Meat Free Monday: Elk Pasta with Three Cheeses and Paprika



Don't be fooled by this post, I don't really subscribe to the whole idea of "Meat Free Monday".  I simply cannot see how, not eating meat on a Monday is going to make any difference if our neighbours (read - China) keep allowing its factories to spew all sorts of filth into the air and leak sludge into the rivers.  Any way, before someone thinks I've turned to politics or environmental affairs, let me get back to my favourite subject - Cheese!

I had a similar pasta dish at Tyrone's Kitchen a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it, so I was wondering if I'd be able to recreate it in my own little kitchen.  I'm happy to state that it was a success, after tweaking it a little (after all, who has porcino mushroom powder lying around at home?).  As someone once commented op my Grilled Cheese post, "How can you go wrong with cheese?"

Reindeer Pasta with Three Cheeses


Ingredients:

  • 250 g pasta (This pasta sauce works well with tagliatelle but I used my elk because that was what I had.)
  • 250 ml (1 cup) cream
  • 2 tsp brown onion soup powder
  • 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
  • sprinkling of paprika (optional)


Method:

  1. Boil the pasta in a big pot of well-salted water using the directions given.  Strain the pasta and reserve some of the cooking water.  Lubricate the pasta with a little drizzle of olive oil so that it doesn't stick and set aside.
  2. Heat the cream and onion soup powder in a large saucepan on medium heat until the cream just starts to bubble.  Working quickly, now stir in the cheddar and mozzarella cheese and keep stirring while the cheese melts into the cream.  At this point, if the sauce looks too thick, add some of the reserved cooking water, one tablespoon at a time, while you continue stirring.
  3. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir well.  Remove from the heat.  Taste and adjust seasoning.
  4. Add the pasta to the saucepan and coat well with the sauce.  Dish up straight away and give it a light sprinkling of paprika.  Serve with a salad and eat it while it's hot.  It doesn't like to sit and wait!
*  You can add some sun dried tomatoes to this, or some bacon, if you like.
*  Elk pasta is available from IKEA stores.



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