Baked pasta nests

To prepare the baked pasta nests, you’ll need to start with the fresh dough. Pour the flour into a bowl 1, then move to a pastry board or work surface, and add the eggs at room temperature. Always remember to keep some of the flour aside because the eggs may not be able to absorb it all 2. Start by stirring with a fork 3.

Then, continue with your hands 4, and once you’ve obtained a more compact dough, transfer it to the pastry board, continuing to knead well until the dough is smooth and consistent, adding flour as needed 5. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and leave to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes 6.

In the meantime, get to work preparing the béchamel. Heat 2¼ cups (500 g) of milk 7 in a small saucepan and flavor it with grated nutmeg 8. Melt the butter in another small saucepan 9,

and add the flour 10 once the butter has melted. Cook for a couple of minutes, mixing with a whisk to obtain a thickening base called a roux 11. Mix in the hot milk 12,

and continue to cook, stirring continuously with a whisk, until the sauce comes to a boil 13. Transfer all of the sauce to a bowl 14, cover with plastic wrap, and leave to cool to room temperature 15.

Move on to the filling. Start by cleaning the mushrooms. First remove the bottoms 15, then, using a small brush, scrape off any remaining soil 16, and finally, slice thinly 18. Remember that it’s not advisable to wash the mushrooms, in order to keep them from absorbing too much water and therefore losing their flavor and consistency. Only rinse them quickly under cool water, or clean them with a damp cloth if they’re particularly dirty.

Take the dough and use a rolling pin to roll it out on a lightly floured pastry board 19. You will need to end up with a 20x12-inch (50x30-cm) rectangle with the thickness of a coin (1-2 mm) 20. Even out the edges by slicing them off if need be. Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper 21.

Next, carefully spread 2-3 generous spoonfuls of béchamel sauce over the entire surface, leaving an inch (a couple of centimeters) uncovered at the edges 22. Now for the filling. Arrange the sliced ham 23 and mushrooms and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese (keeping some aside), along with a pinch of salt 24.

To finish, arrange the sliced Emmentaler cheese on top 25. Dampen the edges with a little water so that they become sticky 26, and finally, roll the dough with the help of the parchment paper 27.

Wrap the roll in paper 28, lay it on a tray, and place it in the freezer for around 20 minutes 29. This step is key to helping it to keep its shape when you cut it. Meanwhile, pour a few more spoonfuls of béchamel sauce into a 12x8-inch (30x20-cm) casserole dish measuring and carefully spread over the entire surface 30.

Next, dilute the béchamel with the remaining 3 tbsp (50 g) of milk to make it much lighter, and put it to one side to use for dressing later on 31. Once the required time has elapsed, take the roll and slice it into 20 rounds, each around an inch (2.5 cm) thick 32. Arrange them in the casserole dish, one on top of the other, slightly overlapping and slanting 33.

Pour the diluted béchamel over the top 34, sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano 35 and bake in a conventional oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) for 40 minutes. Your baked pasta nests are ready to be plated up and enjoyed 36!