Those nice folks over at Buitoni are coming out with a new line of all natural Riserva pasta which they made available to some of the Foodbuzz bloggers. They shipped me a cooler box containing a package of the new Wild Mushroom Agnolotti variety.  They also challenged us to come up with an original sauce to compliment this delicious pasta. Rick and I mulled over a few flavors and came up with the idea of using Manchego in a cheese sauce.  I know Manchego is a Spanish cheese but fusion seems to be what’s happening in my kitchen lately anyway.

I decided to make a Mornay sauce (which is basically a Béchamel with cheese and a bit of seasoning added) and top it off with some toasted pine nuts (pignoli), some diced sun dried tomatoes and a bit of Italian flat leaf parsley. I have to say the combination of flavors with the mushroom pasta was OMG delicious!

Here’s the recipe I hope you try it and the other new Buitoni Riserva All Natural Fresh Pastas– varieties include: Quattro Formaggi Agnolotti, Wild Mushroom Agnolotti, Chicken & Four Cheese Ravioli and Braised Beef Sausage Ravioli.

Manchego Mornay Sauce over Wild Mushroom Agnolotti

for the Béchamel:

• 2 cups milk
• 2 small bay leaves
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon season/garlic salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 Tablespoons half and half cream
• 1 Tablespoon Amontillado Sherry

Heat the milk with the bay leaves until just coming to the boil. I do this in a 2 cup Pyrex glass measuring cup in the microwave for ease. In a medium heavy bottomed (preferably copper clad) sauce pan heat the butter until melted and bubbling. Add the flour and season salt and stir until a paste forms. Remove the bay leaves from the hot milk and add the milk to the flour paste in the sauce pan. Stir constantly with a whisk until slightly thickened. Mix the egg yolk with the half and half and add to the mixture in the pan stirring as you add to incorporate it without making scrambled eggs. Cook until thickened. Remove from the heat and add the Sherry- stir in. Use for Mornay sauce that follows.

For the Mornay Sauce:

• heated Béchamel from above
• 1/2 cup shredded/crumbled Manchego cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• small pinch of cayenne pepper

Mix the cheese and other ingredients into the hot Béchamel and stir until melted. Serve immediately over Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti.

To put together:

• 1 package Buitoni Riserva Wild Mushroom Agnolotti, cooked per package directions and drained gently but well
• Manchego Mornay sauce
• 1/4 cup freshly toasted pine nuts
• 1/4 cup diced sun dried tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoon minced Italian flat leaf parsley

Toast the pine nuts in a pie plate in a 350F oven for a few minutes just until golden. Drain the sun dried tomatoes on a paper towel to remove the oil they come in and then dice them. Place the cooked Agnolotti into deep plates ( we used six per person) top with the Manchego Mornay Sauce, toasted pine nuts, tomatoes and parsley. Enjoy!