StickFish
01-08-2008, 08:39 AM
We've had this recipe for some time now and only maybe make it once a year. Heck it takes that long for all the cheese to get out of your arteries. But it is so good I just had to pass it along. Anything with over 2lbs of cheese in it has to be gooey good!
We made 1/2 of it this time with a layer of home canned tuna in it - we'll never make it again without.
1 pound sharp Cehddar Cheese, grated
1 pound mozzarella Cheese, grated
3 cups milk (whole, 2% or 1%)
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup freshly graed Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Ramano Cheese
2 teaspoons Tabasco
1/3 teaspoon white pepper
1 1/8 pounds fresh rigatoni (Use 1 pound if you use dry noodles
3/4 teaspoon chili powder or hot paprika, to top
3/4 cup milk (whole 2% or 1%)
Combine Grated Chedder and Mozzarella and set aside.
Bechamel Sauce
IN a small saucepan, heat milk 3 cups of milk until near boiling. Turn off heat. Melt butter in a heavy pan large enough ot hold pasta after it is cooked. (It will take at least a 14" saute pan or a large casserole that can take direct heat.) Whenfoam from butter recedes, remove from heat, add flour and mix well. Return to medium-low heat, and stirring occasionally, simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to cook, but not brown, the flour. Gradually stir in hot milk. Raise heat to medium-high and continue stiring until mixture is smooth and thick - about 5 minutes. Add Parmesan and Romano cheeses. Whisk until smooth. Add Tabasco and white pepper and blend.
Cook rigatoni in boiling salted water about 4 minutes (This is for fresh pasta, dried should cook till just before aldente), it will be underdone but will finish cooking later) Thoroughly drain rigatoni and fold into the bechmel sauce.
If cooking immediatly, preheat oven to 375
Layer one half of the rigatoni mixture into a 9x13 pan. Top with 1/2 of the cheese mixture you set aside in step one. If you want to add tuna cover the Cheese with a layer of Tuna. Repeat layers (except for tuna). Sprinkle Chili powder evenly over top.
If not baking immediately, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze. When ready to bake, drizzle the 3/4 cup of milk over the disk. Bake for approximately 1 hour. If Frozen add at least 20 minutes. The dish should be rusty brown on top. Should it appear to be browning too fast, cover with foil and part of the cooking time. Be ssure to check for doneness in the ver center of the dish.
Serves 8-10
We made 1/2 of it this time with a layer of home canned tuna in it - we'll never make it again without.
1 pound sharp Cehddar Cheese, grated
1 pound mozzarella Cheese, grated
3 cups milk (whole, 2% or 1%)
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup freshly graed Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Ramano Cheese
2 teaspoons Tabasco
1/3 teaspoon white pepper
1 1/8 pounds fresh rigatoni (Use 1 pound if you use dry noodles
3/4 teaspoon chili powder or hot paprika, to top
3/4 cup milk (whole 2% or 1%)
Combine Grated Chedder and Mozzarella and set aside.
Bechamel Sauce
IN a small saucepan, heat milk 3 cups of milk until near boiling. Turn off heat. Melt butter in a heavy pan large enough ot hold pasta after it is cooked. (It will take at least a 14" saute pan or a large casserole that can take direct heat.) Whenfoam from butter recedes, remove from heat, add flour and mix well. Return to medium-low heat, and stirring occasionally, simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to cook, but not brown, the flour. Gradually stir in hot milk. Raise heat to medium-high and continue stiring until mixture is smooth and thick - about 5 minutes. Add Parmesan and Romano cheeses. Whisk until smooth. Add Tabasco and white pepper and blend.
Cook rigatoni in boiling salted water about 4 minutes (This is for fresh pasta, dried should cook till just before aldente), it will be underdone but will finish cooking later) Thoroughly drain rigatoni and fold into the bechmel sauce.
If cooking immediatly, preheat oven to 375
Layer one half of the rigatoni mixture into a 9x13 pan. Top with 1/2 of the cheese mixture you set aside in step one. If you want to add tuna cover the Cheese with a layer of Tuna. Repeat layers (except for tuna). Sprinkle Chili powder evenly over top.
If not baking immediately, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze. When ready to bake, drizzle the 3/4 cup of milk over the disk. Bake for approximately 1 hour. If Frozen add at least 20 minutes. The dish should be rusty brown on top. Should it appear to be browning too fast, cover with foil and part of the cooking time. Be ssure to check for doneness in the ver center of the dish.
Serves 8-10