Penne Al Forno Food

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)

PENNE ALL'ARRABBIATA

Steps:

• Heat 2 or 3 tbsp of olive oil in a tall pan, add the dried oregano and thyme, chopped garlic and crushed chilli peppers. Fry for few minutes. Don't let the garlic turn brown.
• Add the tin of cherry tomatoes into the pan. Simmer uncovered for about 8 minutes and let the excess water evaporate.
• Reduce the heat, cook for another few minutes, stirring occasionally and crushing the tomatoes into the sauce.
• Add pinch of salt and black pepper to taste. Add both dried and fresh basil; 1 tbsp of olive oil and 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar. Stir.
• In the meantime, cook the penne according to the packet instructions.
• Mix the pasta with sauce and garnish with fresh basil leaves and handful of grated parmesan cheese.

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 AND FOUR CHEESES AL FORNO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Cook pasta in a big pot of boiling, salted water, until just firm to the bite.
• Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water; return pasta with butter to warm pasta pot and stir to coat.
• Add gruyere, fontina, mozzarella, Parmesan, and cayenne; mix thoroughly until the cheese is melting but not completely melted.
• Place in a buttered 13 x 9 inch baking dish; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon additional Parmesan and breadcrumbs.
• Bake until just golden and crusty, 10-15 minutes; let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

PASTA AL FORNO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 410°F and set a 10x10 inch round casserole ready.
• In a skillet, heat olive oil. Wait until it is hot before adding diced onions and garlic. Fry them for 2 minutes then give the vegan ground beef to the skillet.
• Cook for 4 minutes more, then add tomato sauce and paste. Let all simmer for 2 minutes more and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Mix cooked rigatoni and the meaty sauce in a large bowl, then transfer to your 10x 10 inch casserole and sprinkle some vegan mozzarella on top.
• Bake for 15 minutes, serve on plates.

PASTA AL FORNO

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a skillet over low heat. Add onions and cook slowly until moisture has evaporated but onions are not dark brown, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef and bacon. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until meat is browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Pour wine into the skillet and cook until evaporated, 1 to 3 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Fill tomato paste can with water and pour in. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook sauce, uncovered, until oil no longer appears on the surface, about 30 minutes. Add sugar and salt; cook and stir until dissolved, about 3 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the rotini pasta at a boil for about 5 minutes; drain and rinse with cold water. Return pasta to the pot and add a splash of olive oil to prevent sticking.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 9x13-inch baking dishes.
• Add about 1 cup sauce and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese to the pot with the cooked pasta.
• Spoon a thin layer of pasta into each prepared baking dish. Top each with a thin layer of provolone and mozzarella cheeses. Add sauce. Repeat layers with remaining pasta, cheeses, and sauce; finish with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until hot and melted, 30 to 45 minutes.

PENNE AL FORNO ALLA VODKA

Steps:

• Mince desired amount of onion (I prefer about 3 slices).
• Sauté onion in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a saucepan. Add balsamic vinegar and desired amount of pepper and basil to the olive oil before cooking the onion.
• After cooking for about 2-4 minutes, pour the half and half on top and simmer for about 7 minutes.
• Add desired amount of canned tomatoes, but be sure to pour in all of the tomato juice. (I use 3/4s of a can) Mix well and simmer for another 7 minutes.
• SLOWLY add 5 oz of parmesan cheese: Add 2 spoons full, stir until mixed, repeat until you have enough cheese to cover the top of your pasta dish.
• After cheese is mixed and melted throughout, remove the sauce from heat.
• Add the vodka to the sauce right before you begin the next step. You want the sauce to be somewhat cool to keep the alcohol from burning out, as you want this to happen while baking the dish.
• In a dish big enough to hold all the pasta (mine is around 12x6x3 in), drizzle olive oil on the bottom until the dish is lightly covered. Add a THIN layer of DRY pasta and SPOON a layer of sauce on top. For every three spoons of sauce, add one spoon of water. when the first layer is covered, add another THIN layer of pasta and repeat until running out of sauce. DO NOT SKIP THE WATER.
• When all sauce is used, the dish should be about 3/4ths full of pasta. If all of the pasta is not submerged in the sauce/water mix, add water until it is.
• Drizzle Lemon juice and sprinkle oregano over the top (optional).
• Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
• After cooking for 30 minutes, take a fork and dig to the middle and try piece of pasta, if moderatly chewy, top the dish with the rest of your Parmesan and bake for another 5-10 minutes. If if the pasta is still starchy, bake for another 5-10 minutes, then add the cheese, and bake again 10 minutes.
• Let sit out for at least 5 minutes to cool and finalize the pasta.

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.

COZZE AL FORNO

Steps:

• For the filling: Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup olive oil and the prosciutto and cook, stirring often, until the prosciutto is crispy, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir. Remove the skillet from the heat and cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and toss in the oil to coat. Stir in the parsley and 1/4 cup of Parmesan.
• Meanwhile, for the mussels: Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the garlic is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the mussels and white wine. Cover and give the pot a shake. Cook, shaking occasionally, until the mussels have just opened, 2 to 3 minutes. Discard any unopened mussels.
• Position a rack in the top third of the oven. Preheat the broiler to high.
• Discard the top shells of the mussels and loosen the mussel meat from the bottom shell. Leave the meat in the shell and arrange on a rimmed baking sheet. Using a small spoon, pack the filling in each of the mussel shells. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and top with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Broil until the filling is golden and the cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges if desired.