Tomato, Basil and Cheese Baked Pasta
Source of Recipe
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray
Recipe Link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_tm/0,1976,FOOD_9997,00.html List of Ingredients
1 pound small shell pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream
3 large cloves garlic
1/2 small to medium yellow onion
1 (28-ounce) can crushed Italian tomatoes, any brand
1/2 cup, 10 to 12 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Salt and pepper
1 cup store bought basil pesto sauce
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella
Recipe
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt the water. Add small shell pasta and cook the pasta to al dente doneness which means that the pasta will still have a bite to it or be a little chewy. The pasta will soak up more juice and keep on cooking after we drain it, so we need it to be a little under cooked. The shells will probably cook about 9 or 10 minutes.
Preheat a deep, big skillet or a medium sauce pot over medium heat.
Place garlic on the cutting board and place the flat of your knife on top of each clove. Carefully give the garlic a whack with the palm of your hand to separate the cloves from the skins. Throw out the skins and chop up the garlic. Remember to keep your fingers curled under and the edge of your sharp, chef's knife tilted slightly away from your body.
Add extra-virgin olive oil to the pan by pouring a slow stream of it twice-around-the-pan. This will be about 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Do not let the oil pour out too fast. You are looking for a slow, steady stream. Add the garlic to the oil. To chop the onion, cut the ends off and cut the whole onion down the center. Wrap half and save it. Cut the other half into thin slices then twist the slices a quarter turn and chop them again. Hold the tip of knife on the cutting board and lift the back of the knife up and down over the onion to make the pieces really small. Add the chopped up onion to the garlic and oil. Cook, stirring a lot, 5 minutes until the onions are mushy and look cooked.
Add the tomatoes to the onions and stir. When the tomatoes come to a bubble, reduce the heat under the sauce to low. Stir in basil pieces to wilt them. Season the sauce with salt and peppe, to your taste.
Preheat your broiler to high and place a rack in the center of the oven.
Drain pasta shells. Add them to a casserole dish. Add pesto sauce, 1 cup of ricotta cheese and a handful of grated Parmigiano, too. Stir carefully and coat the hot pasta with the pesto and cheeses. Pour the hot tomato and basil sauce over the pasta, as much as you like. You can always serve a little extra at the table, to pass around. Shred up some mozzarella cheese with a grater and scatter it over the pasta. Add a final sprinkle of Parmigiano to the mozzarella as well. Place the casserole under the broiler in the middle of oven, 10 to 12 inches from the heat. Let the cheese melt and bubble on top, 3 to 5 minutes.
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Other Recipes from this Episode~
Creamy, Lemony, Pepper-Parmesan Dressing on Romaine Lettuce Salad
3 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon coarse pepper, eyeball the amount in the palm of your hand: 1 teaspoon is equal to about 1/3 of a palm full
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Pinch salt
3 hearts romaine lettuce, chopped
Combine the mayonnaise, lemon zest (grated yellow part of lemon) and lemon juice. To get the juice out of a lemon, heat it up in microwave for 10 seconds on high. Cut the lemon across in half. Squeeze the lemon halves while holding them upright over the dressing bowl so that the seeds stay with the lemon halves, not in the dressing! Add pepper to the dressing bowl, too. Whisk the dressing and pour in the extra-virgin olive oil while you whisk. If you pour in a slow, steady stream, 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil will pour out in a count to the number six. Once the oil is combined with the acid (the lemon juice) and the mayonnaise, you can switch utensils and stir in the cheese and a pinch of salt with a spoon or rubber spatula.
Chop up the lettuce into 2-inch pieces. Place the lettuce in a salad bowl and top with the dressing when you are ready to serve dinner.
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Sundae Date Boats Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray
1 banana, split lengthwise
2 large scoops caramel stripe ice cream or French vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup butterscotch or caramel dessert topping
1 canister whipped cream
2 cherries
Place banana halves in a dessert boat. Add 2 large scoops ice cream. Remove the lid from the dessert topping jar and heat in microwave for 20 to 30 seconds. Pour warm sauce over ice cream. Top each scoop of ice cream with a big swirl of whipped cream and a cherry. Add 2 spoons and a special someone and this dessert makes a sweet end (or beginning) to a great date night, at home!
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