When my cousin showed me a photo of this impressive-looking dish, I knew I had to figure out a way to replicate it. It’s the ideal way to make pasta look fancy without a whole lot of fuss. In fact, it would be the perfect thing to serve at a kids’ birthday party, because almost every kid I’ve ever met loves pasta, tomato sauce, and cheese.
I was a little nervous about how the pasta pie would hold together when I removed the springform pan’s outer collar, but fear not, it was a breeze and served up just beautifully. I’ll be making this over and over again.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the Rigatoni in a very large pot of salted, boiling water. Cook until just barely al dente (the noodles need to still be firm enough to stand up in the springform pan. Drain the pasta.
Return the pasta to the empty cooking pot and toss with half the olive oil to prevent it from sticking. Set aside.
Have your pasta sauce at room temperature or warm, but not cold or hot.
Mix together the Ricotta, egg and pepper until well blended.
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Grease a 9 inch springform pan with the remaining olive oil.
Take the cooked rigatoni and stand each piece up on its end in the pan. This is easiest if you pick up each noodle with the handle end of a wooden spoon. Continue until the whole pan is tightly packed.
Pour the Ricotta mixture over the rigatoni and spread evenly over all the noodles. Sprinkle Parmesan on top.
Pour 3 cups of the pasta sauce over top and spread evenly over the noodles. Use your finger to poke the meat and cheese mixture down into the noodles – this might seem a bit finicky but it’s really worthwhile. Trust me.
Put a tray (a pizza pan is ideal) on the lower rack of your oven to catch an olive oil drips that come out of the springform pan.
Place the noodle dish on the rack above, in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes at 400F.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes at 400F.
Let stand for 5 minutes then run a knife around the edge of the pan to help remove the collar of the springform pan. Slice into wedges and serve, passing remaining tomato sauce (warmed) at the table to drizzle over each piece.
Makes 8 servings
These savoury delights are the perfect thing for people who don’t have a sweet tooth. Not as crisp as crackers, these spicy cheddar cookies have a nice texture and delicious flavour thanks to both the cheese and cayenne; they make lovely cocktail party nibbles or hostess gifts.
Letting the dough rest for at least 30 minutes after you mix it together is important as it allows the flour to hydrate and lets the flavours blend a little before baking. While a cookie press lets you create fancy shapes, you can also cut the roll of prepared dough into ¼ inch slices instead – they will be just as tasty! Stored in an airtight container for up to a week or freeze for up to three months. The unbaked dough can also be frozen and would make a great gift as well!
Ingredients
4.4 oz sharp (old) Cheddar cheese to yield 1 cup when shredded
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325F.
With the fine side of a grater (or fine shredding blade of food processor), shred the Cheddar when cold then let it sit to come up to room temperature.
Combine the flour, salt and cayenne; set aside.
With an electric mixer, stand mixer or food processor, beat the butter and cheese together.
Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, blending well after each addition to create a smooth dough.
Turn the dough out onto a clean surface. With your hands, shape it into a roll about 1-1/4 inches in diameter.
Wrap the roll of dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. You can also freeze the dough (double-wrapped) for longer storage and thaw completely before proceeding.
Put the roll of dough in your cookie press and squeeze out shapes onto an ungreased cookie tray, spacing 3/4 inch apart.
Alternatively, lay the roll of dough on its side and slice off 1/4” thick rounds and lay these out on the cookie sheet.
Bake 10 – 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to racks to cool completely.
Makes about 3 dozen savoury cookies
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