Ingredients for 4 people:350 g fusilli1 jar Broccoli Trifolati30 g pitted black olives40 g La Vialla Style Sun-dried Cherry Tomatoes (or similar)30 g stale bread (without the crust)30 g grated aged pecorino cheese2 tbsp pine nuts3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil with hot chilli pepper1 tbsp grated lemon peel, from an untreated lemon1 tbsp chopped parsley salt *** For the béchamel sauce:250 ml milk25 g butter25 g plain flour¼ tsp nutmeg salt
First of all prepare the béchamel sauce: while you bring the milk to the boil, melt the butter over a very low heat in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. When it has melted, add the flour and stir them together for 2-3 minutes with a wooden spoon, without letting the mixture brown; gradually pour the hot milk into the saucepan, stirring continuously. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, over a very low heat, while stirring all the time so that the sauce doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. When you turn the heat off, season with salt and nutmeg. Cover with cling film, placing it in contact with the surface of the béchamel so no “skin” forms.
In a bowl, mix the crumbled bread with the pine nuts, grated lemon peel, chopped parsley, grated pecorino cheese, one spoonful of olive oil and one of olive oil with chilli pepper, and set aside. Cook the fusilli in plenty of boiling, salted water, strain them when still very “al dente” and put them in an oven dish. Add the broccoli, the olives, the sun-dried tomatoes (drained of their oil and cut into thin strips) and the béchamel sauce. Mix everything together, sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture that you prepared previously over the surface and add a drizzle of oil. Bake in a preheated oven, at 180 °C, for 10 minutes, then switch to grill mode for 5 minutes, to give it a nice golden crust. Before serving, let your pasta au gratin cool for 10 minutes and then... it’s ready!