Mac and Cheese Lorraine

This came from the new Rachael Ray cookbook "Just in Time". I really liked it! Of course I changed some things up and will make note.

Ingredients:

• salt
• 1 lb gemelli pasta (or whatever pasta you want)
• 1/2 lb bacon, chopped
• 1 TBL EVOO
• 2 onions, quartered and thinly sliced (I only used 1 onion and chopped it into tiny pieces)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 TBL butter
• 2 TBL all purpose flour
• 1 c. chicken stock
• 1 c. whole milk (I used skim milk)
• black pepper
• 2 cups shredded Gruyere (I used 1 c. Gruyere and 1 c. cheddar)
• nutmeg, to taste (i skipped the nutmeg)
• 1 rounded TBL dijon mustard

Directions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water, add pasta and cook al dente. Drain
• Cook the bacon in the EVOO in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. When crisp remove to a paper-towel-lined plate. Drain out all but 2-3 TBL of the fat. Add the onions and cook about 10 minutes, or until they begin to caramelize. Add the wine and cook for another minute.
• While the onions cook, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour (when i did this it just kind of lumped together...) Cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the stock and milk and bring to a bubble. Cook for a few minutes to thicken, then season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cheese, then add the nutmeg, mustard, and salt and pepper.
• Toss the pasta with the onions, then stir in the cheese sauce. Top each serving with some of the crispy bacon.
  

Sausage mushroom ragu and rigatoni

This came from the Rachael Ray magazine. Overall I'm not that thrilled with it and will probably not make it again. It was too watery for my liking. My regular sauce is better than this, in my opinion. Anyways, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• salt
• 1 lb rigatoni pasta
• 2 Tbl EVOO
• 1 1/2 lbs bulk italian sausage
• 4 portobello mushroom caps, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• pepper
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups beef broth
• 5 sprigs sage, leaves stripped and thinly sliced
• 1 cup grated pecorino-romano cheese, plus more to pass around the table

Directions:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain
• While the pasta is working, in a large, deep skillet, heat 1 Tbl EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat until rippling. Add the sausage, crumbling with a wooden spoon and cook until browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.
• Wipe out the skillet and add the remaining 1 Tbl EVOO, 1 turn of the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook over medium heat until softened. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened. Season with pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, beef broth, and sage. Stir in the sausage. Lower the heat and gently simmer the sauce for 10 minutes.
• To serve, toss the pasta with 2 cups ragu and 1 cup cheese.