Lasagna with Artichokes

Is a first course proposal with a rich, very tasty, vegetarian flavor, a perfect variant to the classic lasagna with meat sauce; a meeting of flavors where the artichoke, considered the true "king of Winter and vegetables" with its characteristic unique bitter-sweet flavor, meets a velvety and creamy béchamel and binds surprisingly well to fresh cheese. A first course where the artichokes are enhanced by sweet gorgonzola cheese and stracchino, which should be served strictly hot to obtain a 'stringy' result. A vegetable, the artichoke, much appreciated in the kitchen for its versatility, the protagonist of many delicacies that also boasts countless nutritional properties; known since ancient times at the time of the Egyptians, Romans and Greeks for its antioxidant virtues that fight free radicals, purifying, detoxifying and diuretic. There are numerous varieties in our country, one of the largest producers together with France and Spain: there are about 90 of them. Thorny but with a tender heart, they are the protagonists of many starred recipes. For such an important dish in flavor, it is essential to combine a wine capable of enhancing its characteristics, creating a pleasant harmony on the palate. Now let's see what we need to make our Artichoke Lasagna. Ingredients for the puff pastry 400 grams of white flour 4 eggs a pinch of salt Ingredients for the lasagna Homemade egg lasagna 300 grams of sweet gorgonzola 200 grams of stracchino or crescenza 100 grams of ricotta 10/12 artichokes a clove of garlic 1 glass of white wine salt extra virgin olive oil Ingredients for the béchamel sauce 1 liter of milk 100 grams of butter 80 grams of white flour salt nutmeg to taste You will also need Grated Grana Padano a knob of butter Preparation Prepare the lasagna and put 400 grams of white flour with 4 eggs and salt in the planetary mixer and start kneading. We work for a long time to obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough that we put on the work table and cover with an upside-down bowl. Let it rest for 30 minutes. Wash and peel the artichokes (a tip: use kitchen gloves or rub your hands with lemon juice to prevent your hands from staining due to the substances inside the vegetable that oxidize in the air) and after removing the stem, cut the tip to a height of 3 meters. Peel the artichoke by removing the outer leaves that are hard, cut it into wedges and remove the beard; Remove the outer layer from the stem which is woody and cut it into small pieces. Put our peeled artichokes in a bowl with water and lemon. In a large pan put a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the clove of garlic, let it flavor and add the artichokes, deglaze with white wine, cover with a lid and continue cooking for about fifteen minutes. In the meantime, after the resting time of the dough, roll it out into a thin sheet and cut it into rectangles. Prepare the béchamel sauce and put the 100 grams of butter in a saucepan, melt, salt, add the flour and toast for a few minutes. Add the hot milk and, stirring constantly, cook for the time necessary to obtain a smooth and velvety cream, turn off the heat and add nutmeg to taste. Add the stracchino, gorgonzola and ricotta to our béchamel sauce and mix well. In a baking dish, spread a drizzle of béchamel sauce, the lasagna patches, the artichokes, the parmesan cheese, more béchamel and continue until all the ingredients are used up. Finish with the béchamel sauce, a sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese and flakes of butter. Bake at 200 C degrees until golden brown.