Buy the "Will It Waffle?" cookbook on Amazon.com or at your local bookstore.
Like eleventy million other people, I love Smitten Kitchen.
When I saw this recipe for Spaghetti Pie with Pecorino and Black Pepper, I noticed that Deb talked about wrapping the springform pan tightly with foil to prevent any fugitive cheese from escaping.
That got me thinking...
What if there were some magical device that crisped the spaghetti on both sides simultaneously while providing grooves where any escaped cheese could pool and turn golden brown?
Ahem. Yes. What if.
This recipe is going to make a lot of people very happy. The spaghetti turns crunchy in some parts and stays soft in others. And the cheese! Oh, the cheese!
This version is based on Smitten Kitchen's recipe (in turn from Food & Wine), with some tweaks to the quantities and — obviously — the addition of a waffle iron to the process. Let us not lose sight of why we're here.
Oh: I left out the broccoli rabe, but you should eat your vegetables. So serve this with a salad. (Or read her recipe and see how to incorporate the broccoli rabe.)
Waffled Spaghetti Pie with Pecorino and Black Pepper
Spaghetti, ready for waffling
Time: 30 minutes
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients:
1/2 pound dried spaghetti
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt
4 ounces (by weight) Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
4 ounces (by weight) provolone cheese, shredded
Tomato sauce, for serving
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook until very al dente, about 7 minutes. (It should be a minute or so shy of truly al dente pasta: Biting into a strand should reveal a core of uncooked pasta in the cross section. Drain the pasta and let it cool slightly.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Stir in about half of each type of cheese. Add the spaghetti and toss it to combine well and coat the pasta.
- Preheat the waffle iron on medium.
- Fill the waffle iron with the spaghetti mixture, overstuffing it a bit.
- Close the lid and press down to compress the mixture slightly inside the waffle iron. (Take care if your waffle iron is hot to the touch.)
- Waffle for about 5 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown. Top with a sprinkling of the remaining cheeses and close the waffle iron again for about 30 seconds to melt the cheese.
- Remove the spaghetti from the waffle iron. At this point, you can place it on a baking sheet under the broiler for a minute for extra crispness if desired.
- Repeat Steps 5 through 8 with remaining spaghetti. If not enough remains to fill the entire waffle iron, it's better to overstuff part of the waffle iron than to cover the whole waffle iron with just a thin layer.
- Serve with tomato sauce and, for heaven's sake, some sort of vegetable.
Want more waffling? Get the book! Visit your local bookstore! Or find "Will It Waffle?" at ...
