Artichoke Lasagna

To prepare the artichoke lasagna, start with the cleaning of the artichokes: shorten the stem and peel the remaining part, then remove the outer leaves and the tips. Cut the artichokes into wedges and finally remove the choke 1. While proceeding with the recipe, keep them soaking in a bowl of water with a lemon cut in half, so they don't darken. Prepare a shallot mince 2 and sauté it in a saucepan with a drizzle of oil 3.

Add the well-drained artichokes 4 and brown them over medium heat for a few minutes, then deglaze with a glass of white wine 5 and salt 6.

When the alcohol has evaporated, cover with a lid and cook the artichokes for another 10 minutes 7. If during this time the artichokes become too dry, add half a cup of water. When they are cooked 8, roughly chop them with a knife 9.

Cut the taleggio 10 and provolone 11 into irregular cubes. Move on to preparing the béchamel: heat the milk flavored with salt and nutmeg 12.

In the meantime, melt the butter in another saucepan over low heat 13. Add the flour to the melted butter all at once 14 and stir quickly with a whisk to avoid forming lumps. When the flour is completely blended, thin the mixture first with a little hot milk 15 and then by pouring the rest.

Thicken the mixture, continuing to stir 16. You are ready to assemble the lasagna: cover the bottom of a 20x30 cm (8x12 inch) baking dish with a layer of béchamel 17, then lay down the first layer of pasta sheets 18.

Cover with a layer of artichokes 19 and distribute part of the cheese cubes 20, then sprinkle with grated Grana cheese 21.

Cover with béchamel 22 and continue layering (4 or 5) until all ingredients are used: sheets 23, béchamel 24, artichokes, cheeses, and Grana.

Finally, assemble the last layer of artichoke lasagna and cover with béchamel and artichokes. Sprinkle with plenty of grated Grana cheese 25 and bake in a preheated static oven at 356°F for 45 minutes 26, until the surface is golden brown 27. Serve your artichoke lasagna piping hot!