Tagliatelle Gratin

 

This is a recipe from Skye McAlpine from her table for friends book. I have made it a few times now .  I made it the other night as a trial for a lunch I’m doing soon. As nice as it was I thought it was more of a midweek dinner not a special occasion meal. Also it uses numerous pans and lots creates a lot of washing up. But if you have to the time to potter while making a mid week meal it’s worth the effort . It’s lovely  heated up the next day too .  I didn’t have tagliatelle, so used pasta penne as an alternative . I also didn’t have pancetta and used bacon instead . I find it a little less fatty than pancetta . Serve with a lovely crisp green salad with a sharp mustardy dressing . Nothing else needed apart from a little  sunshine and an alfresco meal .  Oh and maybe a nice cold glass of white wine . 

INGREDIENTS

Serves: 4-6

FOR THE PASTA

• 350 grams tagliatelle
• 60 grams salted butter
• 100 grams chopped pancetta
• 90 grams Parmesan cheese (grated)
• fine sea salt

FOR THE BECHAMEL

• 40 grams salted butter
• 40 grams plain flour (preferably type '00'
• 330 millilitres whole milk
• a good grating of nutmeg
• freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

1. Heat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/Gas 7. Fill a large saucepan with cold water, add a generous pinch of salt and bring to the boil.
2. While the water heats, make the bechamel: spoon the butter into a small saucepan set over a very low heat, stirring until melted. The moment it becomes liquid, add the flour and stir vigorously until a thick paste forms, then continue to stir over the heat for a minute, for the flour to cook. Add a splash of the milk and keep stirring until it becomes a thick cream. Keep stirring constantly as you slowly pour in the rest of the milk, then keep going until the sauce begins to thicken to the texture of a soft custard. Take it off the heat, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and set aside.
3. When the water is boiling, add the tagliatelle and cook until al dente (5-6 minutes), bearing in mind that the pasta will cook more once it is in the oven. Meanwhile, spoon one-third of the butter into a large frying pan set over a medium heat. As the butter begins to melt, add the pancetta and fry until cooked through.
4. When the pasta is ready, drain it and add to the frying pan. Add another one-third of the butter and sprinkle with half the Parmesan, then toss together until the pasta is well coated in cheese, with crisp pieces of pancetta running through it.
5. Spoon into an ovenproof casserole dish (about 1.5-litre capacity) and spread it out evenly. Pour the bechamel over the pasta and sprinkle with what is left of the cheese, then cut the remaining butter into small pieces and scatter them over the top. Cover and set in the fridge for up to a day.
6. When you want to eat, place the dish at the top of the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes (or a little longer, a further 10 minutes or so, if you've taken the dish from the fridge), until golden brown and bubbling on top. To test if the pasta is warmed through, insert a knife to the very centre of the dish: when you take it out, the tip should feel hot to touch. Serve immediately while still hot.