You need a few simple and rustic ingredients to cook a great and elegant pasta bake… the sausage and mushroom pasta pie! Find this and many more recipes with pictures on the Giallozafferano App (in English) http://itunes.apple.com/app/giallozafferano-recipes/id384387249?mt=8
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Today I’m using a few simple and rustic ingredients to cook an elegant baked pasta dish… the sausage and mushroom pasta pie! Let’s cook it together!
Ingredients for 6 servings:
Sausage and mushroom pasta pie
(6 servings)
• 14 oz of pasta tubes (paccheri or rigatoni)
• ½ lb (250 g) of sausage
• 14 oz (400 g) of champignon mushrooms
• 1 ½ cups (350 g) of ricotta cheese
• 1 leek
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
• just under ½ cup (100 ml) of white wine
• ¾ cup (80 g) of grated parmesan cheese + ¼ cup (20 g) for sprinkling • 1 clove of garlic
• 3-4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
For the béchamel sauce
• less than 1 cup (200 ml) of milk
• 1 ½ tbsp (20 g) of butter
• 2 tbsp (15 g) of flour
• salt to taste
• a pinch of grated nutmeg
To prepare the pasta pie clean the leek, cut into thin rings and sauté in extra virgin olive oil on a very low flame for 15-20 minutes until soft, with a crushed clove of garlic. Now add the crumbled sausage; I am using Italian sausage, but any type of fresh sausage can be used, with chili pepper, fennel seeds, or any you like. Let it brown for 10 minutes on a medium flame.
After browning the sausage, pour in the white wine… and let it evaporate; meanwhile cook the pasta for half of the cooking time, until very firm to the bite.
The wine has evaporated, so add the mushrooms; cut the mushrooms into small pieces, as you can see, since we’ll be using a pastry bag to pipe the mixture. Cook for at least 10 minutes on a high flame, then add salt and pepper; I am using champignon mushrooms, but you can use porcini for example, if you want to improve the recipe, or any type you like.
To prepare the béchamel sauce, melt the butter, sift in the flour and, when the flour turns light brown, pour in the milk, then add a pinch of salt and a pinch of nutmeg; the béchamel sauce is done, it should be not too thin not too thick, in the meantime drain the pasta and drizzle a little oil to keep it from sticking to itself, because it will be placed upright in the pan. Here’s the sausage and mushroom mixture, it has dried out and cooled a bit, so add a few thyme leaves and we’re ready to prepare the filling.
For the filling, take a bowl, large enough to hold the ricotta cheese, the cooled sausage and mushroom mixture and the grated parmesan cheese; mix everything until creamy.
Now take a baking pan or oven dish, about 8 ½ inches (22 cm) in diameter, use half of the béchamel sauce to coat the bottom, and stand the pasta tubes upright, in concentric circles, starting from the edge, until the pan is full.
Place the mixture in a pastry bag… cut a large hole in the corner so it can be piped easily, and now fill each pasta tube; it’s easier than you think.
That was quick, wasn’t it? And now cover the pasta with the remaining béchamel sauce; if it gets too thick you can thin it out with one or two tablespoons of cold milk. After adding the béchamel sauce, sprinkle with the remaining grated parmesan cheese and finish with a few thyme leaves, then bake at 350°F (180°) for 30 minutes; during the last 5 minutes raise the temperature, or even better, turn on the broiler.
Our sausage and mushroom pasta pie is ready! It’s lovely and golden brown; if you want to make elegant individual servings, here’s a tip: place 6 or 7 paccheri in an oven-proof dish and tie them up with a blanched leek leaf. From Sonia and Giallozafferano, buon appetito and see you next video recipe!