Ingredients for 6 people:400 g Rigatoni300 g fresh sheep’s milk ricotta1 egg300 g chicken breast200 g spinach (boiled and squeezed)100 g grated aged Pecorino cheese1 l béchamel sauce1 bottle freshly squeezed tomato juice with Basil (or another tomato passata)2-3 basil leaves1 clove of garlic4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (plus a drizzle on top of the finished dish)½ glass dry white wine1 knob of butter salt pepper *** For the béchamel sauce:1 l milk100 g butter100 g plain Flour1 tsp grated nutmeg salt
First of all, prepare the tomato sauce: sauté the clove of garlic in a pan with 2 spoonfuls of olive oil; when it has browned, remove it and add the tomato juice and the basil leaves. Season with salt, stir and simmer over a low heat for about 10 minutes; then turn off the heat and set aside. Now prepare the béchamel sauce: while you bring the milk to the boil, melt the butter over a very low heat in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. When it has melted, add the flour and stir them together for 2-3 minutes with a whisk, without letting the mixture brown. Pour the boiling milk into the saucepan a little at a time, stirring continuously as you do so. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, over a very low heat, while continuing to stir so that the sauce doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat off and season with salt and nutmeg.
Heat 2 spoonfuls of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan and sauté the chicken breast; when it has browned all over, turn up the heat, pour in the white wine and, as soon as it has evaporated, turn the heat down again. Season with salt and pepper and finish cooking. Finely chop the spinach and the chicken breast, then mix them in a bowl with the egg, half the grated pecorino, some salt and pepper. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling, salted water; strain it when very “al dente”, rinse under cold running water and leave to drain in a colander. Using a teaspoon – or a piping bag – fill the rigatoni with the mixture that you prepared and gradually arrange them one beside the other, “standing up”, in a well-buttered oven dish. Pour the tomato sauce over them, then the béchamel, sprinkle the remaining grated pecorino over the surface, add a drizzle of olive oil and bake in a preheated oven, at 220 °C, for roughly 15 minutes. When a golden crust has formed on top, take the rigatoni out of the oven, leave them to cool for about 10 minutes and then serve... buon appetito!