SPINACH & CHEESE CANNELLONI

for sauce:
l-l/2 tb sps. butter
l-l/2 tb sps. flour
2 cups whole milk
l/4 tsp., salt
l/4 tsp. pepper
3/4 oz. grated Pecorino romano or parmigiano reggiano (about l/3 cup)
for cannelloni:
3 t bsps. olive oil
l small onion chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
l0 oz. baby spinach
l-3/4 cups ricotts (l5 oz. supermarket style)
l large egg lightly beaten
l/2 cup chopped parsley
3 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto chopped
l/4 tsp. salt
l/4 tsp. pepper
l oz. finely grated parmesan cheese (l/2 cup)
8 pasta rectangles (the no boil) (6×4″ approx)
Melt butter in 2 qt. heavy saucepan over mod low heat. Whisk in flour and cook roux, whisking 2 mins. Add milk in stream whisking and bring to a boil over high heat whisking constantly (sauce will thicken). Reduce heat and simmer 2 mins. then whisk in s&p. Remove from heat and whisk in cheese then cover pan.
Heat oil in 5-6 qt. heavy pot over mod high heat until hot but no smoking then saute onion and garlic stirring occaisonally until lightly browned about 5 mins. Add spinach and saute stirring until just wilted aobut 3 mins. Remove from heat and cool completely. Stir together ricotta, egg, parsley, proscuitto, s&p and l/3 cup cheese in a bowl then stir in spinach mixture. Boil pasta 2 pieces at a time in pot of boiling salted water for about 6 mins. for oven ready noodles. Gently transfer with slotted spoon to large bowl of cold water to stop cooking then remove from bowl shaking off water and lay flat on kitchen towels. Pat dry. Trim oven ready noodles as closely as possible to 6-l/4×5-l/2″ rectangles. Heat oven 425. Spread 2/3 cup sauce in buttered baking dish. Spread aboutl/3 cup recitto fillling in a line along l short side of pasta rectajgle then roll up to enclose filling. Transfer seam side down to baking dish. Make 7 more cannelloni in sam manner arranging snugly in l layer. Spread l/2 up more sauce over cannelloni and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake covered with foil in middle of oven until sauce is bubbling aobut 20 mins. Turn on broiler. Remove foil and broil cannelloni about 5″ from heat until lightly browned, 2-4 mins. Let stand 5 mins. before serving. Reheat remaining sauce and serve on the side. (Cannelloni can be assembled (but not b aked) l day ahead and chilled, covered with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temp l5 mins before baking. Remaining sauce will need to be thinned slightly.
Serv es 4 as a main course Gourmet March 2003