On Christmas Eve in 2003 my family and I had been in Rome for 48 hours. We arrived in our Renault mini-van and crossed the Tiber River into Rome singing “Young Americans” by David Bowie at the top of our lungs.

Armed with tickets to see the Pope on Christmas Eve, and an address for an apartment we rented through an agency the previous August, we drove through the streets of Rome. We found our apartment, oohed and awed when we saw the terrace that overlooked the city and began to prepare for Christmas.

We ran to the shopping district to find food, decorations, and maybe even a Christmas tree. My sister was arriving from California on Dec. 23 and we wanted to be ready for her.

Mario Esposito, the rental agent who became our friend, spoke to us of Christmas traditions in Rome. Christmas is a family time; he warned us that restaurants might close early. Many Romans eat fish on Christmas Eve, but he recommended a simple traditional soup of tortellini en brodo. This soup is tortellini simmered in chicken broth and garnished with fresh Parmesan cheese. I added tortellini and broth to my shopping list.

We bought a small fake tree, some red and green candles, and some garland. The apartment looked beautiful. Christmas decorating and shopping had always been a big production back home. We all enjoyed this simpler, somewhat slapdash approach to the holiday.

Back to the food. When I shopped for Christmas dinner I didn’t recognize many of the cuts of beef. In fact, the only meat or poultry I recognized was chicken.

I bought the chicken and asked my family how they would like it prepared. It was unanimous; we had fried chicken and mashed potatoes for Christmas dinner. I did the whole thing — I brined the chicken pieces, soaked them in buttermilk and herbs, dried them, coated them twice with seasoned flour and fried them in butter and solid shortening. This is a once-a-year cholesterol buster.

I wish someone could have seen me frying chicken in this kitchen in Rome. Let’s just say that the kitchen was very small, about 10 feet long including refrigerator, sink and stove/oven. Despite the challenging cooking conditions, the food tasted wonderful and this dinner became a part of our Christmas tradition.

My sister arrived safely from Sacramento. I was so happy to see her; our family had been traveling since August without seeing anyone from home. We took the afternoon to walk from the apartment to the Trevi Fountain and then on to the Forum.

Christmas Eve finally arrived. We had tortellini en brodo for dinner, and then headed out on foot to St. Peter’s Square. We saw Pope Paul II and watched as he placed the baby Jesus in the manger. After the services we walked home through the streets of Rome with thousands of other Romans in the wee hours of Christmas morning. When I think about our trip, the walk through Rome Christmas morning with Ed, Amelia, Hudson, and my sister Mary, is one of the sweetest memories I have.

My recipe this week is my Farmers’ Market/Italian Christmas Eve dinner, roasted vegetable lasagna. It is an intermediate recipe that takes time and uses more than a couple of pots and pans but it is worth it!

See you next Saturday at the market — don’t forget both the Auburn Market and the Roseville Fountains market are year-round.

Carol Arnold is the marketing manager of the Foothill Farmers Market Association.

Roasted Broccoli and Leek Lasagna

2 bunches broccoli, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces, stems sliced thin

3 leeks, white only, washed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 onion, peeled, cut in half and then sliced into 1/4-inch rings

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons dried hot red pepper flakes, or to taste (optional)

1 package lasagna noodles (“no boil” noodles don’t work well for this recipe)

4 1/2 cups béchamel sauce, recipe follows

1 pound whole milk mozzarella, grated on large holes of the grater

1 1/2cups freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the broccoli, leeks and onion on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss the mixture until it is combined well. Roast the vegetables for 30 minutes or until soft and just starting to brown. Transfer to a bowl, sprinkle with red pepper flakes and toss to combine well.

While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the béchamel sauce and boil the noodles according to package directions. Note: you may only use ¾ of the package. Lay the noodles out on waxed paper until you are ready to put the dish together.

Béchamel Sauce

2 tablespoons minced onion

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

6 cups milk, warmed almost to a boil

1/2 teaspoon salt

White pepper to taste

In a medium sized heavy saucepan cook the onion in the butter over moderate heat, stirring, until it is softened. Stir in the flour and cook the roux over low heat, stirring, for three minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the milk, in a stream, whisking vigorously until the mixture is thick and smooth. Add the salt and white pepper and simmer the sauce for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it is thickened. Yield 4 1/2 cups.

Oil or spray a 9-by-13-by-3-inch baking pan. Pour 1 cup of the béchamel into the pan. Cover with one third of the pasta and spread one third of the vegetable mixture over the pasta. Pour one third of the remaining béchamel over the vegetable mixture, spread one third of the mozzarella over the béchamel, and then sprinkle 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. Cover the Parmesan with three or four lasagna noodles and spread with half of the remaining vegetable mixture. Pour half the remaining béchamel over the vegetable mixture, spread half of the remaining mozzarella over the béchamel and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the remaining Parmesan. Layer the remaining ingredients in the same manner starting with the pasta and sprinkling the top layer of mozzarella with 1 cup of Parmesan.

Bake the lasagna in a 400-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

Serves 10 to 12.