Baked Ring Pasta with Chopped Meat & Peas
( Anelletti con Ragu’ e Piselli - Anelletti chi Piseddi, cu Sucu e Carni Capuliata )
The anelletti is not an ordinary everyday dish and in our family, it was prepared for special guests, or for exceptional occasions.
Perhaps because this pasta was not prepared frequently I enjoyed its taste and even more, I appreciated the aroma bursting out of the delicious combination of the sauce, cheeses, basil and peas.
The smell is still in my nostrils and thinking of it makes my mouth water.
The anelletti can be easily prepared in advance, baked at the last minute and enjoyed by you, your family and your company for that special meal.
It can be baked in a high sided timbale mold, and un-molded in a serving dish, or dished out from a baking pan (13″X9″X2″) into individual portions and topped with sauce and grated cheese. Skip the appetizers, in order to take pleasure in eating the anelletti. After eating the pasta bring to the table an assorted salad dressed with olive oil and lemon and some slices of crusty bread. Follow it with fruits in season, a torta di ricotta (a sponge cake stuffed with cannoli cream) and complete the dinner with a cup of your preferred coffee. This dinner will provide an appealing, fulfilling and well-balanced meal to your family and guests.
- Serving Size6-8
- Traditional Sicilian PastaBaked Anelletti con Ragu' e Piselli
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Italian ring shaped pasta called anelletti
- 1 lb. sliced Primosale cheese or fresh Provola or mozzarella
- ¼ lb. grated Caciocavallo or parmesan cheese
- Breadcrumbs to coat the baking pan
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 large minced onion
- 1-1/2 lb. ground beef
- ½ glass of white wine (4 oz.)
- 1 can tomato paste (6 oz.) diluted in one cup of water
- 2 cups Italian peeled tomatoes, finely chopped, with their own juice
- 1 lb. fresh or frozen peas, cooked in boiling water for 5 minutes
- 5 chopped basil leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
THE SAUCE
Over a medium heat, in a 6 quarts sauce pot combine ¼ cup of olive oil and the onion; cook until onion is golden in color. Add the ground beef, stir continuously until it begins to brown, use a wooden spoon to mash any clumps of meat. Add the wine and cook a few minutes to evaporate the alcohol. Add the tomato paste and stir it into the meat. Mix in the peeled tomatoes, the basil and ½ teaspoon of salt. Sauce should be a little watery, if necessary add additional water to cover the meat. Lower the flame and simmer for 45 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add boiled peas and continue cooking for an additional 20 minutes. Adjust for salt because the sweetness of peas could change the saline balance. Let it rest a few minutes, then skim off any excessive fat and set sauce aside.
THE PASTA
In a large pot filled with an abundant amount of salted water, cook the ring pasta al dente and reduce the recommended cooking time by 4 minutes. When pasta is ready, drain, return to the pot where it was cooked, toss pasta with one fourth of sauce and half of the grated cheese. Grease the mold or pan with olive oil and coat with breadcrumbs. Make the first layer, using about one third of pasta, top it with primosale, cover with sauce and sprinkle some grated cheese. Build a second and third layer and when you finish, sprinkle some breadcrumbs on top of the sauce. Bake at 450F for 15 minutes. If pasta was prepared in advance, bring to room temperature before baking and if necessary increase baking time accordingly. Serve with the remaining sauce and grated cheese on the side.