10694 Baked Radicchio and Mozzarella Pasta 1 hr 25 mins 6 to 8 servings Wed Oct 03 09:18:00 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 26 10:19:30 -0700 2008 Medium Italian CHOW http://www.chow.com/recipes/10694 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:19:30 GMT Creamy with nicely bitter notes This is a dish that converts radicchio-haters, softening the green's bitterness by baking it with a cream sauce. The next time you think of bringing lasagne or another noodle casserole to a potluck, try this recipe instead. It’s a dish that converts radicchio-haters, softening the green’s bitterness by baking it with a cream sauce; plus the gooey, browned bits of mozzarella are difficult to resist. It’s hearty enough to be a whole meal, but it also makes a great accompaniment to a roast or a large green salad with a slightly acidic vinaigrette (to balance the robustness of the pasta).

What to buy: Look for Treviso radicchio, radicchio rosso di Treviso, at gourmet grocery stores or the farmers’ market. This radicchio has a subtler bitter flavor than the more common Chioggia radicchio, radicchio rosso di Chioggia, though it is not as widely grown in the United States.

Game plan: If you want to increase the bitter flavor of the dish, use more of the white ribs and core of the radicchio. If you want a sweeter flavor, use mostly the purple parts.

If you can’t find tasty tomatoes to make this dish, simply substitute a 28-ounce can of high-quality diced tomatoes.

The sauce and the pasta can be prepared and stored covered in the refrigerator in separate containers up to 1 day ahead. To assemble, heat the oven, pick up the recipe at step 4, and bake the mixture until it is heated through and golden brown (which may take a little longer than 20 minutes).

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  • Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the upper third. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
  • Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When it foams, add garlic and onion, season well with salt, and cook until translucent. Add tomatoes and let simmer until slightly reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Add radicchio and cream, and cook until radicchio is wilted, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
  • Meanwhile, cook pasta in the salted water for about half the time recommended on the packaging and drain. (Do not rinse.) Set aside.
  • Once sauce has finished simmering, combine it with half-cooked pasta and mix until pasta is evenly coated. Place pasta mixture in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and sprinkle mozzarella and Parmigiano over top. Place in the oven and bake until mixture is bubbling, pasta is al dente, and top is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

    • Beverage pairing: Pighin Pinot Grigio Collio, Italy. The wine for this dish needs to match the bitterness of the radicchio but also cut through the richness of the mozzarella. Pinot Grigio can do that, especially this example from Italy’s Friuli region, which is a fine and precise white wine.

    ]]>     http://www.chow.com/assets/2006/09/rcp_bakedziti_290x210.jpg Aida Mollenkamp 84 Pasta/Noodles 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

    ]]>     74 2 medium garlic cloves, minced

    ]]>     54 1 medium white onion, small dice (about 1 cup)

    ]]>     109 7 medium Roma tomatoes (about 2 pounds), cored and coarsely chopped

    ]]>     73 3 heads Treviso radicchio (about 4 cups), ends trimmed and sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch strips

    ]]>     1/2 cup heavy cream

    ]]>     1 pound penne rigate or ziti pasta

    ]]>     8 ounces fresh mozzarella, small dice (about 1 1/2 cups)

    ]]>     1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

    ]]>     156 bake 256 cheese 384 easy 776 fun 1046 cold weather 769 crowd pleaser 1622 sunday dinner 1043 houseguests 593 tomato 418 dairy 580 italian 752 euro 745 ethnic 278 onion 465 garlic 236 vegetable 435 vegetarian 1619 omnivore 4261 feed a crowd 771 potluck 3444 make ahead 4705 one pot 755 travels well 2395 aida mollenkamp 1 chow 18447 pasta chart