SUMMER
2021
Aeolian lasagna: The recipes of the Belvedere Salina
This recipe is based on one of the slow food presidia of the island of Salina, the Caper.
The Salina caper is, among the Sicilian capers, the most fragrant, compact, and tasty. Of the evergreen shrub capable of giving splendid flowers with purple hues, the buds, the capers, and the fruits of the cucunci are eaten. Both capers and cucunci can be preserved in salt, oil and vinegar.
Salina caper is an effective antioxidant, being rich in flavonoids, capable of counteracting the action of free radicals and protecting blood vessels, and intervening on the body's inflammatory processes. The caper harvest takes place from the end of May to the end of August at regular intervals of about 10 days. Once harvested, the capers are spread on jute sheets in a cool environment to avoid flowering. In the following days, they are salted with coarse sea salt and stirred from time to time to prevent salt and heat from compromising their quality.
Remember that before being used, capers must be desalted, i.e. placed in water at room temperature. The water must be about double the quantity to be desalted and must be changed often before use. However, we recommend tasting them before use.
Now we come to some practical advice on how to use them.
Ingredients for 6 servings:
250g of fresh or dry lasagna
Pesto with capers:
25g of desalted Salina capers
55g of fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
1 clove of garlic
30g of toasted almonds
150g of extra virgin olive oil
Place all the ingredients in a mixer and proceed to blend until everything is creamy and well blended.
Soft bechamel:
50g of butter
50g of flour
375g of milk
125g of water
Melt the butter over low heat, add the flour trying not to form lumps, add the milk and water, and stir, dissolving the lumps until the liquid thickens. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
Once cooled, add the caper pesto to the béchamel and mix well.
Prepare the lasagna. Blanch them in boiling salted water for 1 minute for each lasagna leaf and then dip them in cold water, in this way they will be softer.
Place a little caper and béchamel sauce on the bottom of the pan and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and arrange the first layer of lasagna. Proceed by putting the caper and béchamel sauce on each layer, a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and fresh stretched curd cheese. Complete the last layer only with the caper sauce and plenty of chopped toasted almonds.
Bake in a hot oven (about 180°) for about 30-40 min.
Before serving, let it rest for about 15 minutes.
Enjoy your meal!
Credits to Francesca Cincotta