Projo Football Food & Spirits

Mary Ann Esposito and Ciao Italia, the longest running cooking show which appears on PBS, shared a savory World Series pasta recipe last month but it sounds good for football watching as well. It could make a nice dinner what with the Patriots playing yet another Sunday night game.

Find more of her recipes at www.ciaoitalia.com

Mary Ann said this about the recipe: "Millerighi, (meaning "thousand lines" because of the pasta's ridges), is a large, tubular, dried pasta that houses a savory stuffing. Similar to millerighi are the more familiar manicotti (meaning little muffs or sleeves) that are usually stuffed with ricotta cheese and served with tomato sauce. For a change, how about a savory prosciutto ham stuffing baked under a blanket of creamy white sauce?"

Tip: Soft cheeses like Fontina will cut more easily if you use a tomato knife, sometimes called an angel food cake knife.

Millerighi con Prosciutto Crudo
Pasta Tubes with Savory Prosciutto Filling

12 large tubular pasta either millerighi or manicotti

For the filling
1/4 cup virgin olive oil
1 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups diced prosciutto di Parma or cooked ham
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup grated carrots
Salt to taste
1/2 cup white sauce

For the sauce
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
3 cups hot milk
2 cups Fontina cheese, cut into bits
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Salt to taste

Cook the pasta in 4 to 6 quarts of rapidly boiling water to which 1 tablespoon of salt has been added. Cook until al dente, about 4 minutes; the pasta should remain a bit firmer than normal because they will be baked in the oven and it is much easier to stuff them if they are still firm.

Drain, cool them, and set them aside while making the sauce.

To make the sauce:
Melt the butter in a two quart saucepan over medium heat. When the butter begins to foam, whisk in the flour and make a smooth paste. Slowly add the milk and continue whisking until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the Fontina cheese, thyme, and salt. Keep the sauce warm and covered.

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and stir in the onion; cook until the onion begins to wilt. Stir in the garlic and cook until the garlic softens. Stir in the prosciutto or ham; cook a couple of minutes. Stir in the carrots. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the cheese and 1/2 cup of the white sauce. Cool the mixture until easy enough to handle. Lightly butter two baking dishes.

Preheat the oven to 350F

Use a spoon or your hands to fill each pasta tube with some of the prosciutto mixture and place them in a single layer in the baking dishes. Cover them with the remaining sauce and sprinkle the grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese evenly over the top.

Cover the dishes with aluminum foil and bake them for 30-35 minutes; uncover the dishes and bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until the top is nicely browned. Serve 2 per person as a first course. Or use as a main dish for a buffet.

Serves 6

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