Lasagna-Style Baked Pennette with Meat Sauce

a gratuitous self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 12 out of 467 photos.

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Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

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Last week (I think it was last week, my lord how the time flies when you are being a complete slug) I was flipping through the December edition of Food and Wine magazine looking for something warm and hearty to make. This recipe seemed to fit the bill.

It was easy to prepare and packed a pleasing flavour. This dish is typical of the subtlety of Italian cooking - not the in-your-face Olive Garden style of over-spiced over-cheesed crap. Hmm, Jerry, tell us how you really feel! *smile*

The article that accompanied the recipe assured us that it was even better the second day - and it was!

1 pound pennette or ditali

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 pound ground lamb

1 pound ground veal

One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 teaspoons chopped marjoram

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 stick unsalted butter

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 quart whole milk

2 large egg yolks

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well.

In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the ground lamb and veal and cook, stirring to break up the lumps, until the meat is beginning to brown, 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, marjoram and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over moderate heat, whisking, for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook over moderately high heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is very thick and boiling, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks and the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir all but 1 1/2 cups of the sauce into the meat mixture along with the pasta and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the pasta into a 3-quart baking dish. Spread the reserved 1 1/2 cups of sauce on top.

Bake the pasta in the center of the oven for about 30 minutes, until bubbling. Preheat the broiler. Broil the pasta 8 inches from the heat for about 2 minutes, until the top is browned and bubbling. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving

Comments

[Robin]

This looks great, great comfort food. Thanks for visiting my blog!

[Jerry]

This is GREAT comfort food - something I may need tomorrow :-)

[darren]

In this recipe, is the marjoram and parsley fresh or dried? I hope to make this for freinds later this week. Enjoy your Italy memories.

[Jerry]

Hi Darren

I used fresh parsley and then dried marjoram.