Baked Pasta Roses with Ham and Cheese

The Bechamel Sauce

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

1. 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.
2. 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

1. 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.
2. Gently roll the filled pasta onto itself from the longest side. This will create a cylinder.
3. Using a well-sharpened knife, cut the resulting roll to about 4 cm (1 ½ inches) thick.
4. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Arrange the filled roses side by side on the baking dish.

Bake

1. Cover with plenty of béchamel sauce and sprinkle with grated Parmigiano cheese. Add a few knobs of butter.
2. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for about 20 minutes or until the top is golden and crispy.
3. 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.