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BAKED GORGONZOLA AND SPINACH CREAM SHELLS
The shells were a lot of work; you had to be on top of the sauce, multi-tasking with the spinach, and timing everything right. But it was so worth it. I am currently depressed because I am staring at the very last shell in my bowl wishing that it would never end.
But first,
Pan Fried Sweet Onion Dip with Crostini
You will need:
2 large yellow onions
2 Tbsp butter
1/8 C vegetable oil
4 oz cream cheese (1/2 block)
1 C sour cream
This one is super easy. I french cut the onions and pan fried them on medium with the butter and oil. I also sprinkled a little sugar on them while they were cooking for funsies but it's not necessary.
While those are on the stove mash the sour cream and the cream cheese together in a bowl. Set it aside.
Once the onions are getting that wonderful smelling brown caramelized thing going (soft and buttery looking) dump them in with the cream mixture. Stir it all up and then set it covered in the fridge for an hour. You definitely want to let it sit for awhile or the sour cream will be all you taste. Let the onions do their magic.
Serve with toasted french bread! (also fucking awesome with Ritz)
The great thing about this dip is how portable it is. It's very stiff and not sticky so I just spread a glob of it on tinfoil, folded it up and carried it to work in my purse with some crackers. Hooray for work food! I added a little red pepper and salt to mine while mixing.
BAKED GORGONZOLA AND SPINACH CREAM SHELLS
The groceries for this recipe cost around $20 but with the amount this bitch is going to yield, you'll be eating for a week. This recipe makes roughly 8 servings worth.
You will need:
1 package large shell pasta
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
4 C milk
10 oz Gorgonzola (get a block)
1 pkg frozen spinach
3 cloves garlic
3/4 C ricotta cheese
1 C grated parmesan cheese
Alright. So you want to have everything ready and lined up on your counter in roughly that order with a colander waiting in the sink since the sauce making portion of this is going to be fast and furious. Start out by preheating the oven to 375 F.
Have two saucepans on the stove. In the first pour the 4 cups of milk in one and bring it to a simmer. You don't want your milk to boil or get all funky, just let it get warm. In the second saucepan melt the 3Tbsp butter and then mix it the 3 Tbsp flour. Once that's all good and thick (DO NOT BROWN TEH BUTTER, let it simmer and stay happy and yellow) pour the milk in slowly. I poured it in a bit and at a time and mixed with a wooden spoon the whole time. Congratulations. You've made a béchamel.
Once you have everything mixed to a good consistency (it will look like a little looser than a heavy cream) start crumbling the Gorgonzola in. Crumble in a little at a time and keep stirring constantly. This will yield you a very even, loose cheese sauce. Once it's all melted together take it off the stove and let it sit to cool.
Boil water and cook the pasta. If you're doing the large shells (which you should because all that goodness gets inside of the shells and EXPLODES) lay them out on a paper towel to dry so they don't overcook and get soggy.
Now, you want to toss the pasta with the cooled cheese sauce, 3 cloves minced garlic, 3/4 C ricotta, and the spinach. I microwaved the spinach and wrung it out with my hands. You can also use 2 bunches fresh spinach but then you need to blanch it beforehand which is crazy. I want to eat now.
Mix that shit up good and spread it evenly in to a baking pan. Top with the 1 cup Parmesan cheese and baked for 20 minutes or until the cheese on top is a beautiful bubbly brown.
Let it sit for 10 minutes (I KNOW YOU WANT IT NOW) and eat that shit. When you first crack the top layer and behold the cheese inside you will be shocked. I know I was. It is the most beautiful, delicious thing you will ever see.
Nomnomnomnomnom
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