Some Yummy Goodness, oh and Please Pick Me.

There is a contest going on at Secrets in the Sauce: recipes. The winner will receive a $100 gift card to Williams-Sonoma and a new digital camera. I am going to enter my favorite recipe.
It is pure comfort food to me. It is a recipe that learned when I first started my love of cooking. I also love this recipe because you can change it in so many ways for something new. You know instead of procciutto, you can use bacon or skip it all together and add some sausage and spinach. But no matter the combination, the best thing of all is that my family loves it.

Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sause and Procciutto aka Fancy Mac-n-Cheese

1 stick unsalted butter (4 ounces)
1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 quart half and half
Pinch fresh nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup grated fontella cheese
1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, julienned
1 pound dry rigatoni
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bechamel sauce:
In a 2 quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Always stirring, gradually add the milk and continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This will take approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg, cheese, prosciutto and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water (Start pot at the same time you start the sauce). Add the rigatoni and cook for about 5 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander. Return pasta to the pot and pour in bechamel sauce. Using a wooden spoon, mix well until all the pasta is coated with the sauce.

Into a greased 13 by 9-inch baking dish, pour the pasta with cream sauce. Bake in oven for 30 minutes.