BAKED PASTA
with Mushrooms and Radicchio
About the Recipe
In the California kitchen of my childhood, baked pasta was synonymous with macaroni and cheese. And in college I discovered lasagna. But it was only after several dinners in the 1980’s at Providence, Rhode Island’s now-legendary Al Forno that I realized how many options for baked-in-the oven-crunchy-on-top -and-luscious-within pasta dishes existed. Turns out the options are endless.
Reading Cucina Simpatica--a fabulous cookbook written by James Beard Award-winning husband-and-wife team George Germon and Johann Killeen who own the restaurant-- I learned that "al forno" is Italian for "from the oven" and that recipes for these pastas hark back to the Middle Ages, when ovens were wood-fired and usually communal, villagers carrying uncooked casseroles to town squares to be baked side-by-side with those of their neighbors.
I highly recommend all Germon and Killeen’s cookbooks. The recipe below is my take on Baked Pasta with Mushrooms and Radicchio from Cucina Simpatica. Pasta al forno recipes are flexible. Feel free to substitute ingredients of your choice or even leftovers from the fridge. Hard to go wrong with so much cheese, cream, onions and garlic. Clearly not low-cal, but without doubt, comfort food at its very best.
For convenience, I often double or triple baked pasta recipes; uncooked dishes can be wrapped in foil, frozen for months and then popped into the oven as needed. Defrost first or bake frozen (extending the baking time as needed).
Ingredients
Serves 8 as a first course or 10-12 as a side dish
½ pound sliced mushrooms (any kind or mixed)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1½ teaspoons salt
2½ cups heavy cream
½ cup grated fontina cheese
½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
½ cup crumbled Roquefort or other blue cheese
2 tablespoons fresh ricotta
½ cup minced yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups finely shredded radicchio
1¼ teaspoon salt or more to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8-10 leaves fresh sage chopped (or substitute 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, 1 teaspoon dried thyme or rosemary, or with 1 teaspoon whole fennel seed)
½ - 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons grated parmesan to sprinkle on top
1 pound imported pasta—fusilli, shells or penne
Method
Preheat the oven to 500 °F with rack in highest position
Bring at least five quarts of salted water to the boil in a large pot
Heat 6 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet, add the mushrooms and salt and cook, stirring frequently until done and very tender, about ten minutes.
In a large bowl combine the cream, cheeses, onion, garlic, cooked mushrooms, radicchio, fresh sage, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
Parboil the pasta in the boiling water for exactly 4 minutes. Drain and immediately add to the bowl with the cream mixture.
Transfer the mixture to a large gratin dish. Pasta should be no more than 1 ½ inch deep. If necessary, use a second dish.
Evenly divide the remaining butter over the top and sprinkle generously with Parmesan
Bake until the pasta is bubbly and very hot and the top begins to brown, about 12-15 minutes. Let rest a few minutes before serving.