Canelons catalans: Catalan stuffed pasta

Ingredients

• 500 g mixed cooked meats (chicken, pork, and veal from escudella i carn d'olla, or slow-braised), finely minced, some texture retained — not reduced to a paste
• For the thick béchamel (bechamel gruixuda) — filling
• 40 g unsalted butter
• 40 g plain flour
• 300 ml whole milk, warm
• 1 tsp fine salt, or to taste — season confidently
• 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• For the pasta
• 250 g fresh pasta dough, rolled thin, cut into rectangles large enough to enclose the filling
• For the béchamel topping
• 60 g unsalted butter
• 60 g plain flour
• 600 ml whole milk, warm
• 1 tsp fine salt, or to taste
• For the gratin
• 80 g manchego, or manchego and parmesan combined, finely grated

Method

1. 1
   Mince the cooked meats finely — by hand with a heavy knife or through the coarse plate of a mincer. The result should have clear texture; stop well before it becomes a smooth paste.
2. 2
   Make a thick béchamel for the filling: melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, add the flour, and stir constantly for 1–2 minutes. Add the warm milk gradually, whisking without pause, until the sauce is very thick — it should hold a channel when a spoon is drawn through it. Season with salt and nutmeg.
3. 3
   Fold the minced meats into the thick béchamel. Season the mixture again — the filling must be confidently seasoned, as both the pasta and the topping béchamel are bland by comparison. If preparing ahead, cover and refrigerate overnight; the filling will firm and become easier to roll.
4. 4
   Blanch the fresh pasta sheets briefly in well-salted boiling water until just pliable. Remove, lay flat on a damp cloth, and cool slightly.
5. 5
   Place a cylinder of filling along one edge of each pasta sheet and roll firmly into a tube. This is where the dish lives or dies: the pasta must be thin enough to become fully tender in the oven, the filling must be compact enough not to burst the seam, and the rolls must be uniform so they bake evenly. Arrange the canelons seam-side down in a single, snug layer in a buttered baking dish.
6. 6
   Make a looser béchamel for the topping with the larger quantities of butter, flour, and milk, using the same method. The sauce should coat a spoon thickly but still pour. Season well.
7. 7
   Pour the topping béchamel generously over the canelons — the coating must be heavy, covering all exposed pasta so the surface does not dry out in the oven. Scatter the grated manchego (or manchego and parmesan) evenly over the top.
8. 8
   Bake in a moderate oven until the béchamel is bubbling at the edges and the cheese has formed a deep golden gratin across the surface. Do not bake at high heat — the outside will harden before the interior is hot through. The dish is ready when a skewer inserted into the centre meets no resistance and feels hot to the lip.