Penne Con Pomodori Al Forno Recipes

BAKED PASTA WITH TOMATOES & MOZZARELLA (PASTA AL FORNO CON POMODORI E MOZZARELLA)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400ºF/gas 6 and put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Heat a couple of lugs of extra virgin olive oil in an appropriately sized pan. Add your onion, garlic and chilli and slowly fry for about 10 minutes on a medium to low heat until softened but without any colour. If you're using fresh tomatoes, remove the core with the tip of a small knife, plunge them into the boiling water for about 40 seconds until their skin starts to come away, then remove with a slotted spoon or sieve and remove the pan from the heat.
• Put the tomatoes into a bowl and run cold water over them, then slide the skins off, squeeze out the seeds, and roughly chop. Add your fresh or canned tomatoes to the onion and garlic, with a small glass of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for around 20 minutes. Now put them through a food processor or blender to make a loose sauce. Tear your basil leaves into the sauce and correct the seasoning with salt, pepper and a little swig of red wine vinegar.
• When the sauce tastes perfect, bring the water back to the boil. Add the orecchiette to the water and cook according to the packet instructions, then drain and toss with half of the tomato sauce and a handful of Parmesan. Get yourself an appropriately sized baking pan or earthenware dish and rub it with a little olive oil. Layer a little pasta in the pan, followed by some tomato sauce, a handful of grated Parmesan and 1 sliced-up mozzarella ball, then repeat these layers until you've used all the ingredients, ending with a good layer of cheese on top. Pop it into the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden, crisp and bubbling. Italians seem happy to eat this dish at room temperature or quite cold, but I prefer to eat mine hot.

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.

PENNE AL FORNO

Steps:

• For the bolognese: Heat the oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and chili flakes, and fry until golden, about 1 minute. Add the onions and saute until the edges are crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Throw in the sirloin and saute for 5 minutes until the beef is crumbled. Add the San Marzano tomatoes, fresh parsley, oregano, raw sugar, bay leaf, sea salt and some pepper. Stir and simmer for 20 minutes.
• For the pasta: Bring salted water to a boil. Throw in the pasta and cook until almost al dente, 8 to 9 minutes. Drain. To assemble: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 15-by-10-inch baking dish, 2-to-3-inches deep, with the butter. In a bowl, mix the pasta with half the bolognese sauce. Lay down a thin layer of pasta, 1/4 cup sauce, 1/3 cup mozzarella and 1 tablespoon Parmigianno. Repeat until all the pasta is used. Top off with mozzarella. Place in the oven and bake until the edges are golden and bubbling, about 30 minutes.

RATATOUILLE WITH PENNE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Stir together eggplants, onions, 1/4 cup oil, and kosher salt in a large roasting pan, then roast mixture in middle of oven, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Stir in squash, bell peppers, 2 tablespoons oil, and more kosher salt and roast mixture, stirring occasionally, until bell peppers are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
• While vegetables are roasting, simmer tomatoes, garlic, thyme, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and kosher salt in a heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir tomatoes into roasted vegetables and season ratatouille.
• Cook penne rigate in a 6-qt. pot of boiling salted water until al dente and drain. While pasta is cooking, stir parsley and basil into ratatouille and season. Toss penne rigate with 1/3 of ratatouille and serve topped with remainder.