Baked Pasta with four cheeses...

Pasta is as rich in history, as it is with the sauces that accompany it to the dinner table. From the ancient Greeks & Romans, to the Arabs, Chinese and even Thomas Jefferson; pasta has been a comfort food for many around the world. It comes in many different shapes, sizes and colors ~ but it’s never, never plain!

Thus, I give you my recipe for total comfort ~ Baked Penne with four cheeses. I start with the ‘mother of all sauces’ - a french Béchamel sauce, a classic simple white sauce. Next I fix one of the most popular pasta – penne and then I fold in a blend of four of my favorite cheeses; all baked to a rich and decadent casserole. This delicious dish can be served alone with a salad and crusty bread or as a side-dish. No matter how you serve it, you definitely will be asking for more. Enjoy!

Baked Penne with four cheeses

Ingredients:
Béchamel
2 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly grated nutmeg

Pasta
2½ ounces fontina cheese, cubed (about ½ cup)
2½ ounces asiago cheese, cubed (about ½ cup)
3 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (about ½ cup)
1 pound short pasta, like penne
1⅓ cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Heat oven to 475 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.


For the béchamel:
In a medium saucepan, heat milk over medium-low heat; bring just to boil then remove from heat. In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add flour; cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Do not brown. Remove from heat. Add 2 tablespoons milk to flour mixture, stirring constantly until milk is incorporated. Repeat until ½ cup of the milk has been added. Add remaining milk a ½ cup at a time, incorporating between additions, until all milk has been added. Return to low heat and cook, stirring frequently, especially along corners of pan, until béchamel is the consistency of thick cream. Stir in salt, season with nutmeg and remove from heat; cover to keep warm.

For the pasta:
Combine fontina, asiago and gorgonzola in a large bowl. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain pasta, immediately add to the bowl with cheeses, and then add béchamel; toss together to combine well. Transfer pasta to a baking dish, sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 6

George's notes:

• The painting is entitled ~ Boy with Spaghetti by Julius Moser, c. 1808
• On Thomas Jefferson's return from Paris in 1789, he brought the first "maccaroni" maker to America.