Baked Spinach Linguini
It could have been my version of Angelini Osteria’s Lasagna Verde which was featured in The Best Thing I Ever Ate but for lack of ingredients like green lasagna noodles, black truffle mushrooms and veal; I just made the most out of what I have in our pantry. I used spinach and chives linguini pasta and substituted the black truffles with shiitake mushrooms for my ragu (meat sauce) and just layered them alternating with béchamel sauce like I would have it been lasagna. It is lighter- having used only one type of cheese yet delicious. Anyway, pasta is my friend and modesty aside, I’ve always been successful in my pasta recipes. Let me share my recipe with you
Baked Spinach Linguini
Ingredients:
Meat Sauce
1 stick unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp ground pepper
1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinlyl
3 cups marinara sauce
2 cups water
a pinch of sugar (I always add this when using marinara sauce)
Béchamel
5 tbsp butter
5 tbsp all purpose flour
2 1/2 cup whole milk
Linguini
1 pound spinach linguini noodles
1 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
For Meat Sauce:
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and break the lumps with the back of the spoon. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent. Add shiitake mushrooms, salt, ground pepper and chili flakes and mix well. Add the marinara sauce and 2 cups water and stir. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, add a pinch of sugar and simmer until sauce thickens but not too thick.
For Béchamel:
Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually whisk in milk, then season with a little salt and ground pepper.
For Linguini:
Preheat oven to 375. Cook linguini noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain and toss a little olive oil.
The assembly:
Butter bottom and sides of a pyrex or glass baking dish.
Layer bottom of dish with linguini
Spread bechamel sauce over noodles. Spread one cup meat sauce over bechamel. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Repeat 3 more times noodles, bechamel, meat sauce and cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes or till bubbly and lightly golden.
Enjoy!
The Italian white truffle is considered the queen of the kitchen, but the black truffle is considered the diamond. What many people dont know is that the black truffle is being farmed in Spain & many other countries of the world. Black truffle farms are a great way to make a living.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information. Indeed, if black truffles are like diamonds, then it should be lucrative farming them. I have yet to taste it though.... must be yummy!
ReplyDelete