Spaghetti Al Formaggio Recipes

PASTA FORMAGGIO

Steps:

• In medium saucepan, melt butter.
• Combine flour, dry mustard, chipotle chili powder, salt, and pepper.
• Stir with whisk flour mixture into melted butter, and cook for about 1 minute or until bubbly.
• Slowly add evaporated milk, stirring to combine, then add regular milk as stirring.
• Cook over medium heat until sauce begins to thicken.
• The fattier the milk, the thicker the sauce.
• Add cheeses and reduce heat to low; cook stirring frequently until sauce thickens.
• Stir in tomato paste.
• Pour cheese sauce over cooked pasta.
• Stir in peas.
• Serve at once.
• If desired, top with buttered bread crumbs and bake in 350 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes to brown topping.
• (I never do this step.).

PASTA QUATTRO FORMAGGI

Steps:

• Bring tall pot of water to a rolling boil, add penne pasta and 4 Tbsp. salt.
• Cook pasta for 5 minutes, until 'al dente'.
• Heat a stove burner to medium-low.
• In a large sauce pan, pour olive oil and add minced garlic; saute' garlic for about 2 minutes.
• Add the heavy cream and all cheeses; do not use a very hot burner or everything will burn.
• Add nutmeg, salt and pepper.
• When pasta is finished cooking (after about 5 minutes), take a hand strainer to dip into the pasta water and strain pasta over the pot (much faster this way).
• Put drained pasta in the sauce pan full of hot cheese sauce.
• Add about a ladle-ful of pasta water to the pasta and cheese mixture.
• Taste!
• Add more cheese of the flavor you believe that it needs according to your preferences.
• Add more cream if it needs it; or if it needs more pasta water, you can also add more at this time.
• Pour the creamy pasta onto a large pasta platter.
• Garnish with minced Italian parsley.
• Serve immediately while the pasta and sauce is hot.

PASTA AI QUATTRO FORMAGGI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
• Add the butter to a large skillet over medium heat and add the mushrooms and garlic. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes, then add the wine and cook until evaporated.
• Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions, leaning toward the al dente side. Do not overcook; this will take 1 to 2 minutes!
• Add the cream to the skillet with the mushrooms. Drain the pasta (reserving some of the pasta water) and add the pasta to the mushrooms, along with the fontina, Parmesan, Romano, goat cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Stir gently to combine, adding hot pasta water as needed for consistency. Don't overmix; if there are little clumps of cheese here and there, it's fine! Taste and add more salt if needed. The mixing stage should happen very quickly.
• Turn the pasta out into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

PENNE AI QUATTRO FORMAGGI (MAC 'N' CHEESE)

Steps:

• Adjust the oven rack to the top shelf. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
• Heat the milk in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cheeses to the hot milk and start melting. With a wooden spoon, stir gently but continuously, until all the cheeses are melted together.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta according to the directions on the box, and, as always, to make sure you achieve a proper "al dente" texture, drain it about 2 minutes before what is indicated.
• Toss the penne and the cheese sauce together, season with salt and a generous amount of ground black pepper. Divide the penne between ten 6-ounce ramekins. Top with a light sprinkling of breadcrumbs and a grating of Parmesan.
• Turn the broiler on high and broil until golden and crisp on top, 3 to 5 minutes.

PASTA AI QUATTRO FORMAGGI (CREAMY FOUR-CHEESE PASTA) RECIPE

Steps:

• In a 3-quart saucepan, saucier, or other medium pot, combine cream with thyme, garlic, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan with a flexible spatula to prevent scorching, then remove from heat and let steep 5 minutes. Remove and discard garlic and thyme.
• Return infused cream to low heat and add Taleggio, whisking constantly until Taleggio is fully melted.
• Add grated Gruyère (or Fontina) and continue to whisk until fully melted and a smooth sauce forms. Whisk in Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Keep warm.
• Meanwhile, in a pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente. Using a spider skimmer, transfer pasta to cheese sauce; alternatively, strain pasta in a colander, making sure to first reserve 1 cup (240ml) pasta-cooking water. Add 1/4 cup (60ml) pasta-cooking water to pasta and sauce and, working over medium-low heat, stir gently until pasta is coated in a creamy glaze. If sauce becomes too thick, add more pasta water, 1 tablespoon (15ml) at a time, to loosen to proper glazing consistency. Season with salt to taste.
• Remove from heat and stir in gorgonzola; it may completely melt into the sauce, but it's fine (arguably even desirable) if some pieces remain mostly intact.
• Serve right away, passing more grated Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table.

SPAGHETTI AL FORMAGGIO

Steps:

• 1. Cook pasta as directed on package.
• 2. In a medium skillet (I use cast iron), brown the beef.
• 3. Add the garlic, onion, mushrooms, salt, and Italian seasoning. Saute on high heat between 5-10 minutes.
• 4. Reduce heat to medium and add the cubed cream cheese. Stir frequently until cream cheese is melted. Keep heat on medium and allow the cheese and meat to cook together for about 5 minutes.
• 5. Add tomato puree. Stir until the tomato is well mixed with the cheese/meat mix. After the sauce is well mixed and well heated, cover and allow to cook at medium temperature for an additional 10-15 minutes. At this point, you do not have to stir constantly, just enough to ensure the sauce and/or meat is not sticking. *Please remember: Many sauces, like marinara sauce, typically pop and splatter during cooking, so be careful not to get burned *
• 6. Reduce heat to low or simmer, and allow to cook an additional 10-15 minutes, still covered.
• 7. Pour over pasta and top with fresh Parmesan cheese. Don't forget the garlic bread! Enjoy.