Italy: Pasta al Forno

By Rocco Lepore




           If you were to ask me what I’d want to eat, off the top of my head, I would say, “pasta al forno”. Pasta al forno is the direct Italian translation of “pasta from the oven”. This meal is an Italian meal which, although is quite simple to prepare, takes a very long time. The beauty of this meal is that every pasta al forno is unique. Not one pasta al forno is identical due to the different ways of creating the meal. Different preferences lead to different tastes, textures, and overall presentation.
           The origin of pasta al forno comes from the method of cooking. Back in the days, in Northern Italy, the way to cook was in wood burning ovens. The people cooked their pizzas, their bread, as well as their pasta in these ovens. Till this day, people use wood burning ovens to keep the culture going but also because they claim “it tastes much better”.
           Pasta al forno, in my family, is a very symbolic meal. A family member is aware of the preparation and all the hard work that was put into the creation of it and really appreciates the gesture. This meal is usually cooked when someone has been away from home for a while or for a big celebration. In the end, this meal symbolizes appreciation, respect, and welcoming, as well as culture for my family.


Recipe

Ingredients

– 900 g pasta (penne rigate)
– 6-7 cups tomato sauce
– 4-5 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
– 2-3 cups minced meat
– spices (e.g. oregano, basil, parsley, dried pepper) (optional)

Procedure

  Preparation
  1. Boil the pasta.
  2. Cook the minced meat.
  3. Grate the cheese.
  Putting it together
  1. Once the pasta is boiled, layout a first layer in an oven plate.
  2. Add the tomato sauce so that all the pasta is covered.
  3. Add some mozzarella cheese (to your liking).
  4. Sprinkle the meat over the mozzarella.
  5. Apply another layer of pasta and repeat steps 2 to 4.
  6. When applying the last layer of pasta, cover all the pasta with tomato sauce so that the meal isn’t dry.
  7. Follow by covering the plate with one last layer of mozzarella.
  8. Sprinkle preferred spices over the mozzarella.
  9. Cover the oven plate and insert it into the oven at 300°F for about 15 minutes. Covering the plate allows for the moisture to stay inside and for the cheese to melt evenly.
  10. After 15 to 20 minutes, uncover the plate to give the cheese some color.
  11. Lower the heat and verify. The meal is done when the cheese is all melted and has a light brown color to it (make sure the bottom pasta and cheese is also melted).
  12. Serve on a dish and enjoy!


Photo source:  http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/431416436_7f6a6a01a7.jpg?v=0