Pasta bake with puntarelle

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 250g penne
• Salt
• 1 perennial Puntarelle
• 150 g mushrooms, brown
• 1 bell pepper(s), red
• 1 large onion(s)
• 2 garlic cloves
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp honey, liquid
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 50 g butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• 300 ml water
• 100 ml cream
• 100g Gorgonzola
• 75 g Emmental cheese, grated

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

cicoria asparago – volcanic asparagus, slightly bitter

Cook the penne in salted water until al dente, drain, let cool, and then chop finely. Remove the outer leaves from the puntarelle stalks and cut the green parts into strips. Break out the inner flowers and also cut them into pieces. I used the rest for vegetable stock. Peel the onion and garlic and also dice them. Clean the mushrooms and cut them into quarters or eighths. Remove the seeds and skins from the bell peppers and dice them. Heat 20g of butter and the oil in a pan and lightly fry the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Then add the puntarelle pieces and cook slowly while stirring. Finally, add the mushrooms. Season with salt, pepper, and honey. For the sauce, melt 30g of butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, and sauté. Pour in the water and cream until a creamy sauce forms. Add the Gorgonzola in small pieces, let it dissolve, and season with salt and pepper. Mix the pasta with the vegetables and sauce and pour into a baking dish. Bake at 200°C for about 20 minutes. Spread the grated Emmental cheese over the casserole and bake for another 10 minutes, until the cheese has reached the desired degree of browning. Puntarelle is an Italian vegetable related to dandelion and has a slightly bitter flavor.