Pasta Al Forno With Chicken Sausage And Rapini Recipes

PASTA AL FORNO WITH CHICKEN SAUSAGE AND RAPINI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta, bring back to a boil and cook until very very al dente, 6 to 7 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Heat a large (12- to 14-inch) nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and sausage, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon into smaller chunks. Cook, without moving the sausage, until golden brown on the bottom but still pink on the top, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the rapini and mushrooms, toss together and cook until the mushrooms are slightly brown and the rapini has wilted, another 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 20 seconds. Immediately turn the mixture into a bowl and set aside.
• Lower the heat to medium, add the butter and cook until bubbly and melted. Add the flour while whisking to break up clumps. Cook until slightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes. While whisking, slowly add the milk. Add the Pecorino Romano, nutmeg and some salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer until the mixture starts to thicken slightly, about 3 minutes.
• Off the heat, add the pasta and sausage/rapini mixture and stir to coat. Season to taste, adding more Pecorino Romano if desired. Once completely cool, add a layer of the mozzarella, then sprinkle on the sun-dried tomatoes. Can be made 1 day ahead.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake until bubbly and the cheese is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Garnish with torn fresh basil.

CHICKEN MARSALA PASTA AL FORNO

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until very very al dente, 6 to 7 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Position an oven rack in the bottom of the oven and preheat the oven to broil.
• Heat a large, heavy-bottomed ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Season the chicken tenders with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour, shaking off the excess. Add the chicken to the skillet and brown on both sides until golden brown, 2 minutes per side. (Note: the chicken should only be seared, not cooked through. It will finish cooking in the oven.) Transfer the chicken to a wire-racked baking sheet.
• To the same skillet, add the butter, cremini, porcini and shallots and cook, stirring minimally to aid in browning, until the mushrooms are deeply caramelized, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, another 20 seconds. Deglaze with the marsala, scraping up any browned bits. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Off the heat, add the pasta and stir well to coat with the sauce. Top with the browned chicken, then a layer of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Broil the pasta in the skillet until the cheese is browned and the pasta and chicken are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

CHICKEN AND RAPINI PENNE PASTA

Steps:

• Trim thick stems off rapini and coarsely chop.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add rapini, return to a boil, and cook until stems are crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and allow to drain completely. Save the pot of water to cook the penne in.
• Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add red onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes; cook for 30 seconds. Add rapini and white wine; cook until the wine is reduced by half.
• Meanwhile, return the pot of water to a boil. Add penne and cook until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain penne, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water.
• Add the penne to the pan with the rapini. Add chicken, reserved cooking water, and chicken bouillon. Continue to cook until penne is tender yet firm to the bite, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Divide among serving bowls and serve with remaining cheese.

SAUSAGE AND RAPINI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then salt generously. Drop in the rapini and cook until the rapini turns bright green and partially cooks, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a spider to transfer the rapini to a bowl of ice water to rapidly cool, reserving the boiling water. Drain the rapini, then cut into 2-inch pieces and set aside.
• Place a large skillet or heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add both sausages and cook, breaking up into smaller pieces, until golden brown and crispy, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes if using and cook for an additional minute.
• Meanwhile, add the Ricotta Cavatelli to the boiling water and cook until the cavatelli are al dente and begin to float to the top, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the cooked pasta and rapini to the skillet, along with 1/2 cup reserved pasta water. Season with cracked black pepper. Toss to coat the pasta, then remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the pecorino and serve immediately, with more cheese grated over the top and a drizzle of olive oil.
• Combine the ricotta, eggs and salt in a large bowl, then stir into the flour. Gently combine with your hands to bring together into a dough. Knead the dough together, adding additional flour until the dough is firm and not sticky. Tightly wrap in plastic and rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. Cut the dough into quarters. Working with one quarter at a time, roll the dough on a lightly-floured surface into a 1/4-inch-thick rope. With a knife, cut the rope into 1/2-inch pieces. Use a bench scraper or your index and third fingers held together to gently press down on each piece, beginning at the top and moving down toward the bottom, dragging the bench scraper toward you and causing the pasta to roll over on itself. Transfer the formed pasta to a lightly-floured baking sheet and let dry at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. (At this point, the pasta can be frozen in a single layer and stored in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer.)

CHICKEN & SAUSAGE AL FORNO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Coat 2 1/2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
• Cook pasta; drain; rinse with cold water.
• In bowl, combine marinara, 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella, spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Stir in pasta, sausage and chicken; transfer to baking dish.
• Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella over pasta. Bake until hot, 25-30 minutes.
• Serve with Focaccia bread.