Bianca Lasagna With Pesto Recipes

PESTO LASAGNE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter a 13 by 9 by 4 baking dish and add a thin layer of besciamella (bechamel sauce). Cover with a layer of lasagna noodles, and then another thin layer of besciamella. Gently spread about 4 tablespoons pesto across the surface, and then top with about 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Repeat until you finish layering the lasagne. Top with a final layer of noodles and spread a final very thin layer besciamella, pesto, Parmesan cheese and a little butter to help the cheese crisp-up when cooked in the oven.
• Cook the lasagne for about 30 minutes. Serve dressed with some Parmesan and a drop of extra-virgin olive oil.
• Fresh Pesto: Combine the basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil in a mortar and pestle and pound until paste forms. Add the Parmesan cheese, Pecorino cheese, salt and pepper and stir until smooth.
• Keep the pesto in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.
• Mix the pasta and the pesto...serve garnished with some grated Parmesan (just a touch), fresh ground pepper and a sprinkle of olive oil.
• Besciamella: Melt the 1/2 cup butter in a pan over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Cook's Note: This is an important moment, as you have to slowly toast the flour without burning it. This will help you lose the floury taste.
• Warm up the milk and gradually ladle into the pot with the butter-flour mixture, whisking constantly while bringing the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Season the sauce with freshly grated nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

BIANCA LASAGNA WITH PESTO

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, combined the asiago, mozzarella and Parmesan. In a separate medium bowl, combine the ricotta and egg. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring frequently and controlling the heat to prevent browning, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue whisking until the sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in 1/4 cup of the prepared pesto. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk 1/4 cup of the pesto cream sauce and the remaining 2 tablespoons prepared pesto into the ricotta mixture. Set aside the remaining sauce.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Working in batches, add the pasta sheets to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes; transfer to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet.
• Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with the olive oil. Add 1/2 cup of the pesto cream sauce to the bottom of the baking dish. Place 1 pasta sheet on top of the sauce. Spread 1/3 cup of the ricotta mixture evenly over the pasta and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the mozzarella mixture. Drizzle 1/3 cup pesto cream sauce over the cheese. Repeat the process, layering pasta, ricotta, mozzarella and pesto cream sauce twice more (3 layers in total). Finally finish with the fourth pasta sheet on top, and cover completely with the remaining pesto cream sauce and ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella mixture. Coat a large piece of aluminum foil with nonstick cooking spray and cover the lasagna; bake until bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and turn the oven to broil. Broil until the top is a spotty golden brown, about 3 minutes. Allow the lasagna to sit for 15 minutes before topping with the roasted pine nuts and chiffonade of basil. Slice and serve.

BIANCA LASAGNA WITH PESTO

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, combined the asiago, mozzarella and Parmesan. In a separate medium bowl, combine the ricotta and egg. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring frequently and controlling the heat to prevent browning, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue whisking until the sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in 1/4 cup of the prepared pesto. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk 1/4 cup of the pesto cream sauce and the remaining 2 tablespoons prepared pesto into the ricotta mixture. Set aside the remaining sauce.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Working in batches, add the pasta sheets to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes; transfer to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet.
• Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with the olive oil. Add 1/2 cup of the pesto cream sauce to the bottom of the baking dish. Place 1 pasta sheet on top of the sauce. Spread 1/3 cup of the ricotta mixture evenly over the pasta and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the mozzarella mixture. Drizzle 1/3 cup pesto cream sauce over the cheese. Repeat the process, layering pasta, ricotta, mozzarella and pesto cream sauce twice more (3 layers in total). Finally finish with the fourth pasta sheet on top, and cover completely with the remaining pesto cream sauce and ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella mixture. Coat a large piece of aluminum foil with nonstick cooking spray and cover the lasagna; bake until bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and turn the oven to broil. Broil until the top is a spotty golden brown, about 3 minutes. Allow the lasagna to sit for 15 minutes before topping with the roasted pine nuts and chiffonade of basil. Slice and serve.