Cold weather means pasta
I’ve been in a baked-pasta tear mood. Monday night was a quickie lasagna, using some noodles that were in the back of the cabinet. It was good, though I think in the future I’ll do something a wee bit more complex.
Last night, though, I did baked rigatoni with Béchamel. I had forgotten about Béchamel — how simple it is, how delicate it is, how versatile it is, and how readily it absorbs auxiliary flavors — so I was pleasantly surprised to taste how well this particular approach turned out. (The quickie version: Make Béchamel — stir in grated fontina — stir in thin strips of prosciutto — stir in partially cooked rigatoni — pour into dish — top with more cheese and some dollops of butter — bake — eat.) Lovely flavor aside, it also had a velvety, comforting texture that was perfect for a cold night. I may have to experiment with Béchamel some more.
This work, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
