More (pasta al forno) from David Rocco 5 October 2007
David has been in our kitchen quite a bit. He makes cooking seem so easy that you can’t help but want to try his recipes out. Here’s our version of his pasta al forno, which translates to “oven-baked pasta.” I guess in the Philippines what immediately springs to mind is the uberly cheesy lasagna.
Did you know … “a layered pasta dish, similar to lasagne was in fact mentioned in the Roman gastronome Apicus in the first century AD. During the Renaissance, intricately designed layered pasta dishes were commonly served to the wealthy.” (Italian Food Forever). Thankfully, we “common people” can now enjoy baked pasta anytime we want to!
Good for 4
You need:
- rigatoni pasta, 1 lb /450g
- extra virgin olive oil, 4 tablespoons
- garlic cloves, 2, chopped
- eggplant, a large one, cubed
- olives, 15, pitted and chopped
- sun-dried tomatoes, 10 large pieces, chopped
- dried chili peppers, 2, crushed (optional)
- tomato puree, 1 jar (about 750ml)
- freshly grated mozzarella cheese, 400g
- smoked scamorza cheese, as much as desired, roughly chopped (we didn’t have this!)
- freshly grated parmigiano cheese for sprinkling
- salt to taste
How to:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- While the rigatoni cooks in salted boiling water, prepare the sauce.
- In a saucepan heat up olive oil and sauté garlic, eggplant, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and chili peppers for a few minutes.
- Add tomato puree and salt.
- Let cook for approximately 10 minutes on medium heat.
- Drain rigatoni, add to the saucepan, sprinkle with some parmigiano and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Then place half the rigatoni in a baking dish, adding a layer of half of the mozzarella, half of the scamorza and another sprinkle of parmigiano cheese over the pasta.
- Add the remaining rigatoni, and follow with a final layer of all the cheeses.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Sources:
- http://www.davidrocco.com/recipes/pastas/al_forno.asp
- http://www.italianfoodforever.com/iff/articles.asp?id=16
aloi..is that the pic from your own trial cook? wooow..it looks so aloi..
hehehe.
you know what makes me frustrated with lasagna sometimes is the taste of the sauce, it’s not the same before and after bake.
but i’ll try again next time. thanks!
and can you also give tips for chinese food?
i love chinese food.
more like yeng’s (hubby) trial cook
but you’re right, you really can’t get the taste before the same before and after taste. but my experience is that it usually tastes better AFTER …
chinese food? just don’t use MSG. you can try kylie kwong - her recipes are simple but very good!
That looks fantastic!!!!!!
looks and tastes great, at a fraction of restaurant prices!