Alma Bax Brandade is a traditional Provençal dish made from bread soaked in olive oil, garlic, and herbs. This recipe adds broccolini to the mix for a hearty vegetable side.
Sauce:
- 1 small onion, diced into 14-inch chunks
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 12 CUP TOMATOES, DICED (high-quality canned tomatoes are fine)
- freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 14 teaspoon red pepper flakes (spicy)
Lasagna:
- salt kosher
- 12 pound broccoli rabe, stems removed (tough or split), washed
- 5 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
- 3 big leeks, stripped of roots and tough outer leaves, thinly sliced crosswise, and rapidly swirled in a basin of cold water to remove any grit
- black pepper, freshly ground
- 4 chopped garlic cloves
- 14 teaspoon red pepper flakes (spicy)
- Fresh Pasta (eight 6—8-inch sheets)
- 1 Morue Brandade recipe
- 12 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 14 cup Pecorino Romano, freshly grated
- 4 teaspoons rinsed capers for garnish
Instructions:
Brandade would be too rich a filling for lasagna by itself – you’d be full after a mouthful or two— The strong broccoli rabe taste and the moderate acidity of the tomato sauce, however, keep the brandade in check.
- In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, approximately 4 minutes. Cook for approximately a minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the sugar and red pepper flakes. Reduce to a low heat and cook for 20 minutes. Thin the sauce with a little water while it cooks if it looks too thick.
- Blend the sauce in a blender until smooth. If desired, strain and put aside.
- Season a big saucepan of water with salt and bring to a boil. Make an ice bath in a big dish. Toss the broccoli rabe into the boiling water and simmer for 4 minutes, or until tender. Scoop out the broccoli and place it in the cold water to stop it from cooking. Drain and pat dry once it has cooled. Chop coarsely and put aside.
- In a large saute pan, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the leeks are soft, approximately 4 minutes. Cook for approximately a minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Season with salt and pepper, then throw in the broccoli rabe and red pepper flakes. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool.
- Season a new pot of water with salt and bring to a boil. Make a second dish of cold water. On the counter, lay down a piece of plastic wrap big enough to accommodate one sheet of spaghetti. Blanch the pasta sheets for 1 minute in hot water, stirring frequently. Drain the sheets in a strainer and place them in the ice bath right away. Stir the sheets gently for approximately 30 seconds, or until they’ve cooled. Remove one spaghetti sheet from the package, drain it, and place it on the plastic wrap. Remove and drain a second pasta sheet, then put it on top of the first and cover with plastic. (Work quickly; the pasta sheets may cling together if you leave them in the water too long.) Cover with a final layer of plastic wrap and repeat the procedure with the remaining sheets. Keep it aside until you’re ready to utilize it.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, rubbed into a 9—13-inch lasagna pan Combine the brandade and parsley in a mixing bowl. Place 2 spaghetti sheets side by side in the pan to cover the bottom. One-third of the brandade should be spread equally over the sheets. Cover with two additional sheets of spaghetti, one-third of the leek and broccoli rabe combination, and a quarter cup of the cheese. Repeat the stacking process two more times, ending with a layer of pasta sheets. Brush the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over the top and sprinkle the remaining 12 cup Pecorino Romano on top.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until the lasagna is cooked through and gently browned on top. Allow for a 5-minute break before cutting.
- Warm the sauce while the lasagna is resting. Using a sharp knife, cut the lasagna into four equal pieces. In the middle of each dish, make a pool of heated tomato sauce. In the middle of each pool of sauce, place a dish of lasagna. Serve with capers on the side.
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Ben Austin 