BAKED FONTINA PASTA

Before Emily and Andrew visited in November, I asked her to give me a few hints of what to cook for her and she complied by sending this recipe. Our first attempt had to be aborted when we noticed that the Brussel sprouts were wormy. Ewwwww.

I think I have some kind of complex about cooking in front of Andrew because it seems like everything I make for him turns out less than what I'd hoped it would be. Emily was helping in the kitchen the day we made this dish, but I still managed to screw up a few components. Not that anything about making a simple pasta casserole is that complicated, just that I was feeling hurried and not reading ahead on the recipe. For instance, AFTER the pasta had been cooked and drained, I realized I should've kept the water it was boiled in. Whoops! This omission made it harder to get the béchamel sauce to set correctly...and so it went. Aren't you just dying to try this recipe now, after this raving review?

While I was exasperated by all the stupid errors that made putting this pasta casserole together a lot more tedious, I did very much like the end result. I'm not a macaroni and cheese lover but with the different cheese and the addition of non-wormy Brussel sprouts, the flavor profile was changed enough to make me want to eat a big helping.

You know what else is a good point about making your own baked fontina pasta? When you slice the Brussel sprouts so thin and cook them up, the color is just so beautiful and vibrant that you want to keep stirring forever. Sure, everything may have gone wrong up to that point, but when you're stirring those beautiful shiny green sprouts, you can't help but feel that something so beautiful is bound to make up into a great tasting dinner.

BAKED FONTINA PASTA
(from Blueapron.com)

Ingredients:
8 oz. campanelle pasta
2 oz fontina cheese
6 oz. Brussel sprouts
1 bunch sage
3 Tbs. all purpose flour
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. heavy cream
1 shallot
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and dry the fresh produce
Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling. Cut off and discard the rind of the Fontina cheese, grate the cheese.
Cut off and discard the stem ends of the Brussel sprouts. Cut the Brussel sprouts in half lengthwise: thinly slice the halves.
Pick the sage leaves off the stems. Discard the stems and finely chop the leaves.
Peel and thinly slice the shallot
Cook the Pasta:
Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water. Cook 9-11 minutes, or until just shy of al dente.
RESERVING 2 CUPS OF THE PASTA WATER, drain the cooked pasta thoroughly and set aside in a warm place. Rinse and dry the pot.
Making the Sage Breadcrumbs
While the pasta cooks, in a medium nonstick pan, heat 2 tsp. of olive oil on medium until hot.
Add the sage and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper.  Cook stirring frequently, 3 to 4 minutes, or until fragrant and browned.
Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Wipe out the pan
Cooking The Brussel Sprouts
In the same pan used to amok the sage breadcrumbs, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium high until hot.
Add the shallot. Cook stirring occasionally, 1-2 minutes, or until softened.
Add the Brussel sprouts, season with salt and pepper. Cook stirring occasionally, 2-4 minutes or until softened and bright green. Remove from heat
Making the Fontina Béchamel Sauce
In the same pot used to cook the pasta, melt the butter on medium high. Once melted, add the flour, cook, whisking frequently, 30 seconds to 1 minute or until toasted and fragrant.
Slowly whisk in the heavy cream and reserved pasta cooking water. Cook, whisking frequently, 2-4 minutes or until thickened. Add the fontina cheese, stir until melted and combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
Finishing and Baking the Pasta
Add the cooked pasta and cooked Brussel Sprouts to the pot of Fontina béchamel sauce. Stir until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan. Bake in the oven 7-8 minutes, or until bubbly. Remove from the oven. Top the baked pasta with the sage breadcrumbs. Let stand for at least 2 minutes before serving.