Book of Days Tales

According to legend, San Marino was founded in 301 when a Christian stonemason, Marinus (lit. from the sea), later venerated as Saint Marinus, emigrated in 297 from the Dalmatian island of Rab, when emperor Diocletian issued a decree calling for the reconstruction of the city walls of Rimini, destroyed by Liburnian pirates.  San Marino, is a European microstate and country enclaved by Italy, located on the northeastern side of the Apennine Mountains. San Marino is a holdover of medieval microstates, and is the fifth-smallest country in the world.

Much of the cooking of San Marino is reminiscent of neighboring Emilia-Romagna whose cuisine is well known because of the products of Parma, Bologna, and the like.  But San Marino is famous for its dish, nidi di rondine (swallows’ nests).  You will need some culinary skills for this one unless you take short cuts (such as buying sheets of lasagna pasta instead of making them).

Ingredients

Pasta

2 ½ cups flour
2 large eggs
water

Béchamel sauce

2 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp flour

1 ½ cups whole milk

1/8 tsp nutmeg

salt

Filling

8-10 oz prosciutto slices

8-10 oz very thin mozzarella slices

Parmesan cheese to spoon on top of each nest

extra olive oil

Instructions

Make the pasta by piling the flour on your work surface in a cone.  Punch down the middle, crack two eggs into the hole, and, using a fork, beat the egg and slowly incorporate all of the flour.  Add as much extra water is needed to make a firm dough.  Knead well for several minutes, let it rest for 30 minutes, then wrap and refrigerate overnight. Bring the dough back to room temperature before working it.

Make the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter in a pot. Whisk in the flour and nutmeg until completely combined, then whisk them together with a little milk over low heat. Keep adding milk a little at a time until a smooth, thick sauce forms. Set aside.

Roll out the pasta to form a square around 14″x21″ and then spread half the béchamel sauce evenly over the entire sheet.  Next, top the béchamel sauce with a layer of cheese and ham.  Starting at one edge, roll up the pasta and filling into a long tube.  Pop the tube into the freezer for about 30 minutes to make it easier to work with (cut it in half if it will not fit).

Preheat the oven to 350° F/175° C.

Grease a casserole dish, and spoon in the remaining half of the béchamel sauce.

Remove the pasta roll from the freezer and slice it to make individual nests about 1 ½” high.  Brush the sides of the nests with olive oil so they don’t stick to each other and then place them, cut side up, in the casserole. Top each nest with a little grated Parmesan and bake for 45-50 minutes.