Honeycomb Pasta Pie
YIELD
~500-600ML
PREP TIME
00:50
COOKING TIME
00:50
INGREDIENTS
- 300g Tortiglioni or penne pasta
- 4 rashers streaky bacon, chopped finely*
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 2 tsp plain flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup cream
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped
- A handful of thyme, chopped
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
METHOD
Preheat oven to 180°C.
-
- Make the sauce: Fry the bacon over medium heat until brown and fat rendered out. Add flour and minced garlic. Stir and cook until the flour is absorbed by the bacon fat. Whisk in milk, cream, fresh rosemary and thyme and let simmer for 5 minutes or so until thickened.
- Mix in the Dijon mustard and 1 cup of cheese. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Cover and set aside.
- Cook tortiglioni/penne pasta for slightly less time than packet instructions, keeping it slightly under done as it will continue to cook in the oven. Drain. Do not rinse nor toss in oil.
- To assemble the honeycomb pie: Butter inside of a 20 cm round springform cake tin. Place cake tin in another tray to catch any drips that might escape. Pour about half cup of the creamy cheese sauce and spread to a thin layer over the bottom of the cake tin. Place the tortiglioni standing up inside the mould until full. Work from the outer round edge towards the middle. Make sure the pasta is level, touching each other and standing on the sauce. Once the cake tin is fully filled with pasta, pour rest of the sauce all over the ''honeycomb' structure. Top with remaining cheese and a few sprigs of thyme.
- Bake in oven for 40 minutes or until the top is deliciously golden.
- Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes in the tin before removing the mould. Serve sprinkled with more fresh thyme.
