Conchiglie Al Forno with Mushrooms and Radicchio

I made this dish a few months ago, and I've made it twice. The first time I cooked it in a large pyrex rectangular dish. I advise against this because since this kind of dish is shallow, you will have too many crispy noodles. When I made it again in a 2-quart casserole dish, it turned out much better. If you want to make this dish, you must love cheese. There is Parmesan, Bel Paese, and Gorgonzola cheese in this recipe so it is very rich and cheesy.

Ingredients...

• Salt
• 6 ounches shiitake mushrooms, cleaned
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 pound conchiglie rigate (medium ridged pasta shells)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 small heads raddicchio, cored and finely shredded
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Bel Paese cheese
• 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
• Coarse salt
• 6 sage leaves (optional)

Note: If you can't find Bel Paese cheese, ask someone in the store for their most similar cheese.

Directions...

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and discard. Slice the mushroom caps 1/4 inch thick. Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, until they are softened. Remove from the heat.
3. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Add the olive oil, if desired. Drain the pasta. Run cold water over it to stop the cooking process, then drain again.
4. Combine the cream, shredded radicchio, Parmesan, Bel Paese, Gorgonzola, and mushrooms in a large bowl. Add the pasta and toss. Stir in salt to taste and the sage leaves, if desired.
5. Butter a glass or eathernware baking dish (casserole dish). Transfer the pasta mixture to the dish. Dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes,  until the pasta is bubbly and crusty brown on top. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6 as a main course.

Source: The Essential New York Times Cook Book
Adapted from George Germon and Johanne Killeen.