Rigatoni Al Forno Con Le Polpettine Food

RIGATONI AL FORNO

Steps:

• To make the sauce, heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick trying pan. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up as it browns, so you have quite small pieces. Add the garlic, fennel and rosemary and cook for a couple of minutes.
• Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Add the tomatoes then simmer for 20 minutes until thickened. Cook the pasta but keep an eye on it, and stop cooking when it is a couple of minutes away from being done - you will be cooking it more in the oven so you want it to still have a bit of bite.
• Mix the pasta with the sauce and tip into a baking dish. Scatter over the mozzarella and grana padano and bake for 20-30 minutes until bubbling and golden. Serve with a salad, if you like.

RIGATONI AL FORNO CON LE POLPETTINE

Steps:

• 1. For meatballs. Warm the milk in a small saucepan without letting it simmer. Turn off the heat and add the slice of white bread. Let it soak for a little while, then pick up the bread with your hand and squeeze it gently to force off excess milk. Put the bread in a mixing bowl. 2. Add the pork, garlic, parsley, grated cheese, egg, salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Combine all the ingredients with a fork until mixed evenly. 3. Pinch off 2 small lumps of meat, each about the size of a raspberry. Place them about 2 inches apart on the palm of one hand. Bring the other palm over them and, keeping both palms flat, roll the lumps into little balls, using a circular movement while applying slight but steady pressure. 4. When all the meatballs have been shaped, roll them in the flour, 15 to 20 at a time. Place the floured meatballs in a strainer and shake it smartly to dispose of excess flour. 5. Put enough vegetable oil in a skillet to rise 1/4 inch up the sides of the pan and turn on the heat to medium high. When the oil is hot, put as many meatballs in the skillet as will fit without overcrowding. Brown them until they form a nice crust all around. When one batch is done, transfer it with a slotted spoon to a platter covered with paper towels to drain and do the next batch until all are done. 6. Make bechamel - see above. 7. Cook the rigatoni in a pot of abundant boiling salted water. Drain when just barely done but still quite firm. Combine immediately in a bowl with two-thirds of the bechamel, half the grated cheese, and all the meatballs. 8. Turn on the oven to 400°. 9. Thickly smear the bottom and sides of a pan with the butter. Put in the rigatoni, leveling them off with a spatula. Pour the milk over them, spread the rest of the bechamel on top, and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese. 10. Place in the uppermost level of the preheated oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until top is golden brown.