Lasagne al Radicchio (Italian White Lasagna with Chicory)

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.

Lasagna:
9 oz lasagne, fresh or dried (250 g)
2 shallots peeled and finely chopped
24 oz radicchio (Italian chicory) I used 2 Treviso radicchio but you can use the round one as well (700 g)
(7 oz) taleggio, brie, fontina, robiola or scamorza (200 g)
3 oz Parmesan or Grana, grated (90 g)
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
3-4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Béchamel (White Sauce):
1.4 oz butter (40 g)
1.4 oz all purpose flour (40 g)
17 oz milk (500 mL)
1-2 pinches nutmeg, grated

Peel and finely chop the shallots. cut the taleggio cheese into cubes. Wash the radicchio and cut it into thin strips.

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.

Make the Béchamel (White Sauce):
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.

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.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, Gas Mark 4).

Assembly:
In a large bowl combine the radicchio, half the grated cheese and the béchamel sauce, mix well and, if necessary, add salt.

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.

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.

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.

Makes 4 servings.

Cook's Notes: This is one of the simplest versions of this traditional recipe. Some people also add fried speck or pancetta or walnuts or gorgonzola, instead of soft white cheese. All these additions make for a really tasty lasagna too. Instead of taleggio, which may be difficult to find outside of Italy, you can use brie, scamorza, robiola or fontina.