Servings: 6

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms rehydrated in 2 cups lukewarm water 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms rehydrated in 2 cups lukewarm water
1 bulb/head garlic 1 bulb/head garlic
Extra virgin olive oil Extra virgin olive oil
1 pound spicy Italian pork bulk sausage meat 1 pound spicy Italian pork bulk sausage meat
1 yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped 1 yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped 1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
3 stalk celery, finely chopped 3 stalk celery, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chicken broth 1 cup chicken broth
½ cup almond milk ½ cup almond milk
2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour 1 tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons pizza seasoning 2 teaspoons pizza seasoning
1 pound rigatoni 1 pound rigatoni
½ cup fresh mozzarella (Ciliengine) ½ cup fresh mozzarella (Ciliengine)
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Bring a small saucepan of water (about 2 cups) to a boil. Throw in the dried porcinis and turn off the heat. Cover and let it sit. It generally takes about an hour to soften so start this partway ahead of time.
At the same time as you prep the mushrooms you can roast the garlic. Slice off the very top of the bulb leaving it whole and leave the paper on too. In a piece of foil, make a little cup shape and put the garlic in there. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil. Leave the top open. Put in the oven (I used a toaster oven) at about 425 degrees for 20 minutes. After 20, check it for softness. It will likely need another 20 minutes. Wrap it all the way up and put back in for another 20.
The mushrooms and garlic can sit at room temp until you're ready to make the rest of the dish.
Chop the onions, celery, and carrot.
When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze out the cloves from the bulb and mash with the back of a spoon.
Set a large pot of water on the stove and turn on high heat. (this is for the pasta)
In a large stockpot (I used a huge skillet and it wasn't big enough) set on medium-high heat, add the sausage. I used bulk sausage, but you could use links, just remove the casings. I let it sit for quite a while before breaking it up. This results in bigger pieces. Cook, breaking it up until no longer pink.
It will be about here when you add the pasta to the water. Keep an eye on it! When you drain it, *SAVE 2 CUPS OF THE WATER!
Meanwhile, chop the rehydrated porcini into small pieces, *reserving the liquid*.
Add the onion, celery, and carrot and sprinkle with a little salt (easy does it, that sausage can be salty). Let that saute until the vegetables are slightly brown. Add the mushrooms.
Pour in the chicken broth. Simmer until almost dry. Add some of the mushroom liquid and simmer again until almost gone.
By now you should have drained the pasta and have some pasta water to add to the sauce. Make a little well in the center of the meat/veg mixture and add the smooshed garlic. Mix it up so it gets incorporated into the sauce. Let it simmer until it thickens, adding more pasta water if needed. You could also add wine, I didn't but that would be nice.
When it's sort of dry, and thick, make another well in the center and add the butter. When the butter is melted, add the flour and mix it up. You're basically making a roux in the middle of the pan.
Add the milk (you could use cream) and stir, simmering until it's thickened up.
Taste and adjust salt and pepper; it should be highly seasoned.
Add the mozzarella balls and some of the parmesan. You could serve it right now, but if you want to have it later, just pour it into a casserole pan and cover it with foil. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

Made this July 28, 2020 merging two recipes in one.  Made this July 28, 2020 merging two recipes in one.