Pasta Italiana Al Horno Recipes

PASTA AL FORNO (BAKED PASTA THE ITALIAN WAY)

Steps:

• Chop the carrot, onion, garlic and celery finely.
• Fry the vegetables in olive oil until they are softening. Be careful not to allow them to burn!
• Add the minced meat and cook until browned.
• Then add the tomato concentrate and stir well
• Add the glass of wine and stir well again
• When the wine has evaporated pour in the tomato pulp and mix it in well with the meat.
• Add the basil leaves and salt and pepper as required.
• Cover the sauce and allow to simmer on a low heat for at least an hour, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick. If it gets too thick add some water.
• 15 minutes before the sauce is ready add the peas.
• Put salted water on to boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta 2-3 minutes less than instructed on the packet. Strain and add the pasta to the meat sauce when it is ready.
• Mix the pasta and sauce well and allow to cool.
• Put a layer of pasta with sauce on the bottom of an oven dish.
• Make another layer with thick pieces of mozzarella.
• Add another layer of pasta with meat sauce and again some mozzarella
• Finish with a layer of pasta.
• Sprinkle with parmesan and bake in a pre-heated oven 180-200° until the top layer starts to crisp (30-40 mins)

PASTA AL FORNO

Steps:

• For the sauce: Cover the bottom of a medium saucepan with oil and garlic and cook over medium heat until garlic browns. Add sauce, basil, salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.
• For the pappardelle pasta: Make a bed of all-purpose flour, then make a well and add eggs. Fold all together, adding in more flour if needed, and knead until a dough ball is formed, then set aside and cover for 30 minutes.
• Run dough through a pasta sheeter to form pappardelle pasta (broad flat noodles).
• For the meatballs: Combine the beef, pork, veal, panko, Parmesan, salt, pepper and eggs in a bowl. Mixture should be on the drier side. If need be, add more panko. Form quarter-size meatballs. Heat a medium frying pan with oil and fry each meatball to a golden brown color.
• For the pasta al forno: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add sauce to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, along with the ricotta. Stir together, then add mozzarella and the meatballs. Let the cheese melt down.
• Meanwhile, drop the pasta into boiling salted water for about 7 minutes. Strain and add to the baking dish. Mix around, then bake in oven for 10 minutes.

MOM'S PASTA AL FORNO

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion; saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in tomato puree and water; cook for 10 minutes. Stir in sugar and basil. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• While the sauce is cooking, bring a very large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ground beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease. Add ground beef to cooked pasta. Mix in enough tomato sauce to lightly coat the pasta.
• Mix ricotta cheese and water in a bowl until it reaches a spreadable consistency.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Spread a ladleful of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Add 1/2 of the pasta, all of the ricotta cheese, peas, and 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese. Layer the sliced eggs on every section of the pasta; cover with 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Pour remaining pasta, Parmesan cheese, sauce, and mozzarella on top. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and bubbly, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes before cutting, so slices don't fall apart.

PASTA AL FORNO

Steps:

• Bring large pot of water to boil, then salt and cook pasta to al dente on the chewy side, 7 minutes. Once your pasta water comes to a boil to cook ziti, preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
• To medium skillet over medium heat add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Cook onions and garlic in oil 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and bring to a bubble. Add cream and season sauce with cinnamon, salt and pepper. Add chopped prosciutto to sauce and stir with cooked pasta to combine. Coat a medium casserole with the butter. Adjust seasonings and transfer pasta to casserole. Cover pasta with Parmigiano-Reggiano and place in the oven for 10 minutes. Serve hot from oven.

RIGATONI AND CAULIFLOWER AL FORNO

Steps:

• Cook the rigatoni in well-salted water according to package directions, but drain while still quite al dente. (If directions call for 12 minutes cooking, cook for 10 instead.) Rinse pasta with cool water, then drain again and set aside.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut cauliflower in half from top to bottom. Cut out tough core and stem any extraneous leaves. Lay cauliflower flat side down and cut crosswise into rough 1/4-inch slices. Break into smaller pieces.
• Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a wide skillet over high heat. Add cauliflower slices, along with any crumbly pieces, in one layer. (Work in batches if necessary.) Let cauliflower brown and caramelize for about 2 minutes, then turn pieces over to brown the other side. Cook for another 2 minutes, or until the cauliflower is easily pierced with a fork. It's fine if some pieces don't brown evenly. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add capers, garlic, red pepper flakes, chopped sage, sage leaves and lemon zest and stir to coat.
• Put cooked cauliflower mixture in a large mixing bowl. Add cooked rigatoni and fontina and toss. Transfer mixture to a lightly oiled baking dish. Top with Romano cheese, then with bread crumbs and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. (Dish may be completed to this point up to several hours in advance and kept at room temperature, covered.)
• Bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until top is crisp and golden. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley before serving.

BAKED MEAT-FILLED EMPANADAS (EMPANADAS AL HORNO)

Steps:

• Melt lard in a 10- to 12-inch skillet. Add onion and sauté on medium until it barely starts to color. Add beef. Cook until ingredients are lightly browned. Add salt and pepper to taste, cumin, paprika and hot sauce. Set aside. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Roll dough as thin as possible. Cut 6-inch circles. Scraps can be re-rolled one time. Place some meat mixture on one half of each circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border around filling. Top with a slice of egg, some olive pieces and a few raisins. Brush egg on empty side of circle, fold dough over to make a half-circle and crimp edges. Traditional squared empanadas can be made by folding an inch or so of each of the pointed ends of the half-circle over to make straight sides, then folding up the rounded bottom to square off the empanada.
• Arrange empanadas on a baking sheet. Squared empanadas should be placed with folded side down. Bake 10 minutes. Turn empanadas over, bake 5 minutes longer, until lightly browned on both sides. Allow to cool briefly before serving.

BUCATINI ALL'AMATRICIANA

Steps:

• Cut the pancetta or prosciutto into chunks less than one-half inch thick. Place in a saucepan with the olive oil and fry over low heat for 15 minutes, until all the fat has been rendered out and the meat is very crisp. Remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Add the onion to the pan and saute over medium heat for five minutes.
• Drain the tomatoes, finely chop them and add to the onion in the pan. Season with red-pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of cold water to a boil and add salt to taste. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 9 to 12 minutes, depending on the brand. Drain well.
• Transfer the cooked sauce to a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pasta and the reserved meat and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the cheese and mix very well. Transfer the pasta to a warm platter and serve immediately.