Brussel Sprout and Mushroom Ricotta Sauce Pipettes
These “little pipes” from Campania are small but mighty. They are actually created the same way an elbow pasta is created, but the way in which the pasta is cut coming out of the extruder puts extra tension on one side to nearly close it off. Almost forming little cups, pipettes just scoop up and fill with sauces, which is literally what you want out of a good pasta.
These cousins to the elbow pasta were just screaming for a creamy cheesy sauce. And with it being Brussels and mushroom season in this part of Pennsylvania, it made sense not to recreate that box of Kraft with the dinosaurs on it, and instead create something for adults. The creamy ricotta sauce is simple and light, which allows the vegetables to shine in all their woody flavors on their own. Adulting can be hard, but adulting a recipe is goddamn delicious.
The Recipe
Servings: 4
Prep time: 10 mins.
Cook time: 20 mins.
Difficulty: Easy
Special Equipment:
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Notes:
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Ingredients & Mise en Place
• 16 oz. pipette
• 1 lb. Brussels sprouts - outer leaves removed and the rest of the sprouts shaved thin
• 10.5 oz. maitake mushrooms - cleaned and broken into bite-sized pieces
• 8 oz. ricotta cheese - good and firm if possible, some ricotta is more of a cream
• 3 garlic cloves - minced
• 1.5 cups heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
• Parmigiano Reggiano - grated
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• Pepper
Preparation
01.
Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
02.
In a deep sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add in the garlic and cook until fragrant and soft, about 2 minutes. Once the garlic has cooked down, add in the Brussels sprouts, stirring frequently until soft and the Brussels sprouts are beginning to brown.
03.
Add the pipettes to the boiling water and cook until al dente - about 8 minutes. While pasta cooks, add the mushrooms to the pan with the Brussels and cook until they have shrunk and begin to brown. Stir frequently to also prevent the Brussels from burning.
04.
With about 2 minutes left on the pasta, add the heavy cream to the veggie pan slowly to prevent curdling. Right after that, add in the ricotta and stir until completely incorporated into a smooth sauce. Once the pasta has finished, strain and add to the pan with the sauce. Stir for about 1 minute and add salt and pepper to taste.
05.
To plate, divide into four portions and drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on top. Serve with plenty of grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
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