Orechiette pasta with cauliflower and prosciutto cotto

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 250 g pasta (orechiette pasta), dry
• 200 g cooked ham (Prosciutto cotto), Italian
• 1 m.-large cauliflower
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 small chili pepper(s), yellow
• 3 tsp capers, mildly pickled
• ½ cup hard cheese, Italian, finely grated
• 1 pinch(s) nutmeg, a strong pinch
• 1 bunch of Italian herbs
• 70 g butter
• 40 g flour
• 400 ml milk
• 1 pinch of sea salt
• 1 pinch(s) of pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes

Pasta bake

Clean and wash the cauliflower, and divide it into small florets. Cook the cabbage in salted water until al dente, place it in a colander, and drain completely. Peel the garlic and press it through a press. Wash the Italian herbs, shake dry, and chop very finely. Cut the cooked Italian ham into very thin strips, approximately 1 mm julienne. Wash, dry, deseed, and finely chop the yellow chili pepper. Crush the capers in a mortar and pestle. Cook the pasta in salted water, place it in a colander, and drain slightly. However, do not drain completely. Melt 30g of butter in a large pan and sauté the fine ham strips and crushed garlic. Be careful not to overcook the ham strips. Add the drained pasta and the cooked cauliflower florets to the ham and garlic mixture and stir in. Season with grated nutmeg. Add half of the chopped Italian herbs and the crushed capers and mix gently again. Then, in portions, transfer the pasta dish to a greased baking dish, alternating with the Italian hard cheese. The top layer of pasta should be covered with a thin layer of cheese. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and bake in an oven preheated to 200°C for about 30-40 minutes. In the meantime, melt 40g of butter in a saucepan, add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and let the butter foam together with the previously finely chopped chili pepper. Then stir in 40g of flour and sauté the flour. Pour in the milk in portions, then mix the second half of the finely chopped Italian herbs with a pinch of pepper into the sauce and bring it back to a boil. Serve the sauce for the pasta casserole separately. Serve with an ice-cold Frascati!