Sometimes we find the best things by a very circuitous route, and this month's Incredible Edible recipe arrived that way! I'd been online looking for Ken Hoyt's Candied Ginger and Walnut Biscotti recipe when I was drawn to the In Good Taste website. Never being one who could resist perusing recipes, I starting scanning the site's recipe section and soon arrived at a gem of a creation, Wild Mushroom Macaroni with Pancetta and Shallots.
It's a rich and yummy dish that features the various wild mushrooms that are so readily available this time of year. I actually prefer a combination of golden chanterelles and hedgehogs, but have found that a small portion of cauliflowers contribute a welcome crunch to casserole.
And, when it comes to a dinner party, this tasty recipe has the added bonus of serving as a fabulous side dish for the carnivors at your table as well as a welcome vegetarian entre for your guests who prefer a meatless menu.
1 pound dry elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound mixed wild mushrooms, sliced into small pieces
2 shallots, minced, finely chopped
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
½ cup half and half
1 cup whole milk
8 oz White Cheddar cheese, grated
8 oz Colby Jack cheese, grated
1 teaspoon parsley, minced
1 teaspoon thyme, minced
3 oz pancetta, diced
1 oz Parmesan, grated
1 ½ cups breadcrumbs, toasted
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish, or two 8x8-inch dishes.
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until tender but still firm to bite. Drain well, but don’t rinse.
- Over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large sauté pan. Add olive oil. Stir in the mushrooms and the shallot. Cook until tender, 4-6 minutes.
- Sprinkle the mushrooms with flour, whisking well to dissolve. Stir in the mustard, salt and pepper. Heat 1 minute to cook out the flour. Slowly, whisk in the half and half, then the milk. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the sauce is smooth and thick. Pull the pan off the heat.
- Stir in the White Cheddar and Colby Jack cheeses along with the parsley and thyme. Stir in pasta. Spread mixture into prepared baking dish and set aside.
- In a sauté pan over medium heat, sauté the pancetta. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon. Stir into the pasta.
- Stir the Parmesan and the breadcrumbs together. Sprinkle evenly over pasta.
- Bake until pasta is heated through and golden brown, about 18-20 minutes.