Farfalle con Crema d’Asiago e Speck Alto Adige

Farfalle with Creamy Asiago Sauce & Speck

Courtesy of Barbara Seelig Brown
www.stressfreecooking.com

12 ounces uncooked Farfalle (bowtie pasta)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 / 4 cup all purpose flour
4 cups 1% milk
1 ½ cups shredded Asiago D’Allevo DOP(approximately 4 ounces by weight)
1 ½ cups shredded Asiago Pressato DOP(approximately 4 ounces by weight)
6 ounce piece Speck Alto Adige IGP, diced (approximately 1 cup by volume)
Pepper Mill

Equipment:
Pasta pot, 4 quart saucepan, balloon whisk, 9 x 12 inch casserole dish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook pasta to al dente stage (see Cook’s Tips below). Drain. Return to pasta pot and set aside.

Mix cheese together in a large bowl. Divide as follows: 2 cups for sauce & 1 cup for topping.

In a 4 quart saucepan, melt butter and whisk in flour. The mixture will be dry. Cook 2 minutes and add 1 cup of the milk. Whisk until smooth. Add remaining milk and whisk again until smooth. Cook until thickened, approximately 3-5 minutes.

Remove pan from heat. Gradually add the first 2 cups cheese ½ cup at a time, whisking until smooth. Season with a few turns of fresh black pepper. Stir in diced Speck.

Add Asiago cheese and Speck sauce to pasta. Mix well. Place in casserole dish. Top with remaining 1 cup Asiago Pressato.

Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20 minutes until casserole is golden brown and bubbly.

Cook’s Tips:
Remember to cook pasta in at least 4-6 quarts of water. Cooking pasta in too small a pot or too little water will result in sticky, gummy pasta. Using a larger pot than you think you will need is a good idea.

This dish freezes well.

Variation: Do not bake the pasta if you like a moister pasta dish.

ãBarbara Seelig Brown