Artichoke Cannelloni

Ingredients

For the Filling:
• 3 quarts water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 14 baby artichokes
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons ricotta impasata cheese (I used regular ricotta)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 12 fresh mint leaves

For the Pasta:
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (170g) tipo 00 flour, or 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (170g) all-purpose flour, plus some for dusting
• 7 tablespoons (55g) durum flour
• 9 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons water, plus more as needed

For the Bechamel:
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (76g) tipo 00 flour, or 1/2 cup plus to tablespoons (75g) all-purpose flour
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

Instructions

1. First make the filling. Combine the water and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice in a bowl. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, snap off and discard the tough, dark green leaves until you are left with only yellow and light green leaves. Cut off the tough top of the artichoke (about 1/2 inch). Trim the dark green parts from the bottom of the artichoke until only white and light green are visible. It will seem like barely any artichoke is left, but you will have reduced it down to the best part for eating. Cut the artichoke in half lengthwise. As each artichoke is trimmed and halved, drop it into the lemon water to keep it from browning.
2. Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a large, deep saute pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove the artichokes from the water. When the oil is hot, add the artichokes, cut side down, and cook until they are golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook, shaking the pan now and then, until the onion is lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add enough water to cover the pan bottom (about 1/4 cup) and bring the liquid to a simmer. Turn down the heat to low, cover the pan, and braise the artichokes until they are tender and the pan bottom is nearly dry, about 20 minutes, adding as little water is necessary to keep the artichokes from scorching.
3. Transfer the artichokes and onion to a cutting board, let them cool until they can be handled and then finely chop them. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir into the ricotta. Taste the filling, adding salt and pepper until it tastes good to you. Spoon the filling into a zip-loc bag, seal closed and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
4. While your filling is refrigerating, make the bechamel. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour to make a roux (it will look like a lumpy batter). Whisk and cook the flour until it smells a little nutty and turns a light tan, 2 to 3 minutes. This is called a blond roux.
5. Meanwhile, bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat. When the roux is ready, remove the milk from the heat and slowly whisk it into the roux until it is fully incorporated and the mixture is free of lumps. Simmer the mixture gently over low heat, stirring now and then, until it thickens, 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat. For a silky texture, strain the bechamel through a fine-mesh sieve. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg, and then taste the sauce, adding more salt, pepper and/or nutmeg until it tastes good to you. The nutmeg should be subtle.
7. Let the bechamel cool, cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and then refrigerate for up to 2 days.
8. Next, make the pasta.Combine both flours in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or mix together the flours on a work surface and make a well in the center. On medium speed, or with your fingers, add the egg yolks, oil and water, adding them one ingredient at a time and mixing just until the dough comes together, 2 to 3 minutes. If necessary, add a little more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, for the dough to come together.
9. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it until it feels silky and smooth, about 15 minutes, kneading in a little tipo 00 flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking. The dough is ready if, when you stretch it with your hands, it gently pulls back into place.
10. Shape the dough into a ball then flatten the ball into a disk. Cover the dough and set it aside for at least 30 minutes, or wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 3 days.
11. To roll out the dough, cut it into 4 equal pieces. If you have a very long work surface, you can cut the dough into fewer pieces. Let the pieces sit, covered at room temperature for 10 minutes if chilled. The dough should be cool but not cold. Shape each piece into an oval wide enough to fit the width of your pasta roller. Lightly flour your work surface and set the pasta roller to its widest setting. Lightly flour 1 piece of dough, pass it through the roller, and then lightly dust the rolled dough with flour, brushing off the excess with your hands. Pass the dusted dough through the widest setting again. Set the roller to the next narrowest setting and pass the dough through, dusting again with flour and brushing off the excess. Pass once again through the roller. Fold the dough in half lengthwise over itself and cut about 1/4 inch off born corners at the fold. This folding and cutting helps to create an evenly wide sheet of dough. Continue passing the dough once or twice through each progressively narrower setting. For this recipe, you'll want your sheets a little less than 1/8-inch (3mm) thick.
12. Lay a pasta sheet on a lightly floured work surface and cut it into 4-inch squares. Repeat with the remaining sheets. You should get 8 to 10 squares from each sheet, or 16 to 20 total. As you work, lightly mist the pasta with water to keep it from drying out.
13. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Working in batches to prevent crowding, drop in the pasta and cover the pot to quickly return the water to a boil. Blanch the pasta for 15 to 20 seconds, stirring gently to prevent sticking. Using a spider strainer or slotted spoon, transfer the pasta squares to kitchen towels or paper towels, laying them flat and patting them dry. The pieces will be delicate and some may stick, but you should have plenty.
14. Heat the oven to 500°F. Turn on the convection, if possible. Spoon the refrigerated bechamel into a zip-loc bag and seal closed, then snip a corner from the bag and pipe some of the bechamel into a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish or 6 individual baking dishes, spreading it to create a thin layer on the bottom of the dish(es).
15. Snip a corner from the artichoke bag and pipe a line of the filling 3/4 thick along one edge of each pasta square. Starting at the filled side, use the edge of the towel to lift and lightly roll the pasta to enclose the filling. Transfer the cannelloni, seam side down, to the baking dish(es). Pipe a line of bechamel 1 inch wide onto each cannelloni.
16. Bake the cannelloni until the bechamel begins to melt and lightly brown on top, 10 to 15 minutes.
17. Meanwhile, place the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a small bowl and slowly whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Chop the mint, or, for a more elegant look, stack the mint leaves into 2 or 3 stacks, roll up each stack lengthwise, and cut crosswise into very thin slices (chiffonade). Add the mint to the bowl and toss gently to mix everything together. Taste the mixture, adding salt and pepper until it tastes good to you.
18. Transfer 2 or 3 cannelloni to each plate if baked in a single dish, or leave in the individual dishes. Top each serving with some of the mint mixture.

Notes