Pasta al forno with wild mushrooms, chestnuts, burrata, fontina and truffle
A luxurious cheesy pasta bake packed with rich, autumnal Italian flavours.
Ingredients
- 400g/14oz ziti pasta (or rigatoni)
- extra virgin olive oil
- 30g/1oz butter, plus extra for buttering the dish
- 60²µ/2¼´Ç³ú plain flour
- 800ml/1½ pint hot full-fat milk
- 4 bay leaves
- 70²µ/2½´Ç³ú parmesan, grated
- 70²µ/2½´Ç³ú fontina, grated
- glug truffle oil
- 130²µ/4½´Ç³ú wild mushrooms, trimmed and rinsed
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú chestnuts, roasted and peeled (see Recipe Tip), or alternatively 70²µ/2½´Ç³ú pre-cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 small bunch flat parsley, leaves only, chopped
- 180g/6oz burrata, drained
- good handful Japanese panko breadcrumbs
- black truffle slices, to finish (optional)
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water until al dente and then drain and toss with olive oil. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5 and butter an ovenproof baking dish.
Heat the butter in a saucepan until foaming, stir in the flour and cook until pale and sandy in texture. Gradually whisk in the milk and add the bay leaves.
Turn the heat to low and continue to stir until rich and thickened. Now whisk in half of the parmesan and fontina until melted. Season well, add a good glug of truffle oil, reserve and keep warm.
Heat a large pan over a high heat, add a glug of olive oil, and then the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper, and then fry until cooked through. Stir in the chestnuts and the parsley. Turn off the heat.
Place the cooked pasta in a bowl, pour over the sauce and mix through the pasta to fully coat it. Add the mushroom mixture and tear in the burrata. Mix well, transfer into the prepared baking dish and then top with the breadcrumbs and the remaining cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes or until piping hot and the top is nicely browned. Top with more truffle oil and slices of fresh truffle, if using.
Recipe Tips
You can roast the chestnuts for this recipe by preheating the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and using a small, sharp knife, cut a cross into the skin of each nut. Put in a roasting tin and bake until the skins open and the insides are tender. This takes about 30 minutes. Alternatively use pre-cooked chestnuts, following measurements in the recipe.
