Pink of Perfection

I got so caught up yesterday reading my Astrologyzone horoscope and kicking around piddly questions like, “what will the next chapter of my life look like?” that I completely forgot to check in here and say hi. Happy December, readers. Are you feeling as hopeful and fired up as I am? (A good horoscope can do that.) There’s nothing like the start of a new month. It’s like dear old Anne’s remark about a day with no mistakes it yet times 31.

I’ve been holding out on you, I’m afraid, in other ways. See, I made this truly delicious pasta dish several weeks ago based on your suggestions of easy-but-elegant meals. But then I wanted to tell you about things to make for Thanksgiving. And then after Thanksgiving, if you felt anything like I did, the last thing you wanted to read about was a big old dish of cheesy, creamy pasta. (And now is when I should probably confess that I’ve been treating my kitchen like my own ashram mess hall and eating barley, kale, and lentils for lunch everyday. Sexy, right?)

But I’ve had enough Ayurvedic sustenance and perhaps you, too, have recovered from stuffing and mashed potatoes and one (or three) too many glasses of champagne and are ready to hear about some cheesy, creamy pasta. Maybe?

Those of you who recommended this recipe were absolutely right: it’s not everyday fare, of course, but for a dinner party, when you want to be relaxed and happy when your guests arrive and not flipping pork chops or sticking toothpicks in something, it’s perfection. And for a cold winter night, the coziness effect is multiplied. I was prepared for this pasta to be lean-back-and-unbutton-your-pants-rich, so I counted on a bright and bracing fennel salad to wake people back up again. In the end, the results were somewhere in the middle: the pasta wasn’t as coma-inducing as I expected, nor the salad as puckery. I feel, perhaps, that there is a lesson in here somewhere about moderation, but I don’t think I’m ready for it yet. Especially because we had flourless chocolate cake for dessert.

Barefoot Contessa’s 5-Cheese Penne
from Food Network
Serves 6

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup crushed tomatoes in thick tomato puree
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano (1 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup shredded imported Italian fontina* (1 1/2 ounces)
1/4 cup crumbled Italian Gorgonzola (1 1/2 ounces)
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1/4 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 pound imported penne rigate pasta
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil in a stockpot. Combine all the ingredients except the penne and butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.

Drop the penne into the boiling water and parboil for 4 minutes. Drain well in a colander and add to the ingredients in the mixing bowl, tossing to combine. Pour pasta into a 3-quart capacity baking dish. Dot with the butter and bake until bubbly and brown on top, about 15 minutes.

Celery Root, Fennel and Apple Salad
from Molly for Bon Appetit
Serves 6

for vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 small garlic clove, pressed
1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

for salad:
1 large celery root, peeled, cut into matchstick-size strips**
1 large fennel bulb, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced
1 large unpeeled apple, cut into strips

Whisk first 5 vinaigrette ingredients in small bowl. Whisk in olive oil. Combine celery root, fennel, and apple in large bowl. Toss with vinaigrette.

*Knowing me, I probably used Dutch fontina since it was a good deal cheaper.

**If you’re cutting the salad components in advance, toss lightly with lemon juice to keep them from turning brown and cover with plastic wrap laid directly on the surface of salad ingredients.

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