Cook the Book: Pasta Baked with Radicchio, Gorgonzola, and Pancetta

Ingredients

• 2 cups belgian endive shredded finely
• 0.5 cup chicken stock see 
• 0.5 cup fontina freshly grated
• 0.3 cup gorgonzola crumbled finely
• 2.5 cups cup heavy whipping cream 
• 0.3 cup pancetta finely chopped
• 0.5 cup parmesan freshly grated
• 1 pound shells dried
• 0.5 cup pecorino cheese freshly grated
• 0.5 teaspoon sea salt 

Equipment

• oven
• mixing bowl
• pot

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream, stock, radicchio, all the cheeses, and salt. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Set the sauce mixture aside.
3. Generously salt the boiling water and drop in the pasta. Cook, stirring often, for 4 to 5 minutes. The pasta will be parboiled and too hard to eat; it cooks further in the oven.
4. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup water.
5. Transfer the macaroni to the mixing bowl and combine thoroughly with the sauce mixture. If the sauce seems too thick, add some of the reserved water, a tablespoon at a time, until the pasta moves freely and is surrounded by liquid.
6. Transfer to individual shallow baking dishes or to 1 or 2 large shallow baking dishes. Evenly distribute the pancetta over the surface and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the pasta is bubbly hot, with bits of browned pancetta and pasta poking out on top.
7. Serve right away.