First of all prepare the panettone dough, because it has to rise for a long time. Mix the two types of flour with the sugar; heap them up on the work surface and form a "well" in the centre. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk and pour it into the well. Start mixing slowly, using the flour from the outside of the heap, a little at a time. Add the eggs, the butter (kept out of the fridge for about 20 minutes beforehand) cut in pieces, and the salt, and mix everything together; then continue to knead with your hands until the dough is soft and smooth. Put it in a bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for an hour, keeping it away from draughts. 

Now move on to the fillings: mix the Asparagina with the ricotta and the Pasticcio di Olive in a bowl. Wash the asparagus, pat them dry, cut off the tough part of the spears and toss the tips in a small frying pan with the olive oil for a few minutes; then remove from the heat and transfer the asparagus onto a plate. In another bowl, mix the Peperotta with the Piccantissima to form a smooth sauce; add the salami, previously cut into slices and then small strips. Put the fillings and the asparagus tips in the fridge, covered with cling film, until the panettone is ready… 

And now let’s get back to preparing it: after the dough has risen for an hour, prepare a cylindrical cake tin (approx. 15 cm in diameter and 20 cm deep) by greasing it with butter and carefully dusting it with flour. Put the dough into it, cover with the tea towel again and leave it to rise for another two hours. When it has finished rising, bake it in a preheated oven, at 180 °C, for 35-40 minutes. When you take the panettone out of the oven it will have risen beautifully; wait for it to cool down and then remove it from the cake tin. Cut it horizontally into 4 slices, roughly 1 cm thick, plus the "hat" (the rounded top part), and then it's ready to be filled. Spread the sauce made with Asparagina on the first disc, the base, and arrange 5 asparagus tips (cut in half lengthwise) on it. Place another disc on top and spread it with the sauce made with Peperotta. Repeat these 2 layers again, alternating the sauces, and then conclude with the “hat”. Your savoury “Panettone non-Panettone” is now ready to be placed proudly on the table in all its splendour! 

(1) Asparagina fatta in casa (= Homemade Asparagina) 

Ingredients: 

500 g green asparagus, 50 g pine nuts, ½ glass extra virgin olive oil, 10 basil leaves, ½ tsp wine vinegar, coarse salt, fine salt 

Use a sharp knife to cut the fibrous, woody end off the asparagus. Wash them thoroughly under running water, without leaving them to soak. To make sure you have eliminated the earth and other impurities, scrape the stalks with a small knife and then rinse them again. Drain the asparagus and tie them into small bunches with kitchen string. Arrange them upright in a narrow saucepan (or better still a special asparagus pot, with a basket for draining them) in 8-9 cm of boiling water to which you have added the coarse salt. Cook them for about 20 minutes, without the lid on, until they begin to “bow their heads”. For this recipe the asparagus need to be well-cooked. Remove them from the saucepan, using a pair of tongs to help drain off the water. Eliminate the end part if it’s still tough and then blend them with the other ingredients (pine nuts, oil, basil, vinegar and fine salt) in the mixer. You will obtain an asparagus purée that is soft, fragrant and “ready for anything”.