Mario Batali: The Italian Kitchen

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Baked Pasta with Ricotta & Ham

Pasticcio di Maccheroni

Serve this dish hot or tiepido, at room temperature.

Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound Italian cooked ham, preferably parmacotto, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 small carrot, cut into 1⁄4-inch dice
  • 1onion, cut into 1⁄4-inch dice
  • 1 rib celery, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 1 ½ cups Basic Tomato Sauce
  • 1 ½ pounds ziti
  • 1 pound fresh ricotta
  • 8 ounces caciotta or hard provolone, cut into small dice
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Preparations
  • 1. In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over high heat until smoking. Add the ham cubes and brown for 5 to 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the carrot, onion, and celery and cook until the vegetables are golden brown, about 10 minutes.
  • 2. Add the wine, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook until the meat is just about falling apart, about 50 minutes. Transfer the meat to a large bowl. Keep the sauce warm.
  • 3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°F. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons salt.
  • 4. Cook the ziti in the boiling water for 1 minute less than the package directions, until still very al dente. While the pasta is cooking, place the ricotta in a small bowl and stir in a ladle of the pasta cooking water to "melt" it.
  • 5. Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl with the meat. Add the ricotta, caciotta, and tomato sauce and stir to combine.
  • 6. Grease a round 12-inch deep pie dish or a casserole with olive oil. Place a ladleful of the cheese and sauce mixture in the bottom of the dish, followed by a layer of the pasta and meat mixture. Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of the Parmigiano over, then repeat with another layer of the cheese and sauce mixture, then pasta and meat, and Parmigano. Continue until all the ingredients are used up.
  • 7. Bake for 25 minutes, until bubbling and heated through. Serve in warmed pasta bowls.

Makes 8 servings

Basic Tomato Sauce

Pasta Sfoglia

Ingredients
  • 1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 Spanish onion, cut into 1⁄4-inch dice
  • 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
  • 1⁄2 medium carrot, finely shredded
  • Two 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes
  • Salt
Preparations

  • 1. In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot and cook until the carrot is quite soft, about 5 minutes.

  • 2. Add the tomatoes, with their juice, and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer until as thick as hot cereal, about 30 minutes. Season with salt. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for 6 months .

Makes 4 cups

© 2005 Mario Batali from Molto Italiano
Photograph © Beatriz Da Costa