Where do you begin with something named after someone….
It starts with having made an adult version of Mac & Cheese, it evolved here and there until I went to Visit Emmy (Emily) in Ohio and her sole request for the weekend was to cook with me. This is the recipe we did with Emmy acting as ‘sous chef’, and her roomate James acting as ‘Eater’.
We had a great time, and I was able to refine a recipe to a new height, and so it is named for my host where it was created.
Rigatoni in Gorgonzola Sauce for Emily
Preheat oven to 350F
Ingredients:
1lb DeCecco Rigatoni cooked in heavily salted boiling water for 6 minutes set aside in 9×13 baking dish drizzle with olive oil and toss to prevent sticking.
Sauce:
3 ounces each grated (shredded) Parmasean, Romano, and Asiago cheeses
6 ounces good Gorgonzola, crumbled
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup plus 2 TBLSP flour
1 liter plus one cup of whole milk *at room temperature*
Fresh black pepper to taste
3/8th’s tsp Finely crushed red chili pepper
In a 3 quart saucepan melt the stick of butter and when it bubbles add the flour all at once and whisk continuously while the flour cooks, when it smells nutty and is lightly browned add the liter of milk in fourths whisking well between each addition (reserving the extra cup for later). When it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon start adding the cheeses for the sauce allowing each to incorporate before adding the next. By the time you get to the gorgonzola you’ll need to thin it a bit with the last cup of milk. Add the black and red pepper whisk to combine.
Slowly pour the sauce over the pasta taking time to stir the pasta allowing the sauce to fill the pasta and get throughout the dish.
TOPPING
4 ounces fresh mozzarella sliced
Panko bread crumbs
Sprinkle a layer of Panko over the pasta
Lay the slices of mozzarella over the top
Cover with heavy duty foil and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
Uncover add more panko and broil until golden brown.
