Baked Penne Valle d'Aosta

As some of you may have noticed, I've been floundering lately with Cucina DiBella. Since finishing my first round through all of Italy's regions, I haven't really found a good rhythm for my posts. So, instead of just pushing through with a system that wasn't working for me, I decided to head back to what originally drew me in to this project: Italian regional cooking.

I'll head back up to Valle d'Aosta in the northwestern corner of Italy first. If you remember back to the first recipe that I cooked for Cucina DiBella, Fonduta, Valle d'Aosta is known for their delicious fontina cheese. Fontina melts wonderfully with a smooth, creamy result. One of the typical dishes that fontina is used in is Baked Penne Valle d'Aosta or Pasticcio di Penne alla Valle d'Aosta. Really, this recipe is like an upscale, adult version of macaroni and cheese. In the traditional recipe, fontina cheese is mixed with sauteed mushrooms and cream and poured over penne. The whole thing is then baked for just a couple minutes to make the top layer of cheese bubble and get a slight crisp. However, to add a little more flavor and texture, I added onion and garlic to my version. I also sprinkled toasted breadcrumbs over half the pan (Ryan's not a fan, so I let him have his half without it), which was a delicious addition. So, that's my version of this typical Valle d'Aosta recipe. Hope you enjoy it!

Baked Penne Valle d'Aosta - half with breadcrumbs on top, half without

Love the steam coming off the dish!

Baked Penne Valle d'Aosta

Adapted from Lidia's Italy

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 pound penne

2 tablespoons butter

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 cup half and half

8 ounces fontina cheese, shredded

1 cup parmigiano regiano, shredded

Optional:

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon butter

Procedure:

Prepare a baking dish by coating the sides and bottom with butter. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Fill a large pot with water and season with salt. Bring to a boil and cook the penne as directed. Drain the penne and return to the pot.
While the penne cooks, heat the butter in a large pan over medium high heat. When the butter is melted, add the onion and garlic and cook about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms soften and release their liquid.
Stir the half and half into the mushrooms and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes until the liquid thickens slightly.
Take the pot of drained penne and add the mushroom and cream mixture. Add in 3/4 of the fontina and 2/3 of a cup of the parmigiano. Stir the pasta mixture to combine.
Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining fontina and parmigiano.
Optional: If you would like to add breadcrumbs, heat 1 tablespoon butter in a small pan. When melted, add the breadcrumbs and stir until coated in the butter. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the penne in the baking dish.
Bake for about 5-10 minutes until the cheese is well melted. Serve hot.

Ryan's rating of Baked Penne Valle d'Aosta - 5. This is deinitely a new favorite!