Pasta al forno

Mary Contini | Thu, 05/01/2014 - 02:30
pasta al forno
Difficulty Level
Medium
Cooking Time
2 h
Cost
Medium
Ingredients
tomatoes
750 g ripe, skinned, preferably San Marzano plum tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil
3-4 tbs
garlic
2 cloves, peeled
salt
basil
a handful
milk
500 ml
bay
a fresh leaf
unsalted butter
50 g
plain flour
50 g
black pepper
freshly ground
nutmeg
a generous grating
pasta
400 g of penne rigate or rigatoni
mozzarella
1
grated Parmesan cheese
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Instructions

Fresh tomato sugo

Cut the tomatoes into pieces and add them, with all the ingredients (olive oil, garlic, salt, basil) to a shallow frying pan.
Cook the sauce down for about 20 minutes, checking seasoning at the end.

For a quick bèchamel sauce

Make a roux with the butter and flour and cook it for 2-3 minutes.
Gradually stir in the milk stirring well to make a smooth sauce, seasoning at the end.

Now all you need to do is assemble the dish:
Cook 400g penne rigate or rigatoni in boiling salted water for 6 minutes until barely cooked.
Drain and toss them in the tomato sauce.
Spread the pasta into an oiled baking dish and dot with spoonfuls of bèchamel sauce and pieces of mozzarella.

Add plenty of leaves of fresh basil and a good grating of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and some freshly grated black pepper.
You can leave this refrigerated for up to two days then simply bake in a hot oven 200°C/400F/Gas 6 for 25 minutes until piping hot and creamy.