Baked Rigatoni

Tags

Baked rigatoni., Cheese, cuisine, Food, Italia

I love baked pasta, it is something my mother use to make and it is also something every Italian Nona (grandmother) knows. Though we are not Italian, it is a dish which was common in our home as children.

I found this recipe and tried it, the results were scrumptious. Basically the recipe calls for making a cake of baked Rigatoni in a 9 inch dish (23 cm).

 

Will made his famous Bolognese sauce from scratch using Veal and Beef in the crockpot it takes about 8 hours. We skipped the part in the recipe about making the meat sauce.

Ingredients
1 pound Rigatoni
1 jar of your favourite pasta sauce (approximately 2.5 cups, give or take. If it’s slightly more or less, just use it all)
½ cup of water
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound ground beef and veal
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 container ricotta cheese 250gr.
1 large egg
2 cups mozzarella cheese ( I use the type in water which is soft and easy to grate)

Instructions
Cook the Rigatoni in a large pot of salted, boiling water. Make sure you use enough water because the rigatoni sucks up a lot. Cook it about 1 minute less than the package directions so it is still hard enough to stand up. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water.
Toss pasta with 1 Tablespoon of oil to prevent it from sticking. Then add the parmesan cheese and toss until the cheese is evenly distributed. Set aside.

This part about the meat sauce we skipped since we made our own. I also do not like pasta sauce in a jar.

In a large frying pan, brown the ground beef – veal in 1 Tablespoon of oil. Drain away the fat once it’s cooked.
Add the jar of pasta sauce and water and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for at least 20 minutes. The longer you simmer the better. Just make sure you add more water if it all boils off.
Remove from heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.
Mix together the container of ricotta cheese and the egg. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease a 9 inch sprinform pan.
Take the cooked rigatoni and stand each piece up on its end in the pan. Continue until the whole pan is tightly packed.
Pour the ricotta cheese mixture over the rigatoni and spread evenly over all the noodles.
Pour the meat mixture over top and spread evenly over the noodles. Use your finger to poke the meat and cheese mixture down into the noodles. The more patience you have with this step, the better it will be.
Bake for 15 minutes at 400F.
Remove from the oven and top with the mozzarella cheese.
Bake for another 15 minutes at 400F.
Let stand for 10 minutes then run a knife around the edge of the pan to help remove the springform pan.

There are lots of recipes on this topic and you can find one you like on the internet. I also added a layer of sauce at the bottom of the springform pan before starting to align the pasta (see photo above).

It’s really good, enjoy!

Festa della Repubblica Italiana, 2 Giugno 2015, Auguri!

Tags

2 june, Italia, Repubblica, Rome

Today 2 June is the National Day of Italy. In 1946 Italy became a Republic on this day after a referendum to abolish the Monarchy, giving itself a new Constitution at the same time. So according to tradition, the Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella will participate in Rome in various ceremonies including the military parade down Via Dei Fori Imperiali. Roma Caput Mundi, Italia bellezza eterna!

Here is a small recap of today’s activities in Rome.

Randomness

Tags

Italia, Primavera, Rome, Spring, Via dei Villini

What I like about Ottawa is the fact that Spring last exactly one day, yep 24 hours and then boom we are in the heat of Summer. After the awful and long cold Winter was it 6+ months I am not complaining.

On the First of May we are just a week away from the Tulip Festival in Ottawa a 65 year old tradition, a gift of the Royal House of Orange (The Nederland). The Rideau Canal will re-start its boating activities, first filling it, which will take about 48 hours.

The trees are full of buds and lots of flowers have started to appear. In April I put in about 76 hours of volunteer time at the National Gallery.

So here are some photos of Rome in Spring, if you feel like just getting on the plane and going to Italy.

The Corazzieri, Italian Presidential bodyguard at the Vittoriano in central Rome.

Neighbourhood scenery, Corazzieri at the Quirinal Palace, a frequent scene in Rome, part of everyday life. You have to be a minimum of 6.3 feet to be in the Corazzieri, they are very tall guards.

Inside the Quirinal Palace an Officer and guard, note the white gloves and he sword, part of the ceremonial. Beautiful palace built by the Pope as a summer retreat on the Quirinal Hill just 2 Km from the Apostolic Palace on Vatican Hill. It became the Royal Palace in 1870 when the King of Italy relocated the Capital from Turin to Rome. It is now the Official Residence of the President of the Italian Republic since 1946. It is an enormous place, in ancient times the Baths of Constantine stood on the site with the Temple of the Egyptian Goddess Isis. The beautiful and rare marble of that temple were re-used in the Palace of Prince Colonna which is just steps away. Open on Saturday morning only. The Colonna family can be so gracious that way with the masses.

LungoTevere, the sidewalk along the Tiber River, a shady oasis in the heat of Summer.

Piazza Venezia in central Rome, with the old Corso stretching all the way down to Piazza del Popolo. The Palace on the left of the photo is the Bonaparte Palace where the Mother of Napoleon took refuge after her son was exiled. Madame Letizia lived for many years in that Palace in seclusion and was under the protection of the Pope. The little green loggia is where she sat everyday watching the Piazza below. The building on the right has a yellow awning and it is a good place for a cup of Espresso, only 0.80 cents if you drink it standing up at the bar and 5 Euros if you sit down.

Madame Letizia Buonaparte (1750-1836)

The Pinciana Gate in the Aurelian Walls of Rome, looking out towards the entrance to the Villa Borghese gardens.

Villa Borghese Gardens in central Rome, such a peaceful and beautiful place, so very nice to walk in.

Temple of Asclepius in the Villa Borghese gardens

One of my favourite fountain in Rome, the Family of the Satyr in the park of the Villa Borghese.

Entrance Hall of the Villa Borghese museum, built by Cardinal Scipio Borghese the nephew of the Pope, simply as a place to rest and have lunch with friends. I love the coloured marble floors. No one ever lived in this palace, it was just a quiet day retreat for the Cardinal. This photo shows you the wealth of the decor a bit of a sensory overload.

Since it is Spring, a former neighbours house in Rome covered in Wysteria in May. It only lasts about 8 days a year. Just beautiful to look at. The house is on Corso Trieste. I often wondered who lived there.

The entrance portico of the Villa Giulia built by Pope Julius III in 1551 as a retreat to get away from the Vatican and the politics of it all. Today it is the Etruscan Museum. It is decorated as if it was an antique Roman Villa.

Rose Garden of the City of Rome across from the Circus Maximus and the Palatine. It was the former Jewish cemetery of the City. Jews have lived in Rome for 3000 years, we have stories to tell.

A corner of our living room on Via Dei Villini in Rome, Spring of 2011.

Our driveway and our street Via Dei Villini, Rome. If I ever returned to live in Rome this would be the neighbourhood for me, so central to everything and so Roman. The area is near Porta Pia and Via Nomentana

Metropolitana

Tags

construction, Italia, Italian, metropolitana, Olympics, pope, Roma, Subway, Vatican

Yesterday I was looking for information on the extension of the Rome Subway (Metropolitana) as it is called. Since 1955 Rome has a subway system composed of two lines forming a X pattern which cross the city, Line A (27 stations) and Line B (25 Stations).

Metro Station sign in Rome

The rest of the public transit system is made up of electric buses and electric  Trams on rail which can be found everywhere in the city. Since 2007 Line C has been in construction on the West-East Axis and since November 2014 one third of the new Line is finally open. The other two thirds will be open slowly, 2 more stations in July 2015 and then one more Station at St-John Lateran will open in June 2016 finally connecting  Line C with Line A making it truly a subway line connected to the system and finally in 2023 the rest is scheduled to open East of the Vatican Hill.

Portion of Line C of the Rome Metropolitana still under construction.

The reason for all the delays has been all the archeological artefacts in the sub-soil of Rome. The biggest challenge is between St-Peter’s Square and Colosseo, this section crosses what was ancient Rome where all the important buildings of Imperial Rome are located at a depth of about 30 to 40 feet below the street level of today. The tunnel passes at about 60 feet below that level but the concern is what happens when you dig a large tunnel for subway cars to race through daily and what is it disturbing in the process. One Station has already been scratched from the plan, that of Largo Argentina between Piazza Venezia and Chiesa Nuova. Largo Argentina is the site of many temples you can admire today but also of the Theatre of Pompey where Julius Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March 44BC and numerous other ancient monuments. It is easier to bypass the whole area than to try to put in a Metro Station and tunnel. At any rate I cannot see that it will make a big difference since the distance between Piazza Venezia and Largo Argentina or Chiesa Nuova is about 2 Km. easily walkable on the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II.

The cost has also mushroomed in the last 10 years by about 2 Billion Euros but the Metro will be built, it is a question of honour for the Romans and damn the expense. That is what I like about Rome, it’s the Party must go on Spirit.

Map of the Metro of Rome currently, Blue Line B and B1 and Yellow Line A in green Line C. Line D is under design phase and does not appear on this map.

Line C has 12 operating Station from Montecompatri-Pantano to Parco di Centocelle with trains that are driven by a computer system. Until it reaches the connection point with San Giovanni on Line A it will be underused. This summer another 6 Stations will open to Lodi Station.  Though I can see this line as being useful if you live in the Western end of the City and are coming to the Centro but still at this point and until 2016 you would have to transfer to a bus for the remainder of your ride. Lodi is one station short of San Giovanni or the transfer connection to Line A.

Just the Station going through Piazza Venezia required 3 years of archeological digs, the great green area in front of the Altar to the Nation uncovered the long lost Atheneum of Emperor Hadrian and next to it the Greek Library of Emperor Trajan, the remains are significant and important given that in Antiquity these two buildings were well known. Once the documentation work was done they were recovered with clean fill and the subway work can continue around them.

All this research came about because I read Italian papers each day and noted two stories, one about 2016 being a Holy Year, Pope Francis just announced it, and the Rome Mayor Ignazio Marino saying ”Roma e Pronta” Rome is ready, really?!? If you are planning to go to Rome in 2016 better reserve your hotel rooms now. Millions of pilgrims are expected and the whole area around St-Peter will be a mob scene. Luckily it is on the other side of the Tiber River so out of the centro.

The other piece of news was that Rome wants to host the Olympic Games in 2024 so it is important to finish this subway system upgrade as soon as possible. The last time the Olympics were in Rome was 1960.