Fontina Mac With Squash And Sage Food

MACARONI AND FONTINA CHEESE (FROM THE DEAN AND DELUCA COOKBOOK)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over moderate heat and stir in the onion. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Raise the heat slightly and add the bell peppers. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and yellow squash and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Cook the pasta in a large kettle of boiling salted water for 4 minutes. Drain the pasta and rinse it with cold water.
• Heat the butter in a medium-size heavy saucepan over moderate to moderately high heat until it becomes a medium nutty brown, being careful not to burn it. Stir in the flour, rosemary, sage and bay leaf. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk and cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until sauce is very thick--the consistency of sour cream. Strain the sauce and season well with salt and pepper. Cool slightly.
• Return the pasta to the same large kettle and stir in the sauce. Add the vegetables and 1 cup grated fontina and blend completely. Place the mixture in a deep earthenware or glass baking dish (about 9 inches by 13 inches by 2 inches). Sprinkle with the remaining fontina. Bake for 20 minutes, until the pasta is brown and crunchy on top.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH FONTINA CHEESE CROSTINI

Steps:

• In an 8-quart stockpot, add the butter and oil and melt together over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the squash and the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the sage. Continue to boil until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep the soup warm over low heat.
• For the crostini: Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sage. Sprinkle the cheese on top and season with salt, to taste. Bake until the cheese has melted and the bread is light golden, about 6 to 8 minutes.
• To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the cheese crostini.
• Cook's Note: The cooked vegetable mixture can also be pureed (after cooling for about 5 minutes) by ladling, in batches, into a food processor or blender and blended until smooth.