you are ready to fill your mezzelune.) Spoon the filling into a pastry bag or into a ziptop plastic bag with one corner snipped off when you’re ready to fill the mezzelune.
ROLL OUT THE DOUGH AND FILL THE MEZZELUNE:
Clamp your pasta machine to a long counter or worktable and dust the work surface with 00 flour. Divide the dough into four to six pieces (I recommend using smaller pieces if you are new to making fresh pasta).
Working with one piece at a time and keeping the other pieces wrapped in plastic, dust the dough lightly in flour and flatten it a little with your hands, then set the machine to 1 (the thickest setting) and run the pasta through, adding a little more flour if it starts to stick. Set the machine to 2 and run the flattened dough through again. Repeat, setting the machine to progressively thinner settings (higher numbers), dusting with 00 flour as needed, until you reach the thinnest setting. When you get to the final level, dust your work surface with semolina flour to prevent it from sticking.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and generously sprinkle it with semolina flour. Lay the pasta-dough sheet flat on your work surface and brush the dough with some egg wash mixture. Using your cookie cutter as a guide, squeeze about 1-teaspoon mounds of filling into the middle of the cutter for each mezzeluna, then move the cookie cutter up the pasta sheet and repeat. Create another row of filling mounds alongside the first, again using the cookie cutter as a guide. Use the cutter to cut out the circles of dough with the filling in the middle. Fold one circle in half; if the edges of the dough don’t stick together, brush them with some egg wash. Repeat with the remaining circles of dough, placing the sealed mezzelune on the baking sheet and leaving a little space between them as you go. Sprinkle them with additional semolina flour. Immediately transfer the baking sheet to the freezer. Begin rolling out and filling the remaining pieces of dough, one at a time. By the time you finish the next batch, the batch before it will be solid and ready to be popped into a freezer container or bag (if you were to place them straight into the bag before freezing them, they would stick together). Continue until you have run out of dough or filling. If you are completing the dish for tonight’s dinner, leave 32 mezzelune on a baking sheet and cover with a dampened dish towel.
NOW WE’LL MAKE A SAUCE AND FINISH THE DISH:
Combine the stock, 2 tablespoons of the butter, and the sage in a large sauté pan. Bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper and turn off the heat.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the mezzelune in batches and cook until they float to the top, about 1 minute (2 minutes if you are using frozen mezzelune). As you cook the mezzelune, turn the heat under the sauce to high and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. As the mezzelune are ready, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the pan with the sauce. Cook, moving the pan around so the mezzelune get an even coating of sauce, until the sauce has thickened a bit. Place 8 mezzelune and 2 sage leaves apice on four plates, and sprinkle each plate with 1 teaspoon of the grated cheese and 1 teaspoon of the crushed cookies. Serve immediately.
MUSHROOM AND MASCARPONE QUADRATTI
Quadratti di Funghi e Mascarpone
When mushrooms are in season, I like to put them in just about everything. The delicious mushroom filling in this dish gets very creamy thanks to the addition of mascarpone. If you can’t find mascarpone, you can use ricotta instead. You can use any type of mushrooms you like, and this isn’t really the time to go all out with specialty wild mushrooms, as everything will be blended together in the end. Quadratti means “square,” the shape of this ravioli; I use a pasta wheel to cut out my squares. Don’t worry if they don’t all look the same—that’s the beauty of handmade pasta.
Pastry bag or zip-top bag, manual pasta rolling machine, pastry brush, pasta wheel with fluted edge
4 tablespoons (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
8 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 shallots, very thinly sliced
1 3/4 pounds (800 g) mushrooms, sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup (13 g) finely chopped fresh parsley
4 slices (about 3 ounces/85 g) white sandwich bread, cubed
1 cup (230 g) imported Italian mascarpone cheese (such as Galbani or Polenghi), at room temperature
¼ cup (25 g) freshly grated Grana Padano
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
00 flour (see this page)
1 recipe Fresh Pasta Dough (this page)
1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
1 cup (240 ml) vegetable stock, homemade (this page) or good-quality store-bought
4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup (20 g) chopped fresh parsley
8 teaspoons freshly grated Grana Padano
Serves 4, with lots of quadratti left over for you to freeze and cook up later (makes about 84 quadratti)
FIRST, WE’LL MAKE THE FILLING:
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and one-quarter of the shallots and cook for 2 minutes. Add one-quarter of the mushrooms, 1 rosemary sprig, and 1 thyme sprig and season with salt and pepper (the salt helps to release the moisture from the mushrooms). Sear the mushrooms, without moving them, for 2 to 3 minutes, until nicely browned on the underside. Turn the mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes more, until softened and nicely browned all over. Transfer the mushrooms to a baking sheet, keeping as much of the garlic in the pan as you can. Repeat the process for three more batches, transferring each batch to the baking sheet as it is finished. Remove the rosemary and thyme and return all the mushrooms to the pan; sauté until well softened, about 5 minutes. Add the parsley and remove from the heat. Let cool completely.
Measure out 1 cup of the mushrooms and set them aside for the sauce. Place the remaining mushrooms in a food processor. Add the bread, mascarpone, Grana Padano, and thyme leaves and process for about 30 seconds, until smooth with small flecks of mushroom showing. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper, if needed. (The filling can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Remove it from the refrigerator 1 hour before you are ready to fill the quadratti.) Spoon the filling into a pastry bag or a zip-top plastic bag with one corner snipped off just before you’re ready to fill the quadratti.
ROLL OUT THE DOUGH AND FILL THE QUADRATTI:
Clamp your pasta machine to a long counter or worktable and dust the work surface with 00 flour. Divide the dough into four to six pieces (I recommend using smaller pieces if you are new to making fresh pasta). Working with one piece at a time and keeping the other pieces wrapped in plastic, dust the dough lightly with flour and flatten it a little with your hands, then set the machine to 1 (the thickest setting) and run the pasta through, adding a little more flour if it starts to stick. Set the machine to 2 and run the flattened dough through again. Repeat, setting the machine to progressively thinner settings (higher numbers), dusting with 00 flour as needed, until you reach the thinnest setting. When you get to the final level, dust your work surface with semolina flour to prevent it from sticking.
Fold the dough in half crosswise to find the halfway point, then carefully unfold it and return it to the counter. Brush half of the dough with some egg wash mixture. From the pastry bag or zip-top bag, squeeze out about 2-teaspoon mounds of filling for each quadratti, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) between each mound on all sides. Fold the other half of the pasta sheet over the filled side and carefully press the two layers together to seal them, pressing around the mounds of filling and taking care to remove any air pockets.
Using your pasta wheel, cut 2 1/2-inch (6-cm) square quadratti, with the mounds of filling in the middle of each. Place the quadratti on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet generously sprinkled with semolina flour, leaving a little space between them as you go. Sprinkle with additional semolina flour. Immediately transfer the baking sheet to the freezer. Begin rolling out and filling the remaining pieces of dough, one at a time. By the time you finish the next batch, the batch before it will be solid and ready to be popped into a freezer container or bag (if you were to place them straight into the bag before freezing them, they would stick together). Continue until you have run out of dough or filling. If you are completing the dish for tonight’s dinner, reserve 28 quadratti on a baking sheet and cover them with a dampened dish towel.
NOW WE’LL MAKE A SAUCE AND FINISH THE DISH:
Combine the stock, 2 tablespoons of the butter, and the thyme in a large sauté pan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper and reduce the heat to low.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the quadratti in batches and cook until they float to the top, about 1 minute (2 minutes if you are using frozen quadratti). As you are cook the quadratti, turn the heat under the sauce to high, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the reserved 1 cup of mushrooms, and the parsley. As the batches are ready, use a slotted spoon to transfer the quadratti to the pan with the sauce. Cook, moving the pan around so the quadratti get an even coating of sauce, until the sauce has thickened a bit. Place 7 quadratti on each of four plates, dividing the mushrooms evenly on top. Finish each plate with 2 teaspoons of cheese.
Here I was assigned to the dreaded steamer to make scallop and shrimp dumplings in the heat of Chef Wolfgang Puck’s WP24 kitchen in Los Angeles for forty-something guests. I survived, and we won the challenge.
There is nothing that speaks to me more during the Christmas season than tortellini in brodo. Christmas Day was always spent at my grandparents’ home: Nonna Anita would make the same favorite dishes every year, and tortellini was one of them. I started making tortellini myself for the first time just a few years ago. This dish takes some time, between braising the meat, cooking the chicken broth, and putting the tortellini together, but there are few things as rewarding as sitting down and eating a bowl of veal tortellini in chicken broth and knowing you made them with your own hands. You may just start your own holiday tradition!
Tortellini are usually served in chicken stock, but I will teach you how to make an elegant and clear chicken consommé. You will just need some chicken stock, cheesecloth, and egg whites. Of course, the tortellini can be served in regular chicken stock, but I like my broth to be as clear as possible for this special-occasion dish.
Pastry bag or zip-top plastic bag, manual pasta rolling machine, pastry brush, pasta wheel with flat edge
8 ounces (225 g) veal stew meat, cut into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 small leek, white and light green parts, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 cup (240 ml) chicken stock, homemade (this page) or good-quality store-bought
1 slice crustless white bread, cut into very small cubes
¼ cup (60 g) ricotta cheese, homemade (this page) or good-quality store-bought
2 tablespoons freshly grated Grana Padano
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
00 flour (see this page)
1 recipe Fresh Pasta Dough (this page)
1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
2 quarts (2 L) cold chicken stock, homemade (this page) or good-quality store-bought
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons very finely chopped fresh chives
4 teaspoons freshly grated Grana Padano
Serves 4, with lots of tortellini left over for you to freeze and cook up later (makes about 120 tortellini)
Place the oxtail and veal on a baking sheet and season heavily with salt and pepper on both sides. Drizzle a little oil on top and brush it over the meat.
In a large saucepan, heat the 2 teaspoons of oil over medium-high heat until screaming hot. Add the meat and sear for about 5 minutes on each side, until browned all over.
Return the meat to the baking sheet, reduce the heat to medium, and add the onions, carrots, celery, leeks, and garlic to the saucepan. Season with salt and pepper and cook the vegetables, scraping the pan to release any browned bits from the bottom, for 8 to 10 minutes, until softened. Add the wine and cook for 5 minutes to reduce it.
Return the meat to the pan, add the rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves, and cook for 5 minutes, then add the stock, tomato paste, and 2 cups (480 ml) of warm water. Return to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover with foil, and cook at a low simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 2 hours, until the meat is fork-tender. It’s ready when the meat comes off the bone by lightly pulling it apart with your hands and the juices have reduced to a thick sauce (the longer you braise, the more flavor the meat and sauce will have). If the sauce hasn’t reduced fully, raise the heat to high and cook until the sauce has thickened and coats the meat well. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Remove the rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves and remove the meat from the bone. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
Place the braised meat and vegetables in a food processor and pulse to incorporate the ingredients. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the bread, ricotta, Grana Padano, and parsley. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed. (The filling can be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated. Remove it from the refrigerator 1 hour before you are ready to roll and fill your tortellini.) Spoon the filling into a pastry bag or a ziptop plastic bag with one corner snipped off when you are ready to fill the tortellini.
NEXT, WE’LL ROLL OUT THE DOUGH AND FILL THE TORTELLINI:
Clamp your pasta machine to a long counter or worktable and dust the work surface with 00 flour. Divide the dough into four to six pieces (I recommend using smaller pieces if you are new to making fresh pasta). Working with one piece at a time and keeping the other pieces wrapped in plastic, dust the dough lightly in flour and flatten it a little with your hands, then set the machine to 1 (the thickest setting) and run the pasta through, adding a little more flour if it starts to stick. Set the machine to 2 and run the flattened dough through again. Repeat, setting the machine to progressively thinner settings (higher numbers), dusting with 00 flour as needed, until you reach the thinnest level. When you get to the final level, dust your work surface with semolina flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Lay the sheet of dough out flat on your work surface and brush the dough with some egg wash mixture. From the pastry bag or zip-top bag, squeeze out two rows of about 1-teaspoon mounds of filling for each tortellini up the sheet of dough, leaving about 1 1/4 inch (3.2 cm) between them on all sides. Using the pasta wheel, cut lengthwise between the rows and then cut crosswise around the filling to make 2 1/2-inch (6-cm) squares, with the filling in the center. Take a square and fold it into a triangle shape, pressing the top corners together and then sealing along the sides. Set the pocket of filling against the nail of your index finger with the peak of the triangle facing up, and wrap the two side corners around your finger. Press tightly to seal. If the two edges don’t stick together, brush with a little egg wash. Place the shaped tortellini on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet sprinkled with semolina flour.
Sprinkle with additional semolina flour. Immediately transfer the baking sheet to the freezer. Begin rolling out and filling the remaining pieces of dough, one at a time. By the time you finish the next batch, the batch before it will be solid and ready to be popped into a freezer container or bag (if you were to place them straight into the bag before freezing them, they would stick together). Continue until you have run out of dough or filling. If you are completing the dish for tonight’s dinner, remove 40 tortellini on a baking sheet and cover with a dampened dish towel.
NOW, WE’LL MAKE THE BROTH AND FINISH THE DISH:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until they form stiff peaks. Line a large strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth and place it over a large saucepan. Scoop some of the whipped egg whites on top of the cheesecloth to cover the strainer. Very slowly pour the stock through the strainer over the egg whites. The egg whites will absorb all the impurities and some of the cloudy fat particles in the stock.
Repeat this process until you get the broth as clear as you like, using up the remaining egg whites. Or you can skip this step and simply heat up your chicken stock and proceed with the recipe.
Bring the broth to a boil and season it with salt and pepper. Lower the tortellini into the broth a few at a time with a slotted spoon. Stir occasionally to prevent the tortellini from sticking to the pan or each other and cook until they float to the top. As they are done, transfer them to four individual serving bowls with a slotted spoon, 10 tortellini to a bowl, then pour 2 cups (480 ml) of the broth over each portion. Sprinkle with the chives and cheese.
Cappelletti: Instead of cooking and serving your tortellini in chicken broth, cook them in boiling water, drain, and serve them in the butter and sage sauce that I use for my gnocchi recipe on this page. Chicken broth is the most common way to serve this dish, but in some areas around Italy this is the preferred style.
LUCA’S TIP: Use the remaining egg yolks from the broth to make my grandmother’s zabaglione on this page.
CHESTNUT PAPPARDELLE WITH BRAISED VEAL
Pappardelle di Castagne con Vitello Brasato
This is the best pasta dish I’ve ever made. It calls for cold weather and red wine; it’s something to make on a fall Sunday when the whole family is at home, the kids are playing outside, and the meat is slowly braising on the stove. Get a nice bottle of red wine for this meal.
Pappardelle is a very rustic type of pasta—that’s why it is usually served with braised meat—so it is fine to keep it on the thick side. When you’re making fresh pasta (especially when you’re using new flours like the chestnut flour called for in this recipe) it is very important to understand how much flour you need to add to get the dough elastic and soft. It is a hard thing to teach, but a bit of practice will give you a feel for how it works. For this recipe, when you roll the pasta, don’t be afraid to go hard with the flour. This will not be a filled pasta, so you can work it a little more, and it’s OK if it’s not as elastic as for the other recipes in this section.
1 pound (455 g) veal stew meat, cut into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces
1 pound (455 g) veal breast, cut into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces
1 pound (455 g) veal neck or other bones
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
2 white onions, finely chopped
1 cup (130 g) finely chopped carrots
1 cup (130 g) finely chopped celery
1 cup (115 g) finely chopped leeks, white and light green parts
6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 cups (480 ml) chicken stock, homemade (this page) or good-quality store-bought
1 (14.5-ounce/415-g) can chopped San Marzano tomatoes (with juice)
¼ cup (15 g) dried mushrooms, soaked in warm water to cover for 30 minutes and drained
00 flour (see this page)
1 batch Fresh Pasta Dough (this page), made using half 00 flour and half chestnut flour
¼ cup (10 g) finely chopped fresh parsley
Place the meat on a baking sheet and season heavily with salt and pepper on both sides. Drizzle a little oil on top and brush it over the meat.
In a very large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until screaming hot. Add the veal neck or bones and sear for about 5 minutes on each side, until well browned. Return them to the baking sheet, add the veal stew meat and breast meat to the pan, and sear for about 5 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Return the meat to the baking sheet.
Add a little more oil to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and add the onions, carrots, celery, leeks, and garlic. Cook, scraping the pan to release any browned bits from the bottom, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.
Return the meat to the pan. Raise the heat to medium-high, add the wine, and cook for 5 minutes to reduce it, then add the stock, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves. Return to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes (with juice) and mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover with foil, and cook at a low simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 3 hours, until the meat is fork-tender. Remove the rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves and discard them.
Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl. Transfer the meat and vegetables with the braising liquid to the strainer, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to get out all the juices. Set the liquid aside and place the meat and vegetables on a baking sheet. Pull the meat apart into chunks, discarding any fat and cartilage that you find; it’s OK if small bits remain. You can keep some or all of the vegetables. I like to keep about a third of the veggies, and definitely all of the garlic! Rinse the pan in which you braised the meat, return the meat and vegetables to the pan, and add a little of the reserved braising liquid; set aside the remaining braising liquid (you’ll need more of it later to moisten the pasta). (The braise can be cooked a day ahead, cooled completely, and refrigerated. Reheat just before serving.)
NOW WE’LL ROLL THE PAPPARDELLE:
Clamp your pasta machine to a long counter or worktable and dust the work surface with 00 flour. Divide the dough into four to six pieces (I recommend using smaller pieces if you are new to making fresh pasta). Working with one piece at a time and keeping the other pieces wrapped in plastic, dust the dough lightly in flour and flatten it a little with your hands, then set the machine to 1 (the thickest setting) and run the pasta through, adding a little more flour if it starts to stick. Set the machine to 2 and run the flattened dough through again. Repeat, setting the machine to progressively thinner settings (higher numbers), dusting with 00 flour as needed, to the third thinnest level. Dust your work surface with semolina flour. Cut the dough into more or less 12-inch (30-cm) rectangles, then cut the rectangles into approximately 1 1/2-inch (4-cm) strips to make pappardelle. Immediately place the pappardelle on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet generously dusted with semolina flour. Sprinkle with more semolina flour and cover with a damp dish towel. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, making sure to sprinkle every layer with semolina flour so the pappardelle don’t stick to one another. Sticking is easily avoided, but if it does happen, you’ll probably have to throw everything away, and that would be very sad! If you are not cooking the pappardelle, freeze them on the baking sheet, then transfer them to freezer containers for storage.
AND NOW TO FINISH AND SERVE THE DISH:
Warm up the meat and vegetables, adding a little of the reserved braising liquid to coat it.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Quickly add the pappardelle one at a time in batches and cook for about 1 minute (2 minutes if you are using frozen pappardelle), until al dente, removing them with tongs and transferring them to the pan with the meat as they are cooked and returning the water to a boil before adding the next batch. Be careful, as they can overcook very quickly and break. Add more braising liquid to the pan with the meat, if needed, to give the pasta a good coating of sauce. Add a drizzle or two of oil and the parsley and spoon the pasta, meat, and vegetables into bowls. Serve sprinkled with the cheese.
LUCA’S TIPS: It is important that you don’t overcrowd the pan when you sear the meat. If there is too much meat in the pot, the meat will release its juices rather than keep them in and will actually boil rather than sear.
Instead of veal neck or other bones, you can ask the butcher to save you the bones from the veal breast.
Chestnut flour may be hard to find, but Italian grocery stores often carry it through fall and winter. When you’re making the pasta dough for this recipe, use half 00 flour and half chestnut flour. All the rest is the same. Chestnut flour can be very sweet, and it is often used in desserts; I cut the chestnut flour with 00 flour for the pasta dough so it doesn’t get too sweet. If you can’t find chestnut flour, using all 00 flour will be just fine.
You can cook any meat in this style. In Italy, pappardelle with wild boar is a very common dish; I also like to make it with lamb.
SPINACH GNOCCHI WITH SMOKED RICOTTA
Gnocchi di Spinaci con Ricotta Affumicata
Every time I go back to Friuli, I have to go into one of the osterie and order a plate of this very classic dish from my region. Gnocchi are the opposite of pasta in a way, as the gnocchi dough doesn’t require any kneading.
You’ll get used to making gnocchi once you try it a few times. The tricky thing about them is you can’t know how they are going to turn out until you cook them. Some potatoes have more starch in them than others, so sometimes you may need less flour, but it can be hard to tell. The best thing to do is to try to use the same type of potatoes each time; if the first time you make them they don’t feel as soft and light as you’d like, add less flour next time.
My dad loves this dish with smoked ricotta shaved on top; once you buy the cheese for this recipe, you can use any that’s left over with any pasta dish.
2 cups (60 g) baby spinach leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds (910 g) unpeeled potatoes
1 3/4 cups (215 g) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
¼ cup (25 g) freshly grated Grana Padano
6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter
1 cup (240 ml) vegetable stock, homemade (this page) or good-quality store-bought
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chunk of smoked ricotta cheese, for finishing
Place the spinach in a blender and add a pinch of salt and pepper and 2 ice cubes. Run the blender and gradually add the oil through the hole in the top until the puree is nice and smooth. (You can pass it through a strainer into a bowl to make it even smoother, if you’d like.) Let stand.
NOW WE’LL MAKE THE GNOCCHI DOUGH:
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and add cool water to cover. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, until softened. To test if your potatoes are cooked through, insert a knife into a potato. If it goes through without resistance, it is ready. Drain the potatoes, let cool just slightly, and peel while they are still hot.
Immediately pass the peeled potatoes through a food mill or potato ricer (it is important to do this when they are still hot!) into a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mashed potatoes. Whisk the 2 eggs, pour them into the well, and work them into the potatoes with a fork or your hands. In a small bowl, combine the salt and flour, then work the mixture into the potatoes. Then work in the cheese. Last, add about ¼ cup (60 ml) of the spinach puree, a little at a time, and work it into the mixture until all the ingredients are incorporated and smooth. Add more spinach puree if the dough feels too dry; add more flour if the dough feels too wet. Form the dough into the shape of a bread loaf.
AND THEN WE’LL FORM THE GNOCCHI:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the gnocchi dough into six pieces. Roll each piece into a rope that is 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.
Dust some flour onto your work surface, put the ropes on top as they are rolled, and dust the ropes with more flour. Then cut the ropes crosswise into gnocchi approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) long. I like to make mine a little smaller; you can choose the size you like best. Dust the gnocchi with flour, then transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. (If you’re not cooking your gnocchi right away, place the baking sheet in the freezer and leave it there until the gnocchi are frozen, about 1 hour, then transfer them to a freezer bag for storage.)
NEXT, START GETTING THE SAUCE READY:
Combine the butter and sage in a large sauté pan over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the stock, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
AND NOW, WE’LL COOK THE GNOCCHI:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi in batches and cook until they float to the top, transferring them directly to the sauce with a slotted spoon as they are ready. Spoon the gnocchi and sauce onto plates and use a vegetable peeler to shave a generous amount of cheese over each serving.
Arugula Gnocchi: Substitute an equal amount of arugula for the spinach.
LUCA’S TIP: If you cannot find smoked ricotta, you can use smoked mozzarella or any other smoked cheese. If you can’t find any smoked cheese, you should reconsider where you are doing your shopping … but any aged cheese could work as well.
ORECCHIETTE WITH ZUCCHINI, RICOTTA, AND MINT
Orecchiette con Zucchine, Ricotta e Menta
The last time I was in Italy, I had lunch with my dad in a restaurant called Europa e Dintorni in Valvasone, the small town where my dad was born. The owner of the restaurant was my old friend Enzo. Enzo made his way up in the retail business; when I met him he was the general manager of a huge electronics store. When I applied for a job there, he and his fellow managers interviewed me, and I could see that the other people were not interested, but I got the job anyway. Within a few months, I was promoted to manager of the mobile-phone department, and Enzo told me that it was funny, as those other managers didn’t really want me there in the first place because I didn’t have a degree (I was nineteen and had just dropped out of high school).
A few years later, Enzo opened his first restaurant. Then he opened a second one just as I happened to take a trip back to Italy. He was looking for help. We worked together for more than eight months to build a restaurant that would go on to seat a full house for almost every lunch and dinner. Eventually, it was time for me to go. New York City was calling, but I will never forget Enzo, my mentor in business and life and one of the first people who believed in me. This dish is one of my favorites from the restaurant.
1 (16-ounce/455-g) package orecchiette
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, very finely chopped
3 (about 1 1/3 pounds/600 g total) zucchini, ends trimmed, cut in half lengthwise, and sliced into thin half-moons
1 cup (240 g) ricotta cheese, homemade (this page) or good-quality store-bought
⅔ cup (25 g) finely chopped fresh mint leaves
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orecchiette, and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving a small amount of the cooking water. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and zucchini and immediately season with salt and pepper (the salt will help the vegetables to release water). Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes, adding some oil or water if you feel the pan is getting too dry, but remember—you want the zucchini to still have a bite, and adding too much water can cook it too fast and make it mushy.
Transfer the cooked pasta to the pan with the zucchini, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until almost all of the oil and water have been absorbed but the zucchini still has a bite. Add more pasta cooking water, if needed. Add the ricotta and mint and turn off the heat. Divide among four pasta bowls and sprinkle each with some Grana Padano.
One of my first MasterChef challenges was to cook a stunning dish with langoustines. If you watched the show, you know that it wasn’t a success at all. Chef Gordon Ramsay even called me a one-trick pony because he said I could cook only pasta.
Langoustines are very tiny lobsters with a delicate and sweet taste. They mostly come from the North, Mediterranean, and Adriatic seas, so they are not easily available in the States. It’s very hard for me to find them fresh, even here in New York City, so I’ll usually buy them frozen from the fish store. This dish can often be found in restaurants on the Adriatic coast, especially in Venice and Trieste.
1 pound (455 g) dried or fresh linguine
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 cups (300 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups (480 ml) fish stock, homemade (this page) or good-quality store-bought, plus more as needed
1 (14.5-ounce/415-g) can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
1 cup (40 g) thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
Place a langoustine on a work surface, belly facing down. Hold either side of the body with your thumb and forefinger and, using the tip of your knife, press down through the middle of the head to split it; continue to cut through the shell and entire body all the way through to cut the langoustine in half. Now we’ll clean it. On the tail you’ll see something that looks like a vein. Well, it’s not a vein, and you don’t want to eat it. Use the tip of your paring knife to pull it away. You’ll also need to remove the guts, which are located just below the head; they are tiny and should pull right out with a toothpick. Then you will notice something greenish in color in the head that does not look very appetizing. This is politely known as the tomalley, also known as the brain. Just trust me that it has a lot of flavor and leave it be. Repeat the process with the remaining langoustines.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until al dente. If the box says 11 minutes, I would take the pasta out at 9 minutes, as it will cook some more in the sauce. Drain the pasta and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
I had never gone camping in my life, so when the judges told us that we were going to spend the night out there, I was as excited as a kid at Christmas! Here I’m butchering pigeons with a Swiss Army knife.
Langoustines cook pretty fast, so this is how we’re going to do it: Season the langoustines with salt and pepper and have them at the ready.
In a large sauté pan with a lid, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil with the garlic over medium-high heat until screaming hot. Add half of the langoustines, meat-side down, and sear for about 3 minutes, until nicely browned on the underside (notice how the shells change color). Using tongs, transfer the langoustines to a baking sheet. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil to the sauté pan, then cook the remaining langoustines in the same way you cooked the first batch. Return the first batch of langoustines to the pan (keep the baking sheet handy; you’ll be using it again soon), add the cherry tomatoes, and toss for about 1 minute, until the juices start to come out of the tomatoes and coat the langoustines.
Turn off the heat and add the brandy. Keep the pan lid nearby. Carefully ignite the brandy with a long kitchen match or a burning wooden skewer. (This is called flambé, and it gives an incredible flavor.) The alcohol should burn off in a few seconds, and the flames will extinguish. If they don’t, quickly cover the pan with its lid. When the flames have subsided, return the heat to medium-high, add 1 cup (240 ml) of the stock, and bring to a simmer, scraping the pan to remove any browned bits from the bottom. Transfer the langoustines to the baking sheet you used earlier and set aside. (You’re removing them so they don’t overcook while the flavors come together in the sauce.) Stir in the crushed tomatoes (with juice), the remaining 1 cup (240 ml) stock, and the basil and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes to thicken the sauce a little and bring the flavors together.
Place the langoustines in the oven to warm through for about 5 minutes while you finish the dish.
Drop the pasta into the sauce and add the butter. Using tongs, move the pasta around in the pan; grab some noodles and pull them up and then drop them. You are working to get the pasta well coated with the sauce. Add more stock if the pan is looking dry. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt and pepper, if needed. Place 4 langoustine halves on each of four plates, meat-side up, forming a circle with them. Using your tongs, grab some pasta, put it in the middle of the circle of langoustines, and do a quick turn of the wrist while dropping it to form a mound on the plate. Spoon the sauce on top of the pasta with a little on the langoustines as well. Serve immediately.
LUCA’S TIPS: When cooking pasta, it’s very important that you move the pasta around in the water often to prevent sticking. Grab some noodles with tongs, pull them up, then release them back into the water; do this several times while the pasta is cooking.
Although I make this recipe with dry pasta (I usually use Barilla or De Cecco), of course it would also be great with fresh pasta. Now that you’ve learned to make pasta dough (see this page), you have the option of rolling out your dough and cutting out some linguine-, tagliolini-, or spaghetti-shaped pasta for this dish.
The first time we ate this lasagna at home in Italy was just a few years ago at a huge family reunion with twenty people seated around the dinner table. I remember the expression on people’s faces when we started digging in. I was almost surprised at how good it tasted. I’ve never been a big lasagna fan, but this one is something different. Cleaning and cutting artichokes can take some time, but I will tell you a secret if you promise you won’t tell my mother: Here I use canned artichokes that I revive with some seasoning and fresh basil.
The key to a great lasagna is a great béchamel sauce. Béchamel is considered one of the mother sauces, so it’s a good thing for any home cook to learn. Lasagna sheets are very easy to make (see the pasta dough recipe on this page), but for this recipe, it’s fine to use boxed pasta.
2 1/2 quarts (2.5 L) whole milk
¾ cup (180 ml) clarified butter (see this page)
¾ cup (90 g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 pounds (910 g) loose pork sausage or ground pork
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 (13.75-ounce/390-g) cans artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
¼ cup (10 g) thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1 pound (455 g) boxed or fresh lasagna noodles
1 pound (455 g) smoked mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 cups (150 g) freshly grated Grana Padano
FIRST, WE’LL MAKE OUR BÉCHAMEL:
Pour the milk into a large saucepan. Stick the cloves into the onion and drop the onion into the milk. Bring the milk to a simmer over medium-high heat, watching carefully so it doesn’t boil and stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom and sides of the pan.
Place the clarified butter (see this page) in a separate large saucepan, then add the flour a little at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon and making sure each addition is fully incorporated before you add the next. This paste is called a roux, and it’s often used to thicken sauces quickly. Keep on stirring for about 10 minutes to get rid of that raw flour taste and to darken it a shade or two (this would be called a blonde roux).
Remove the onion with a slotted spoon and discard. Slowly whisk the milk into the roux; make sure you whisk vigorously to avoid forming lumps. Keep on cooking and whisking, reducing the heat a little if it starts bubbling too much and reaching all the way down into the pan to make sure the sauce doesn’t stick to the bottom, until the sauce is smooth and velvety, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the heat. If you’d like a smoother sauce, you can pass it through a fine-mesh strainer or tamis, also known as a drum sieve. Add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
NOW WE’LL GET ALL OUR COMPONENTS READY FOR LAYERING:
You can do this while your béchamel is cooking. In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat, add the sausage or pork, and cook until the meat is seared on all sides, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add the wine, and continue cooking for about 3 minutes, until the wine has been absorbed. Remove from the heat.
Cut the artichokes into quarters, squeeze them of excess water, then pat them with paper towels to absorb most of the remaining water. In a large sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the artichokes and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, turning them just when they start to get golden brown (it’s fine if they start to break up a bit). Stir in the basil. Add the sausage to the artichokes and cook together for 2 to 3 minutes to join the flavors. Remove from the heat and set aside.
THEN WE’LL COOK THE LASAGNA NOODLES:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles to the water in batches and cook according to the package directions (if you’re using fresh lasagna noodles, you won’t need to cook them). As the batches are ready, fish the noodles out one by one using tongs and lay them on the baking sheet; drizzle some oil between the noodles as you pile them on so they don’t stick together.
NOW WE’RE READY TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE THE LASAGNA:
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Brush a high-sided 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking pan with butter and place it on top of a baking sheet to catch any potential bubbly overflow. Brush a sheet of foil with butter as well.
Cover the bottom of the baking pan with a layer of noodles (you will be making three noodle layers total), overlapping the edges so there are no gaps in your base. Spoon half of the sausage mixture on top. Cover with half of the mozzarella, one-third of the Grana Padano, and one-third of the béchamel. Repeat with another layer of pasta, followed by the remaining artichoke-sausage mixture, the remaining smoked mozzarella cheese, one-third of the remaining Grana Padano, and one-third of the béchamel. Finish with a third and final layer of noodles and cover with the remaining béchamel. Top evenly with the remaining Grana Padano. Cover with the foil, butter-side down, and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, until browned on top and bubbly. Let sit for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
LUCA’S TIPS: If you’re super-organized and happen to have two large sauté pans, you can start the artichokes while both the béchamel and sausage are cooking. If not, simply transfer the sausage to a bowl when it’s done and cook your artichokes in the same pan.
If you’re not using your béchamel right away, you can keep it warm in a bain-marie: Fill a large saucepan with 4 inches (10 cm) of water and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Place the béchamel in a heatproof bowl that fits into the pan snugly without touching the water, and place the bowl over the simmering water; stir occasionally until you’re ready to assemble your lasagna.
If you can’t find loose sausage, simply remove sausage from its casing before cooking.
When we clarify butter, we are removing the milk solids from the butterfat, leaving us with a clear golden fat that can be cooked to higher temperatures than regular butter. Clarified butter has many uses, particularly when it comes to sauce-making—it is used in such favorites as hollandaise and béarnaise. Also, clarified butter doesn’t spoil as easily as ordinary butter, so you can keep it for quite a long time, up to three months in the refrigerator.
Gently melt two sticks of unsalted butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat. The milk solids (the white residue) will separate and fall to the bottom of the pan, and foam will form on the surface (this is a mixture of some of the milk solids and the water from the butter boiling off). As the butter simmers, use a ladle to skim the foam from the surface of the liquefied butter. In a few minutes, you’ll have skimmed off most of the milk solids, leaving just the pure yellow butterfat. Carefully pour the clarified butter into a storage container, being sure to leave behind any solids remaining at the bottom of the pan, cover, and refrigerate. Two sticks of butter will leave you with about ¾ cup (180 ml) clarified butter.
