Monday, March 11, 2013

Baked Pasta with Brussels Sprouts







We invited Scott and Tom over for dinner. We started with a spring salad of: Asparagus grilled on our Panini, Burrata Cheese, Brown Butter and Hazelnuts.

For the main course we made an unusual baked pasta.
From a recipe in the New York Times. Who ever heard of the dish? It turned out to be quite good!

Hearty Whole Wheat Pasta with Brussels Sprouts, Cheese and Potato
Nigella Lawson
NYT
Yield 8 entree servings
Time 45 minutes, plus resting
Summary
Adapted from “Nigellissima: Easy Italian-Inspired Recipes,” by Nigella Lawson
Ingredients
                  1 3/4 pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
                  1 (8-ounce) baking potato, peeled and in 1-inch dice
                  1 pound whole wheat or spelt tortiglioni or penne
                  Salt, to taste
                  1/2 cup ricotta
                  8 ounces Gruyère, in 1/2-inch dice
                  3 tablespoons unsalted butter
                  1 tablespoon olive oil
                  1 garlic clove, minced
                  4 sage leaves, shredded
                  1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Method
                  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water generously, then add brussels sprouts, potato and pasta, and let water come back to a boil. Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until potato is tender and pasta is al dente. Just before draining, remove 2 cups of the cooking liquid and set aside.
                  2. Tip drained pasta, brussels sprouts and potato into an approximately 10 x 15-inch roasting pan (or a 9 x 13-inch lasagna dish), then add ricotta, Gruyère and 1 cup cooking water, and toss well to combine. Add more liquid if you feel the pasta is too dry.
                  3. Warm butter, olive oil and garlic in a small saucepan and, when melted and beginning to sizzle gently, add sage and fry for about 30 seconds. Spoon or dribble the butter and sage over the pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan and bake for 20 minutes, by which time the surface will be scorched a light gold. Let stand for at least 15 minutes before eating.
Source: The New York Times



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