By Freya Bellin
Because the weather becomes chillier, I really like a great casserole. This pasta dish, though not a conventional casserole, evokes exactly the same warm, melty, heartiness. Even though their email list of ingredients may raise eyebrows, all of them get together harmoniously: the bite from the cheese, the juicy sweetness of fresh figs, and also the crunch of The city sprouts. I don’t always love blue cheese, however it offered its purpose well here. 4 ounces of cheese, especially a pungent one like gorgonzola, is only the correct amount to include flavor throughout, without overwhelming the dish. It seeps in to the tubes of rigatoni, and jackets all things in an easy, cheesy sauce. The almonds then add crunch, but flavor-wise don’t hinder all of those other dish. This pasta is well-balanced, unique, and makes excellent leftovers. Recipe in the Food Matters Cook book .
Baked Rigatoni with The city Sprouts, Figs, and Blue Cheese
Makes: 4 servings
Time: forty-five minutes
Many cheesy baked pastas rely on béchamelthe classic sauce created using flour, butter, and milkfor creaminess. But this can be a very awesome alternative that mixes a number of textures and flavors (including fruit) without diluting the flavour from the cheese. Pears, apples, and cranberries would really be fine here, and when you’re not interested in blue cheese, try fontina, Gruyère, or something that melts easily.
two tablespoons essential olive oil, plus much more for greasing the pan
8 ounces rigatoni, preferably wheat grains
1 1/2 pounds The city sprouts, roughly chopped
4 ounces Gorgonzola or any other blue cheese, crumbled
six to eight fresh figs, or 1 cup dried, chopped
1/4 cup chopped almonds, for garnish
1. Heat the oven to 400F. Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking pan after some essential olive oil. Bring a sizable pot water to some boil and salt it. Add some pasta and prepare it midway through (start checking after 3 minutes it ought to be quite firm inside). Add some The city sprouts towards the pot and prepare, before the pasta and vegetables are simply barely tender, another 3 minutes. Drain, reserving a few of the cooking water, and return the pasta and The city sprouts towards the pot.
2. Stir within the blue cheese, figs, the two tablespoons oil, along with a a little the cooking water. Sprinkle with pepper and salt, toss, and taste and adjust the seasoning. Turn the pasta mixture in to the prepared pan.
3. Bake, checking a couple of times and adding a little more from the cooking water when the pasta looks too dry, before the mixture is bubbling, 15-20 minutes. Garnish with chopped almonds and serve.
