One of the many things I miss post Detour in Life is cooking, but with some help and the almost finished kitchen renovations- see the new floor I am getting back into the kitchen. David Rocco is one of my favourite celebrity chefs, and he is a local resident, so I decided to use a recipe from his cook book David Rocco's Dolce Vita. I chose Pasta Al Forno ...
Ingredients;
- 1 lb (500g) Rigatoni pasta
- 4 Tbsp. (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 large eggplant, cubed
- 15 infornate olives or any black olives, pitted and chopped
- 10 large sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 2 dried chili peppers (optional)
- salt
- 3 cups (750 ml) tomato puree
- 3/4 lb (375 g) mozzarella cheess, shredded
- Smoked scarmorza cheese, roughly chopped
- Freshly grated Parigiano-Reggiano cheese, for sprinkling
My helper for this recipe was RehabGirl ...
She was in charge of making sure I didn't forget I was coking , didn't burn down the house, or carry too much weight with my right arm ~ no more than 2lbs
of carrying the water filled pot and getting the pasta going.
The Sauce...
In a medium sauce pan heat olive oil and brown garlic; make sure oil is hot before adding the eggplant, olives, sundried tomatoes and chili peppers. Saute everything until the eggplant becomes soft and is slightly golden. Add some salt and the tomato puree. Simmer 5-10 minutes or until pasta is ready.
Drain and return pasta to pot. Add all the sauce, mozzarella and scamorza cheeses.Stir really well.
Pour the whole thing into a large baking dish. Top with a generous sprinkle of Parmigiano and
bake 400 degree F. (200 degree C.) oven for about 30 minutes or until beautifully golden and crisp.
Finished Pasta Al Forno
serve with a Ceasar or Caprese salad
olive bread
and a nice red wine ...perhaps a Chianti ... Enjoy!
This was a fairly simple dish to make and
the clean up minimal (so good for the person who did not cook).
What your favourite pasta dish?
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