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    Grana PadanoPasta

    Green Mac & Cheese

    Group 393

    Easy

    Group 382

    4 people

    T3

    40 min

    Chef Danilo Cortellini

    Ok, this isn’t Italian, by any means, but guys, it absolutely tastes gorgeous.
    I would call this a recipe of Italian reminiscence as it reminds me of pasta al forno (baked pasta) but green 🙂
    A (very) cheeky way to sneak more greens into your diet if you want.

    There are very few dishes than can provide comfort like a good old mac & cheese, and as basic as it is, I beg you, please level it up with a great cheese choice like Grana Padano, I’ve used a 16 months old for a full body flavour.

    Ingredients

    • For the filling
    • 400 g of conchiglie
    • 250 g of asparagus
    • 150 g of broad beans
    • 300 g of Swiss chard
    • 250 g of broccoli
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 1 lemon, optional
    • 30 g of toasted hazelnuts
    • 300 g of grated Grana Padano
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 180 g of diced fiord latte mozzarella
    • 3 tbsp of olive oil
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    • For the Grana Padano béchamel
    • 500 ml of milk (warm, if possible)
    • 40 g of butter
    • 40 g of plain flour
    • 150 g of grated Grana Padano
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    • Nutmeg to taste

    Preparation

    STEP 1

    Wash, trim and chop all the veggies, be mindful of each of them, asparagus have woody ends to discard and chard have chunky stalks to cook separately.
    I sauté the asparagus in olive oil with whole garlic cloves to give more flavour rather than boiling then and I blanch everything else in salted, boiling water, just for a couple of minutes.
    In a separate pan caramelise the onion with olive oil and a pinch of salt and, once golden and soft, place into a blender blend it with about half of the cooked the veggies. Blitz until smooth, adding a little water if you need.

    STEP 2

    To prepare the béchamel. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add in the flour. Cook on a medium heat for a couple of minutes while stirring, until the roux (mix of butter and flour) is golden. Then slowly pour in the milk and bring to the boil, while whisking vigorously. Boil for 2 minutes and then remove from the heat. The béchamel should be now ready, creamy and with no lumps. Stir in the grated Grana Padano cheese, until smooth. Season carefully with salt (as the cheese will have already made the béchamel tasty), nutmeg and a little black pepper. Set aside..

    STEP 3

    Cook the pasta until al dente in salted boiling water. Drain it but keep some of the cooking water. then toss it into a large pan with the Grana Padano béchamel. Add the green purée, the cooked vegetables, the diced mozzarella and, of course, more grated Grana Padano and mix well, adding a little of the pasta water, as needed, to make it loose.
    When everything is well mixed and combined, level it up onto a baking tray and sprinkle over a layer of grated Grana Padano for the ultimate crunch after baking.

    STEP 4

    Bake at 180 ° C for about 25/30 minutes or until well golden on top and gooey in the middle. Let it set for a couple of minutes, then serve straight away, topped with toasted hazelnuts and optionally with some lemon zest.

    Chef’s tip

    This dish is perfect for springtime as many green veggies hit the market, like peas, asparagus, broad beans, but do not hesitate to swap one for any other you have laying around in your fridge, from broccoli to cauliflower and carrots, the colour doesn’t really matter, as long as you enjoy them! If you have any fragrant herbs around, throw them in too!

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