Penne al Forno
Today was Victor's first day back at work. I took pity and decided to continue his Pasta Monday for him.
All I can say, is it's not easy following a recipe!
It's funny. I knew that I didn't really follow recipes, but I really didn't realize that I really don't follow recipes! Every fiber of my being was rebelling at measuring and using exactly what was on the printed page - nothing more and nothing less. It's not easy.
But the end result was wonderful!
For all intents and purposes, this is Italian Macaroni and Cheese. And what a macaroni and cheese it is! It has a thick, crunchy-crusty cheese topping that is out of this world. And it's only cheese! The pasta, pancetta , and peas worked perfectly together. The two egg yolks added creamy richness.
It was great.
It made a goodly amount, so Victor will have at least one lunch and we may have a side dish for dinner tomorrow!
Penne al Forno
Ingredients
- Fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more for baking dish
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 3 ounces pancetta, roughly chopped (1/2 cup packed)
- 1 1/4 cups frozen peas, thawed
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 3/4 pound penne
- 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cups whole milk
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/4 cups freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Instructions
Heat oven to 450º. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Butter a 2-quart baking dish.
In a small saucepan, combine shallot and pancetta; cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Add peas and 2 tablespoons water; bring to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in parsley.
Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat butter and flour over medium heat, stirring, until butter is melted and mixture is combined.Add milk and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, whisking frequently, until béchamel comes to a boil, then cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and cream. Add béchamel and whisk to combine. Return to heat and bring just to a boil, then remove from heat.When pasta is al dente, drain pasta and return to pot. Add pea mixture, béchamel and 1/2 cup cheese; stir to combine. Mix well, then transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake until top is browned, about 15 minutes.
And pasta deserves fresh-baked bread!
I followed the egg white version of the no-knead bread but used
- 4 cups white flour
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
- 1/2 cup unprocessed wheat bran
for the 6 1/2 cups flour.
It worked really well. I'm lovin' this no-knead bread!
And I'm lovin' this Monday Pasta.