Ah…ubiquity; allow me to perpetuate it. So perpetuate it I shall! It really isn’t copying, copy-cat-ing, or stealing, or whatever. What this is, is, depending on what your definition of is, is, is, cooking a dish that, in one way, shape, or form, has been spotted all over the blogosphere. It is, in my mind, similar to the eloquently described traffic reports on the radio by the late Keith Kalland, the “ubiquitous ladder in the road", for our Atlanta rush hour. No matter what day your are traveling, no matter where you are on the road, if it is morning in the ATL, there is a friggin’ ladder in the road somewhere! And, believe me, there was.

The thing is, about this dish, despite its appearance in many a blog, the dish itself was as uniquely created as the blog owners themselves. I found at least five or six really good looking renditions, and then some that were not so good looking. That doesn’t mean for a second that they were not tasty though.

Here is the deal, I saw this post and my obsessive foodie brain kicked into devilish mode; how can I make that, how can I make that my way? Now I have made a mean seafood lasagna several times in the past, but the idea of the rolls of the lasagna pasta was a true calling this day.

So I gathered some really good, fresh, hot Italian sausage, some fresh spinach leaves, and the lot of really decadent cheese and butter to assemble this rich, rich, dish. Despite the size of each roll, Beck could only eat one. And I, having a mere two, immediately fell asleep following the devouring session; which is not so uncommon for me. I rate this dish a 5 on the sleepy scale of 0-5!

Follow up:

Here is how a I made this:

Ingredients:

1 lb hot Italian sausage removed from skin
3 bags of spinach
11 lasagna noodles partially cooked (about 8 minutes for dried pasta)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup pecorino cheese grated
1 cup Asiago cheese grated
1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese grated
4 cloves garlic pressed
2 tsp dried oregano
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
3 cups whole milk warmed
grated nutmeg to your liking in the bechamel or call it Mornay sauce

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees-f.

Wilt the spinach in about an inch of water. Drain and strain the spinach.

When the spinach is cool enough to handle, squeeze as much water from it as you can, then roughly chop it.

After the lasagna noodles have be par-cooked, begin by grating the cheese.

In a skillet, over medium high heat, cook the sausage, breaking it up as it cooks.

Drain the fat and reserve.

In a bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, and press the garlic.

Stir to incorporate.

Add the sausage and stir again.

Fill the noodles with the sausage mixture.

Then roll them carefully.

Repeat this filling and rolling process until all of the filling is depleted. Reserve.

Make the bechamel:
To a sauce pan over medium high heat, add the butter.

When melted and bubbly, whisk in the flour to make the roux.

Slowly whisk in the milk.

To the roux, add half of the Parmesan, reserving the rest, all of the peccorino, and the asiago.

Simmer until incorporated.

Grate in the nutmeg

In a non-stick-sprayed baking dish, ladle some of the sauce.

Place the rolls on top of the sauce. Then ladle some of the sauce on to the rolls. Make sure you keep some of the sauce for later.

Top with the reserved Parmesan, sprinkle the oregano, and they are ready for the oven.

Into the oven for 15-20 minutes, just until cheese is melted and rolls are heated through.

Remove from oven and admire.

Plate, top with some of the sauce. Then, add a salad, if you dare, and some good bread to soak up that sauce.