Ziti Al Forno - Baked Ziti

by Emiko Davies, featured in Tortellini At Midnight

Published by Hardie Grant

Introduction

My mother-in-law Angela’s family’s version of this southern Italian classic was always a rather simple but satisfying one: tomato sauce flavoured with garlic and basil, layered with cheese (scamorza was always their favourite, but you can also use mozzarella) and, of course, ziti: long, thick tubes of pasta that my daughter likes to pretend are drumsticks – they’re very effective when beating on pots. But the way you’ll often find it alla Pugliese is with the hearty additions of lots of little polpettine (hazel-nutsized meatballs), or sometimes even slices of hard-boiled egg, sausage, prosciutto or mortadella. I like to stick to the family’s simple version with tomato, basil and scamorza for a weeknight meal, but Marco prefers it with the addition of pork and fennel sausages, crumbled then rolled into small pieces, like quick meatballs.

For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

As featured in

Tortellini At Midnight

Image of Emiko Davies' Ziti Al Forno — Photo by Lauren Bamford

Ingredients

Serves: 6

Metric Cups

80 millilitres extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic (thinly sliced)
400 grams tomato passata (pureed tomatoes)
1 handful fresh basil leaves
300 grams ziti pasta
250 grams (about 2) pork and fennel sausages - skins removed (optional)
250 grams scamorza or mozzarella (sliced thinly)
50 grams pecorino cheese (grated)

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic (thinly sliced)
14 ounces tomato passata (pureed tomatoes)
1 handful fresh basil leaves
10½ ounces ziti pasta
9 ounces (about 2) pork and fennel sausages - skins removed (optional)
9 ounces scamorza or mozzarella (sliced thinly)
1¾ ounces pecorino cheese (grated)

Method

Ziti Al Forno - Baked Ziti is a guest recipe by Emiko Davies so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
In the meantime, begin preparing a tomato sauce by heating 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a saucepan over a low, gentle heat. Add the garlic clove and infuse the oil for a couple of minutes, then add the passata and about 250 ml (8½ fl oz/1 cup) water. Season with some salt and pepper and bring the sauce to a steady simmer over a medium heat. Cook for 15–20 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. Just before taking off the heat, add about 5–6 basil leaves. Set aside until needed.
Once the pot of water is boiling, add the ziti (they are rather long, so break them in half if necessary to fit them in the pot). Cook until al dente, referring to the packet instructions (minus 1 or 2 minutes of cooking time). Drain and toss the ziti with the sauce until well coated.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
To a 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 in) baking dish, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and about 2 tablespoons of the tomato sauce. Now add half of the ziti and (if using) scatter over half of the sausage – broken up into small pieces and, if you like, rolled into small meatballs – half of the scamorza and half of the pecorino. Repeat with ziti, sausage and cheese, finishing with the remaining olive oil.
Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until you can see the sauce bubbling around the edges and the top has formed a nice golden crust.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
In the meantime, begin preparing a tomato sauce by heating 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a saucepan over a low, gentle heat. Add the garlic clove and infuse the oil for a couple of minutes, then add the passata and about 250 ml (8½ fl oz/1 cup) water. Season with some salt and pepper and bring the sauce to a steady simmer over a medium heat. Cook for 15–20 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. Just before taking off the heat, add about 5–6 basil leaves. Set aside until needed.
Once the pot of water is boiling, add the ziti (they are rather long, so break them in half if necessary to fit them in the pot). Cook until al dente, referring to the packet instructions (minus 1 or 2 minutes of cooking time). Drain and toss the ziti with the sauce until well coated.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
To a 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 in) baking dish, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and about 2 tablespoons of the tomato sauce. Now add half of the ziti and (if using) scatter over half of the sausage – broken up into small pieces and, if you like, rolled into small meatballs – half of the scamorza and half of the pecorino. Repeat with ziti, sausage and cheese, finishing with the remaining olive oil.
Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until you can see the sauce bubbling around the edges and the top has formed a nice golden crust.