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Baked Pasta Roses with Ham and Cheese
Baked Pasta Roses, also known as Rosette al Forno, typically consist of rolled sheets of pasta filled with a combination of ingredients such as cheese, spinach or meat and then arranged in a baking dish to resemble roses.These pasta "roses" are often topped with bechamel or tomato sauce and cheese before being baked until golden and bubbly.I like to fill my rosettes with a good Italian prosciutto cotto (ham), fresh mozzarella, and Parmigiano Reggiano. And, of course, excellent homemade pasta and a delicate béchamel sauce.
Ingredients
FOR LASAGNA
- ~8 lasagna
FOR THE BECHAMEL
- 500 ml milk -~2 cups, fresh and whole
- 50 g butter -~½ stick, unsalted
- 50 g flour -⅓ cup, all-purpose
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- nutmeg -freshly grated
FOR THE FILLING
- 200 g ham -7 oz, thin sliced
- 200 g mozzarella cheese -7 oz
- 100 g Parmigiano Reggiano -3,5 oz, grated
- 30 g butter -1 oz, unsalted
Instructions
The Bechamel Sauce
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour with the help of a flour sieve: in this way you are sure that there are no lumps. Mix quickly with a whisk, until the mixture is smooth. The mixture of butter and flour is called roux and it should be a nice golden color.
- Meanwhile heat the milk, without bringing to a boil. Pour the milk slowly over the roux, while stirring with a whisk. Season with salt and grated nutmeg.
- Put the saucepan back on low heat. Keep mixing constantly, until you have a fairly thick consistency for about 10/15 minutes. The sauce is ready when it sticks to the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside.
Cook the Pasta Sheets
- Put a pot of lightly salted water on the heat and add a drizzle of oil. When it comes to a boil, drop the pasta sheets in, one at a time. Cook for only 20 seconds. Drain and place on a clean kitchen towel to dry.
- Meanwhile, dice the mozzarella. Then combine three or four lasagna sheets by overlapping them slightly. This will create a single rectangle of lasagna sheet. If the pasta gets too dry, moisten the edges with a little hot water to help the sheets stick together. You should get two rectangles about 35x20 cm (~14x8 inches) with the amounts above. PLEASE NOTE: - If you are making fresh homemade pasta and are skilled with a rolling pin, you can of course make one large thin rectangle.
Make the Pasta Roses
- Place the slices of cooked ham on the rectangle of pasta. Then add the mozzarella cubes. IMPORTANT: Leave at least 1 cm (~ ½ inch) around the edges to prevent the filling from leaking out when you roll the dough onto itself.
- Gently roll the filled pasta onto itself from the longest side. This will create a cylinder.
- Using a well-sharpened knife, cut the resulting roll to about 4 cm (1 ½ inches) thick.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Arrange the filled roses side by side on the baking dish.
Bake
- Cover with plenty of béchamel sauce and sprinkle with grated Parmigiano cheese. Add a few knobs of butter.
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) for about 20 minutes or until the top is golden and crispy.
- Remove the rosette al forno from the oven and let them rest for a few minutes before serving to allow the ingredients to combine a bit. Enjoy them while they are still hot and stringy.
Nutrition
Calories: 562kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 29gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 1089mgPotassium: 360mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 828IUCalcium: 486mgIron: 1mg
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