Pasta Class 4 - Cream, Butter, and Cheese

Penne Pasticcio with Fontina and Wild Mushroom
Pasticcio (Pastitsio) is basically a fancy word for casserole. This one is rich and bold, with 3 creamy cheeses and various meaty wild mushrooms. I would personally make this with more pasta and/ or less cheese... or just serve as a side.

• 30 g Dried Porcini
• 100 g Fresh Chanterelles, torn apart
• 100 g Oyster mushrooms, torn apart
• 300 g Cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves Garlic, whole
• 70 g Butter
• 450 g Penne
• 120 g Bel Paese or St. Paulin Cheese, grated
• 170 g Fontina d'Aoste, grated
• 100 g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
• 400 mL Whipping Cream
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Soak the porcini mushrooms in boiled water for 20 minutes. Squeeze and chop. (NOTE: they will be a bit sandy, and the sand will wash into the soaking water).

In a small pot, reduce the cream by half.

Over moderate heat, fry the garlic in butter to infuse. Add the porcini mushrooms first, then the chanterelles and crimini. Add the oyster mushrooms last; they will cook quickly. Use some of the porcini-water to sweat the mushrooms a little. Remove garlic cloves and set aside.

Cook the penne until almost al dente. Drain and toss in butter or olive oil. Set aside.

Place a layer of pasta in a buttered ovenproof dish. Top with a quarter of the mushroom mixture and a quarter of the grated cheese. Repeat layering 3 more times, finishing with a layer of cheese. Season the cream, and pour over the pasticcio.

Cover and bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Raise the temperature to 400F and bake uncovered until lightly brown.

Farfalle with Cheese, Basil, and Walnuts
This is a brilliant combination of flavors and textures. It can be served warm, and would make a good appetizer or side dish - it's too rich to be a main.

• 4 portions Farfalle
• 150 g Mascarpone Cheese
• 100 g Fontina d'Aoste Cheese (or Taleggio, pecorino, etc...), finely diced
• 25 g Gorgonzola Piccante Cheese
• 1/2 bunch Fresh Basil
• 80 g Walnut Halves
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Toast the walnut halves in an oven at 350F.

Boil pasta in heavily salted water until al dente.

Melt the cheeses together in a double boiler using moderate heat (the water should be gently simmering). High heat will cause the cheeses to separate. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss the walnuts, basil, and freshly cooked noodles in the sauce.

NOTE: Without the walnuts, this sauce lends itself well to simple pastas such as maccheroni and rigatoni and gnocchi. With walnuts, pair with smooth fresh pastas or farfalle.

Orecchiette with Herb Butter
A simple, but tasty way to enjoy pasta.

• Pasta (orechiette)
• Sweet Butter (ie: unsalted)
• Fresh Herbs (sage and parsley... others could be used)
• Parmigiano Reggiano

Chop the herbs roughly, heat in a pan with butter, add the pasta along with a bit of pasta water, and toss with some parmigiano cheese.