Asparagus Lasagna (Lasagne agli Asparagi).

Prepare the lasagna ingredients.

1. Wash the asparagus and remove the tough woody ends. The best way to be sure you get the best part only is to bend each asparagus while holding each end and it will break naturally in the right place. You can also just cut them. 
2. Place the asparagus spears on a baking tray lined with oven paper. Sprinkle with the olive oil and some salt. Then bake until cooked. Depending on the size of your asparagus this may take 15-30 minutes.
3. While the asparagus are baking, sauté the leeks. First wash your leeks, remove the darker outer leaves, and cut off the ends of the white part where there are sometimes some small roots. Then finely slice the leeks. Sauté in butter with a little olive oil until transparent and beginning to brown very slightly.
4. When the asparagus are cooked cut most of them into 3-4 pieces. Leave 4-6 asparagus whole to place on the top of the lasagna.

Make the béchamel

1. If you are making your own béchamel. Melt the butter on a low heat in a saucepan big enough to hold at least 1 litre of milk (2 pints). Once the butter has melted, sift in the flour stirring continuously until you have a paste/roux.
2. Next add the milk a little at a time and continue to stir constantly. Once you start to get a smooth white sauce, use a handheld whisk to stir out any lumps. When the sauce is thick enough, remove from the heat and add the nutmeg. Your béchamel is thick enough when it coats the back of a wooden spoon if you dip one in the sauce.
3. The béchamel may thicken even further while you are preparing the rest of the lasagna. Just stir in some more milk if you think it’s too thick. It needs to have the consistency of a thick custard.

Assemble and bake your asparagus lasagna.

1. Using a rectangular oven dish, pour some béchamel into the bottom of the dish and spread it evenly Place 2 sheets of lasagne on top of the white sauce. Then spread some leeks and asparagus over the pasta.
2. Next add some grated cheese and more béchamel. Each layer of filling needs to have the ingredients well spread out. Add another layer of pasta sheets, then asparagus and leeks with grated cheese and bèchamel.
3. Continue until you have used up the leeks and cut asparagus. The final layer of pasta needs to be covered in béchamel and grated cheese with the intact asparagus spaced out on the top.
4. Bake the lasagna in a preheated oven at 180°c for 20-30 minutes until the top is browned and the pasta is cooked. Let your lasagna rest for at least 5-10 minutes before serving.