I was so happy to have come across this recipe, as it sounds exactly like a dish I often ordered at a favorite Italian restaurant. I had the dish with the house salad, white wine, crusty Italian bread and butter. It was almost too filling to have a slice of cheescake & coffee. The menu gives you a choice of any pasta (ziti, linguine, etc.) and any sauce (white, mushroom, tomato etc.) you wish. Real comfort food. I would like to give it a try, but have a question re the *cheese.
BAKED PENNE WITH MUSHROOMS AND CHEESES
Pasticcio di penne alla valdostana Valle d'Aosta
Serves 4 - 5
1 lb mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled, whole
4 T butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 oz penne (about 2 1/2 cups dry pasta) - or mostaccioi, ziti, etc.
*3 oz Bel Paese cheese, thinly sliced or cubed - or any creamy, mild cheese
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream or half and half
Sauté the mushrooms with the whole garlic clove in 2 tablespoons of the butter over a high heat. Add salt and pepper, lower the heat and cook for 3 minutes. Discard the garlic.
Cook the pasta as usual. Drain and dress with the remaining butter.
Butter an ovenproof dish and cover the bottom with a layer of penne. Distribute about a quarter of the mushrooms and the sliced cheese evenly over the pasta and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of Parmesan.
Add another layer of pasta and cover with mushrooms and cheese as before. Repeat until you have used all the ingredients, finishing with a layer of sliced cheeses.
Pour over the cream, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake, covered with foil, in a preheated oven at 400° for 10 minutes. Bake uncovered for a further 10 minutes, or until a light crust has formed on the top. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Adapted from: Gastronomy of Italy
Anna Del Conte
*I am not familiar with the taste of this cheese. If any one is familiar with this cheese, any thoughts on what I could use instead? (Cream cheese or Mozzarella, maybe?) Think I also detected a hint of olive oil in the dish. The taste is very subtle, so I don't want to overpower any of the ingredients.
BAKED PENNE WITH MUSHROOMS AND CHEESES
Pasticcio di penne alla valdostana Valle d'Aosta
Serves 4 - 5
1 lb mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled, whole
4 T butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 oz penne (about 2 1/2 cups dry pasta) - or mostaccioi, ziti, etc.
*3 oz Bel Paese cheese, thinly sliced or cubed - or any creamy, mild cheese
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream or half and half
Sauté the mushrooms with the whole garlic clove in 2 tablespoons of the butter over a high heat. Add salt and pepper, lower the heat and cook for 3 minutes. Discard the garlic.
Cook the pasta as usual. Drain and dress with the remaining butter.
Butter an ovenproof dish and cover the bottom with a layer of penne. Distribute about a quarter of the mushrooms and the sliced cheese evenly over the pasta and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of Parmesan.
Add another layer of pasta and cover with mushrooms and cheese as before. Repeat until you have used all the ingredients, finishing with a layer of sliced cheeses.
Pour over the cream, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake, covered with foil, in a preheated oven at 400° for 10 minutes. Bake uncovered for a further 10 minutes, or until a light crust has formed on the top. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Adapted from: Gastronomy of Italy
Anna Del Conte
*I am not familiar with the taste of this cheese. If any one is familiar with this cheese, any thoughts on what I could use instead? (Cream cheese or Mozzarella, maybe?) Think I also detected a hint of olive oil in the dish. The taste is very subtle, so I don't want to overpower any of the ingredients.
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