6160 A Diary of the Urban Gardener and Cook

Sometimes the weather just "speaks" to you and tells you need to start making a particular dish.  As temperatures wobbled in January from a high of 50 one day to a high of 15 the next, I can only assume my blood wasn't sure whether to thicken or thin (so I felt perpetually cold...).  And Baked Ziti began sounding better and better.

As a child, I recall it was hard at times to determine if we were eating Baked Ziti or Lasagna because my mother's recipe called for ricotta in both - it was only when you actually doing the serving or got the noodles in your line of sight that you could make the call.  When the only main variance is the noodle cut or shape, forget it, I'm bored...  So as I thought about Baked Ziti and the cold, I slightly morphed the recipe to something with a more unique taste (to differentiate from Lasagna) and kickup the heat ever so slightly.

At 6160, we are completely enamoured with Barilla Plus pastas.  All of them are multigrain - not whole wheat (whole wheat pastas make me feel like I've drank a six pack of Guiness Stout) and loaded with Omega3 (increasingly important for those of us who have cruised past the forty year mark and are thinking about heart health).  For this Baked Ziti recipe, of course Barilla Plus Penne figures into the equation...

You will need
One box Barilla Plus Penne pasta

Roasted Red Peppers (3-4 sizable strips cut into slivers)

1/2 pound Hot Salciccia

Garlic, minced

Yellow Onion, diced

Eight to Ten cocktail tomatoes, halved

Tomato puree

Water (as needed)

Two Roma tomatoes, diced

Olive oil

Red Pepper flakes

Sugar

Fleur de Sel

Course Black Pepper

1/2 pound Fontina Cheese, cubed

1/4 pound Parmesian Cheese, shaved

1/2 pound Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

Handful of fresh Basil

Italian Spices

Preheat the oven at 395 degrees and on the stove, fill a large pasta pot with water and set to boil.  Add the Penne to the water when boiling, and cook.  Do not overcook, and know that Barilla Plus pastas always have an al dente quality to them due to being multigrain (this is something I really like).  When fully cooked, drain the pasta in a colander and set aside. 

Next, begin browning the Salciccia in a skillet on medium high heat.  Using a wooden spoon, break the sausage apart into mouth sized bits.  Reduce the heat in the skillet to medium, as you do not want to overcook...  To this, add the garlic and onions, cooking just long enough for the garlic to turn golden and the onions to soften and become translucent.  Again, don't overcook...  Pour the tomato puree over this mixture, which will immediately slow the cooking process entirely.  Add a pinch of sugar, two pinches of Fleur de Sel, and Black Pepper to taste (we like alot of pepper).  Add the diced tomatoes and roasted red peppers, as well as two pinches of red pepper flakes for heat.  Drizzle a few dallops of olive oil on top and stir gently into the sauce.  it is important at this point to consider the sauce - if it appears too thick for your liking, add water or more olive oil to thin somewhat.   For my part, I've never had to add more liquids but it's all a matter of personal preference.  Finally, add the Italian Spices (go heavy handed) and gently stir into the sauce.

Take a rectangular baking pan, spray the bottom and sides with nonstick spray, and add a couple spoonfuls of the pasta sauce to the bottom of the pan.  Next add roughly half of the Penne pasta to the pan, atop which you will add half of the Fontina, Parmesian and Mozzarella.  Shred half of the fresh basil and scatter across the mixture.  Pour half of the pasta sauce on top of the noodle and cheese mixture, then add all the remaining noodles, nearly all the cheese (reserve abit), all the remaining basil, and add all the remaining sauce.  Sprinkle the reserved cheese on top of the entire mixture to ensure you get a crispy brown cheesy top, and bake in the oven until you see the cheese browing and crisping like pizza (approximately fifteen minutes).

The dish will look and smell phenomenal.  The Fontina is a wonderful melting cheese and combines beautifully with the sharp taste of the Parmesian and the mellowness of the Mozzarella.  The Salciccia ensures a spicy, meaty flavor with just the right amount of heat.   Often with pasta I recommend a loaf of crusty bread, but this really is a one dish meal to enjoy as is...