Cannelloni al Radicchio

Warm the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan placed over medium heat.

Add the shallots and stir to coat them with the oil. Sauté, stirring from time to time, for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the shallots are soft and translucent but not browned.

Add the radicchio and sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and a generous grind of pepper. Cover the pan, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook the radicchio for about 8 minutes, or until wilted. Uncover the pan and use tongs to toss the radicchio. Cook for another minute or two, or until the radicchio is purple-brown, wilted, and just tender.

Remove from the heat and let the radicchio cool to room temperature in the pan.

Remove a handful of the radicchio and set it aside to garnish the cannelloni.In a large bowl, work the ricotta with a fork until it is creamy. Fold in the mozzarella.

Add the radicchio in the frying pan to the cheese mixture and fold to distribute evenly.

Spread a clean tablecloth or several clean dish/tea towels on a clean, flat surface near the stove. Have ready the uncooked pasta, the béchamel, and the radicchio-cheese filling.

Place a large bowl filled with ice water near the stove for briefly immersing the cooked lasagne noodles to remove excess starch.

Heat the oven to 375°F/190°C/gas

Lightly coat two 8-by-12-in/20-by-30½-cm baking dishes with the butter.Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt generously. Carefully drop in 4 or 5 lasagna noodles, taking care not to crowd the pot. Boil the pasta for about 1 minute; fresh pasta cooks quickly and the lasagna noodles should be slightly underdone. Use a large skimmer to remove the lasagna noodles from the pot and gently immerse them in the bowl of ice water. Use the skimmer to remove the noodles; let them drip and then spread them out on the tablecloth. Continue to cook, cool, and spread out the lasagna noodles until you have cooked and cooled all of them.

Spread a thick layer of béchamel sauce (about 3/4 cup/180 ml per dish) in the bottom of each prepared baking dish.

Place a lasagna rectangle on a clean work surface. Spoon about 2 tbsp of the radicchio-cheese filling onto the center, and spread it out with the back of the spoon, leaving a border all around.

Roll up the pasta rectangle, cigar style, and place it, seam-side down, in one of the prepared baking dishes. Continue to fill and roll the cannelloni, arranging 10 cannelloni in each dish.Divide the remaining béchamel between the 2 baking dishes, spreading it over the filled cannelloni. Strew a little of the reserved radicchio over the top in uneven clumps.

Sprinkle the Parmigiano cheese and then the walnuts (if using) over the cannelloni. Cover the dishes with aluminum foil.

Bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until the cheese and béchamel sauce are bubbly and the top is golden brown.

Serve the cannelloni piping hot from the oven.Simplify: The radicchio filling may be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Store-bought dried cannelloni or dried lasagna noodles may be substituted for the fresh ones. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cooking.If you do not want to make homemade pasta dough and stretch it into sheets, you can substitute store-bought fresh egg pasta sheets, available at gourmet food shops, Italian food stores, and well-stocked supermarkets, and cut them into lasagna noodles.