Baked Rigatoni With Bechamel Sauce - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Bechamel sauce
1/2 cup unsalted butter
10 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 quart whole milk, at room temperature
1 pinch fresh nutmeg
sea salt
white pepper
1 cup grated fontina
1/2 lb thinly sliced prosciutto, julienned
1 lb dry rigatoni pasta
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Bechamel sauce: In a 2 quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Always stirring, gradually add the milk and continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
Simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
This will take approximately 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg, 1/2 cup fontina, prosciutto and season with salt and white pepper.
Set aside.
In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water.
Add the rigatoni and cook for about 5 minutes.
Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard.
Drain in a colander.
Return pasta to the pot and pour in bechamel sauce.
Using a wooden spoon, mix well until all the pasta is coated with the sauce.
Into a greased 13 by 9-inch baking dish, pour the pasta with cream sauce.
Smooth out top and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup fontina.
Dot the top with diced butter and bake in oven for 25 minutes or until bubbling and the top is golden brown.