MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Cheesy Mushroom Rigatoni Pie
Categories: Dinner pies, Italian
Yield: 10 Servings

3 tb Extra virgin olive oil
2 Vegan Italian sausages
- (184 g); cut into chunks
2 Shallots (80 g);
- rough chopped
2 lb Mushrooms;
- cleaned & rough chopped
1 tb Rosemary; just green parts
3 cl Garlic; peeled & crushed
2 ts Sea salt
2 ts Black pepper
1/4 c Red wine
5 tb Vegan butter
1/4 c All purpose flour
2 c Plant milk
2 c Vegan mozzarella cheese
1 lb Rigatoni
2 c Vegan ricotta
2 tb Vegan parmesan; grated
1/4 c Italian parsley; choppeed
2 Yukon gold potatoes
- (300 g); thinly sliced

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes

Preheat your oven to 450?F. Prepare your 9" springform pan by lining
both the bottom and the sides of the pan with parchment paper. I
smeared a little vegan butter to both so the parchment paper would
stick. Make sure the parchment paper along the sides is at least 1"
taller than the pan.

Add extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
When the oil begins to shimmer (about 1 minute), add the Italian
sausage. Cook until all sides are entirely browned. Remove the
Italian sausage and set aside.

To the same pan, add a little more oil, followed by shallots,
mushrooms, and rosemary. Let the mushrooms cook, unbothered, for
about 3 minutes, before sprinkling with salt and pepper. Then, add
the garlic. Toss the contents of the pan and allow the mushrooms to
cook for another 3 minutes. Deglaze with red wine, using a wooden
spoon to scrape up any brown bits. Reduce to medium heat and continue
cooking until the wine has almost completely reduced, about 5 to 7
minutes. Place your mushroom mixture, together with the browned
sausage, into a food processor. Pulse about 10 to 12 times, until you
achieve a pebble-like consistency.

To a large and deep pan over medium-low heat, add the vegan butter.
Once it has melted (about 1 minute), add the flour. Using a wooden
spoon, stir it until it turns into a yellow paste. Then, pour in
plant milk while using a whisk to stir it in. Doing so will evenly
incorporate the roux so that you don't get a lumpy cream sauce. Once
your roux is completely incorporated, continue stirring until the
mixture starts to bubble, about 30 seconds. Then, add the vegan
cheese. Incorporate into the sauce until it's smooth and creamy.
Remove from heat.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water, seasoned with salt. Cook
for approximately 30% of the cook time provided for on the package.
Drain pasta and set aside for pie assembly. Do not toss in oil, if
that's your normal MO. Doing so will make it harder to keep the
rigatoni upright.

While your pasta is cooking, quickly whisk together your ricotta
mixture by mixing together the ricotta, 1 ts of salt, 1 ts black
pepper, chopped parsley, vegan parmesan, and 1/2 cup of the mushroom
mixture. Place the mixture into a piping bag or zip lock bag. Do not
snip the top until you're ready to pipe the mixture into the cooked
rigatoni.

Begin by adding 1/3 of the bechamel to the bottom of your springform
pan. Then, spoon half the remaining mushroom-sausage mixture on top
of the sauce. Using a spoon, gently stir the two layers together so
that the mushroom mixture becomes part of the sauce. Next, starting
from the outer edge and working in, add the cooked rigatoni on top,
keeping them upright. I ended up using every last rigatoni. It should
not be an overly tight squeeze, as you'll want pockets for potato
slices and the sauce to fall in as it bakes. Pipe the ricotta mixture
into each of the rigatoni, all the way to the top. Then, weave in the
potato slices between the noodles. After that, add the remaining
mushroom mixture, together with another 1/3 of the bechamel. Again,
using a spoon, mix gently until the mushroom mixture becomes part of
the creamy sauce. Finally, top the entire pie with the remaining
bechamel. I do this to create a clean top that will brown evenly.

Place the pie in the center rack of the preheated oven. Bake for
about 45 minutes (turning the pie at around the 35 minute mark, so
that both sides get evenly baked), until the top is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let it cool for 30 minutes before carefully
unlatching the springform pan and pulling away the parchment paper.

Recipe by Joanne Molinaro

MMMMM
--- SBBSecho 3.23-Win32
* Origin: The Fool's Quarter, fqbbs.synchro.net (1:105/500)