Pasta from Tortellini at Midnight by Emiko Davies Hardie Grant (2019) Ziti al Forno [Baked Ziti] Serves 6 80 mL extra virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced 400 g tomato passata Handful of fresh basil leaves 300g Ziti pasta 300 g pork and fennel sausages, skins removed (optional) 250 g scamorza or mozzarella, sliced thinly 50 g pecorino, grated Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. In the meantime, begin preparing a tomato sauce by heating 2 tbsps of the olive oil in a saucepan over a low, gentle heat. Add the garlic clove and infuse the oil for a couple of mins, then add the passata and about 250 mL water. Season with some salt and pepper and bring the sauce to a steady simmer over a medium heat. Cook for 15-20 mins, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. Just before taking off the heat, add about 5-6 basil. Set aside until needed. Once the pot of water is boiling, add the ziti (they are rather long, so break them in half if necessary, to fit them in the pot). Cook until al dente, referring to the packet instructions (minus 1 or 2 mins of cooking time). Drain and toss the ziti with the sauce until well coated. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. In to a 20 x 30 cm baking dish, add 1 tbsp of olive and about 2 tbsps of the tomato sauce. Now add half of the ziti and (if using) scatter over half of the sausage – broken up into small pieces and, if you like, rolled into small meatballs – half of the scamorza and half of the pecorino. Repeat with the ziti, sausage and cheese, finishing with the remaining olive oil. Bake for 15-20 mins, or until you can see the sauce bubbling around the edges and the top has formed a nice golden crust.
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