Thursday, April 2, 2009

Refuge From The Storm



Spring is so fickle. I looked out my kitchen window yesterday and saw pink blossoms on my neighbor's tree, yellow blossoms on the forsythia, and snow coming down in gentle but relentless waves. This is the kind of insane weather that makes me want to go back to bed, curl up under the covers, and read a book. So I did. But when I finished the book, it was still snowing. Euwww. I'm done with winter - I want shorts and tank tops and flip flops!

Oh well, while it's cold and dreary out, I might as well make the most of it and bake up something warm, gooey, delicious, and comforting. I tried out a new recipe from Fine Cooking and it was everything that was promised and more. Comfort food at its finest!



Note: I have to explain that I don't do well with pictures of dinner foods. Baked treats I can take photos of anytime, but dinner has to be while it's warm, which is also when my family is hungry and they're circling me like a pack of hyenas waiting to pounce on a carcass, whining, "Mutherrrrr, when can we eat? I'm staaaaaarving!" So, I lay the blame for poor photos squarely on them. And someday I'll learn to take better photos and let them off the hook.



Baked Penne with Tomato, Mozzarella, and Sausage
- adapted from Fine Cooking

Olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb sweet Italian pork sausage, removed from its casing and crumbled
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry red wine
28 oz can whole plum tomatoes, chopped, with their juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh marjoram or oregano, or 1-1/3 Tbsp dried oregano
1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Pinch nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 lb. dried penne pasta
1/2 lb fresh mozarella, cut into small cubes


1- Heat oven to 425 deg. F. Lightly oil a large, shallow baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2- In a large skillet, heat about 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and crumbled sausage and saute until the sausage starts to brown. Season with salt and pepper. If the sausage gives off a lot of fat, pour off most of it, but leave a little to add flavor to the sauce.

3- Add the red wine and let it boil until it's almost gone. Add the tomatoes with all of their juices and cook, uncovered, at a lively simmer for about 10 minutes. The sauce will thicken slightly. Add the marjoram or oregano and taste for seasoning.

4- Meanwhile, cook the penne until al dente. Drain well.

5- In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, about 1/2 the grated parmesan, the nutmeg, and the parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

6- Toss the penne with the ricotta mixture until well coated. Add the sausage and sauce and mix again. Add the mozzarella and toss gently. Pour everything into the baking dish and sprinkle the remaining parmesan on top. Bake uncovered until lightly browned and bubbling, about 20 minutes. Serve right away.

Makes 4 generous servings.

17 comments:

  1. I love baked pasta with sausage, I am in such a pasta mood too..

    ReplyDelete
  2. My family will love this! It looks delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank your family for being so patient--we needed a recipe like this!! Will spring NEVER come?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh Lynn - snow!! how can that be. Well the forecast here was for high 70's and what we got was high winds, shake the house strong, and low 60's.
    But you are so funny . . . they're circling me like a pack of hyenas waiting to pounce on a carcass, whining, "Mutherrrrr, when can we eat? I'm staaaaaarving!"
    Fine Cooking does seem to gives excellent results.

    ReplyDelete
  5. First of all, there's nothing wrong with these pictures! They totally make me want some of this baked penne!! It sounds so warm and delicious. Perfect for a snowy day!! I hope that spring returns to your neck of the woods soon.

    ReplyDelete
  6. "like a pack of hyenas waiting to pounce on a carcass." Haha. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am always up for baked pasta. What a tasty meal!

    ReplyDelete
  8. There's nothing like a nice cheesey pasta for comfort...especially if it is nasty out. Know what you mean about dinner photos...poor quality loses to hot food on the table.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I wish that was waiting at home for me right now!

    ReplyDelete
  10. We have been looking to update our baked penne recipe, the one we had just never came out right. We tried this one and it was so much better!! We added spicy italian sausage and it gave just enough oomph. Thanks for the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  11. the spring has been like that here, too. This dinner looks great -and I think your photos are wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I think I'm going to try and make it next week for my husband. I think this is RIGHT up his ally. Or I might save it for when his folks come over, cause they would like it too... hmmm. It's book marked in my brain either way.

    ReplyDelete
  13. oooo, now that looks like a great dinner! yum!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh my gosh- this pasta looks incredibly awesome! Melty cheese- mmmm ;)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Yum! This looks delicious Lynn. I couldn't help but follow the link from Simple Bites. :) Definitely have to give this one a try.

    ReplyDelete