If you ask me, I might just do it

This post is for Ellen and Patty. Both of them read my blog and requested specific things from me. Ellen asked for a baked mac and cheese recipe and Patty asked if I would have her over for dinner. Two birds, one stone.

This recipe also comes from the Gourmet Cookbook (which is just so good. I made pancakes from it this morning and they were the first successful pancakes I've ever made. More on that later).

Baked Four-Cheese Farfalle (there is a LOT of cheese in this dish. This is not a dish for the faint-hearted)

1/2 stick butter (4 Tbs) unsalted butter
2 Tbs flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes in juice, drained (reserve the juice for the sauce) and finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 pound farfalle (bow tie pasta - you could use any wide short cut pasta)
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated mozzerella
1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola (I used blue cheese - I figured it was close enough and it was in my fridge already)
1/2 cup diced Italian Fontina
1 1/3 cups finely grated Romano (like Parmesan but saltier)
1/2 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a large shallow baking dish.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over moderately low heat. Add flour and cook, whisking until it turns light brown (about 3 minutes). If you don't cook it long enough it will taste like flour. That's not good. Add the milk and tomato juice in a slow stream, whisking all the way. Then bring it to a boil and add the tomatoes, salt and peeper. Simmer until thickened (I know it sounds a little complicated, but honestly, it's easy).

Cook pasta in salted water until al dente (or with a bite). Drain.

Stir together pasta, sauce, all the cheese (except 1/3 cup Romano) and parsley. I use the pot I made the sauce in - less dishes. Transfer to the baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup Romano.

Bake until golden and bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Let sit ten minutes.

I did not let it sit. Whoops. It made it not set as well. That's how it goes though. It still tasted good. See, Patty and Mark like it!


I think I should have cooked it longer though. I really need an oven thermometer. I say that every time.