Pasta

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PENNE WITH MEAT AND CHEESE   

This is lazy man's lasagna as the ingredients suggests. Instead of layers of lasagna noodles, penne or ziti is substituted. It's a quick way to throw a fine-tasting meal together on short notice. Actually almost any pasta can be used: elbow macaroni, shells, etc.

Boil the penne until it is not quite al dente and reserve. Boil the sausage until done. Cut into bite-size pieces and reserve. Brown the ground meat discarding all the fluids as the appear. When the ground meat is done, put the penne into a baking dish, pie dish, or whatever. Add the ricotta, cooked ground chuck and sausage, then enough sauce to cover. Blend all the ingredients and sprinkle Parmesan on top. Slice the mozzarella about a scant ¼-inch thick and completely cover the top.

Bank in a 400° oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until all the mozzarella is melted. Finish under boiler. Serve immediately with extra sauce, parmesan, and crushed red peppers on the side. While the dish is fininshing under the broiler, you want to serve some Uncle Pasta.

SPAGHETTI

For every pound of spaghetti, bring four quarts of water to a rapid boil. Add about a tablespoon of salt after the water is boiling. Immediately stir the spaghetti with a fork to separate the strands. Bring the water back to a rapid boil and periodically stir with a fork. When the pasta is almost done, lift a strand out with a fork, run cold water over it and bite it. It is done when it is firm, yet still tender, but not soft - al dente - to the tooth. Another method is to cut a strand with a sharp knife. When the spaghetti has a fine white circle in the center of the strand, the pasta is done.

Drain immediately in a colander and briefly run cold tap water over it to stop further cooking. Drain well and transfer to a serving bowl; pour either hot tomato sauce, Italian with meat or white clam sauce over it. Mix thoroughly to prevent the strands from sticking together. Garnish with finely chopped fresh broadleaf parsely (cilantro). Serve at once with additional sauce and meatballs or sausage on the side. Provide parmesano reggiano and crushed red peppers at the table.

Watch fresh spaghetti very closely; it cooks much faster than the dried version. Fresh pasta should not be boiled as vigorously as dried. Stuffed pasta, such as ravioli, should be cooked at a low simmer.

Do not boil spaghetti in a steamer like Mary Ann Esposito on her public television show. We suspect that she only does that to appease the cookware supporter (sponsor?) and wouldn't consider it in her own kitchen. Ain't it neat when she slops the water all over the floor when transfering the cooked pasta to a serving bowl. It's not only a real pain, there's also an extra pot to wash. Also, do not put olive oil in the cooking water or on the finished pasta to keep the strands separated as some TV chefs recommend. Use sauce as noted above.

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