Valentine's Day Recipe: Rosette

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and when it arrives, you may or may not be prepared. This year I put together a Valentine’s Day recipe that will surely impress your partner. If you happen to have procrastinated this year, this simple dish would be perfect for a last-minute romantic night in.

Rosette is a rose-shaped pasta typical from the Emilia Romagna region. To make Rosette, you can use store-bought lasagna sheets, or if you have the time and are looking to score more points with your partner, you can make fresh sheets on your own. Each lasagna sheet will prepare approximately three roses.

Ingredients

Fresh lasagna sheets
Fontina cheese
Unsmoked ham
4 cups of milk
3.5 oz of flour
7 tablespoons of butter
Nutmeg
A pinch of salt
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions for the Rose-Shaped Pasta

Fill a pot with water and heat until it begins to boil.
Once the water starts boiling, place one lasagna sheet in the pot and leave it there for approximately one minute. After 1 minute, remove the pasta and place it down flat on a rag to dry. Repeat this process until all the lasagna sheets needed are cooked.

3. Once your pasta is mostly dry, cut your lasagna sheets approximately 1.5 inches wide. You should get roughly three strips from each lasagna sheet.
4. Once you have cut your strips of pasta, start slicing your Fontina cheese very thinly. A cheese slicer works well if you have one.

5. Place the fontina and ham layered on top of the cut pasta strips and remove any excess pieces from the edges.

6. Once your ham and cheese is laid out, roll the layered pasta strips into a cylinder. To seal the edge, wet your finger and firmly press the end of the pasta together.

7. After your roll of pasta is sealed, use a pairing knife to slice an X into the top about 1/2-inch deep. This X will give the pasta a rose shape.

Instructions for Besciamella

Melt the butter in a small pot.
Once the butter has melted, remove the pot from the burner and add the sifted flour while continuously mixing.
Add the milk and continue to mix until the sauce becomes thickened.
Add a pinch of salt and nutmeg to your liking.

Note: I added a little bit of tomato sauce to the besciamella to make a pink sauce, but the traditional recipe from Emilia Romagna does not call for tomato sauce.

Baking Instructions

Pre-heat the oven at 350 degrees Farenheight.
Cover the bottom a medium-sized baking pan with the besciamella sauce.
Place the rosette in the pan facing upward, and add additional besciamella for the top and sides of each rose.
Bake for approximately 30 to 35 minutes until the edges of the pasta turns to gold.
Remove pan from the oven and let the rosette cool for 5 minutes, then sprinkle some grated Parmigiano Reggiano and enjoy!

Please comment any questions or if you want to stop by for un saluto. For more Italian recipes, check out my Cuisine page on the blog!

Hope you all enjoyed my Valentine’s Day recipe, don’t forget to subscribe to my blog and follow Simply Signorina, on social media. Buon San Valentino!

Bacioni,

La Signorina