Recipe and photography by Ella Fanfarillo
Ingredients
200g chestnut mushrooms (roughly chopped)
700ml whole milk (at room temperature)
75g salted butter
75g plain flour
2 tsp porcini mushroom paste
50g mature cheddar (grated)
80g parmesan (grated)
Olive oil
Breadcrumbs (roughly 2-3 sourdough slices worth)
Salt
Black pepper
250g Conchigliette
Method
Pre-heat your grill or oven to 200 degrees.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in an oven proof dish and fry the mushrooms over a high heat until they have nicely browned then set aside on some kitchen paper to absorb any excess moisture.
In the same pan melt the butter and then add the flour, stir vigorously until a paste forms and cook for a further couple of minutes.
Add the milk little by little and constantly whisk as you go until you have a smooth sauce.
Season well with salt and black pepper.
In a separate pan add the conchigielette to vigorously boiling salty water and cook for 7-8 minutes.
Add the porcini mushroom paste to the white sauce along with 3/4 of the parmesan and cheddar, along with the chopped mushrooms.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain well and add this to the white sauce; stir well to ensure every bit of pasta is coated.
Cover with the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs and put under the grill for roughly 3 minutes until the cheese is molten and the breadcrumbs golden. Alternatively, if you don’t have a grill, heat at 200 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
