Macaroni Pie with Sausage and Artichokes

To prepare the macaroni pie with sausage and artichokes, start with the béchamel: heat the milk in a saucepan while melting the butter in a pot 1. When the butter is melted, add the flour all at once 2 and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk to avoid lumps 3.

Pour in the hot milk 4, season with salt and pepper, and let the béchamel thicken while continuing to stir 5; it will take about 5 minutes. Let it cool and set aside. Clean and slice the leeks 6.

Remove the casing from the sausage 7, then proceed with the cleaning of the artichokes: remove the tougher outer leaves 8 and cut off the tip 9.

Peel the stem to remove the tougher outer part 10, then cut them in half 11 and then thinly slice them 12. Immerse them in acidulated water to prevent them from turning black.

In a pan, brown a clove of garlic with a drizzle of oil. Add the sausage 13 and break it up with a spoon to get a texture similar to ragù 14. Once browned, add the artichokes to the pan 15, season with salt, and cook for about 7 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring often.

Meanwhile, cook the tortiglioni in boiling salted water 16. After 7 minutes, add the leeks to the pan 17, deglaze with white wine 18, and cook for another 5 minutes.

Drain the tortiglioni al dente and transfer them to the pan 19, then mix. Pour in 2/3 of the béchamel, season with thyme leaves 21, and stir to combine.

Transfer 2/3 of the pasta to a round baking dish 10 inches in diameter 22. Add half of the taleggio 23, then spread over a little more béchamel 24.

Cover with the remaining pasta, complete with the last pieces of taleggio, the remaining béchamel 25, and some thyme leaves 26. Bake in a preheated conventional oven at 480°F for 5 minutes, then continue in grill mode at 480°F for 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the macaroni pie with sausage and artichokes cool slightly before serving 27!