I love pasta. I love anything cooked with white sauce and cheese. I also love seafood. So guess what the best combination for me is? Baked seafood pasta, of course!
Ingredients
2teaspoonswhite rum
200grams (7 ounces)shrimp, peeled
1squid, cut into rings
sea salt(and pepper to taste)
3tablespoonsbutter
3tablespoonsall purpose flour
3cupsmilk
1/4teaspoonchicken bouillon
1/2teaspoonthyme
1/4teaspoonnutmeg
2tablespoonsolive oil
2cupswhite mushroom, sliced
4clovesgarlic, chopped
250grams (9 ounces)pasta
1and 1/2 cupmozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
In a small bowl, add the shrimp, 1 teaspoon rum, slightly grated salt and pepper and mix well with a fork.
In another small bowl, add the squid, the rest of the rum, slightly grated salt and pepper and mix well with a fork.
In a medium sizde sauce pan, melt the butter on medium low heat, whisk in the flour and mix with a wooden spatula immediately, mixing until the flour is completely integrated with the butter. Keep stirring for another 1 or 2 minutes, pour in all the milk at one time and immediately stir with a spatula. Turn to medium heat and keep stirring, until boiling, then turn to medium low heat. Add salt, pepper, chicken bouillon, thyme and nutmeg. Simmer until the sauce turns thick, after about 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning by adding more salt and pepper. The sauce should taste a bit salty by itself.
Bring a big pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a non-stick skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat on medium high heat. When oil is warm, add garlic and stir until fragrant. Add mushrooms and stir fry until mushrooms are cooked through and juice is fully absorbed. Place mushroom on a plate and set aside.
In the same skillet, heat half a tablespoon of olive oil, grill shrimp side by side, until both surfaces turn pink but the shrimp are not cooked through yet. Place shrimp on a plate and set aside.
In the same skillet, heat the rest of the olive oil and add squid, stirring until the surface of the squid turns white but the squid is not yet cooked through. Place squid on a plate and set aside.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 F).
To assemble pasta, place a layer of pasta in a baking pan / casserole dish, add pasta and white sauce, place a layer of shrimp, squid and mushroom, then top with mozzarella. Cover the pan with aluminum foil, bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake at 200 degrees C (400F) for another 5 minutes, until the cheese turns golden.
Let the pasta cool down for about 5 minutes, then serve warm with chilled sparkling wine or dry white.