1 medium onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1# ground beef

8 whole sun-dried tomatoes, drained and minced

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes in puree

2 T dried oregano

2 tsp dried marjoram

salt & pepper

1 bag (14 oz) ziti pasta

2 eggs

2/3 C cream

2 C shredded mozzarella

3 T parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 5 min. Stir in beef and cook. Add sun-dried tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and seasonings. Let mixture simmer uncovered 15 min. Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Whisk eggs and cream together in a 3-qt dutch oven or other casserole. Quickly toss drained pasta with the eggs and cream. Add the meat mixture and stir to combine. Fold in 1 1/2 C mozzarella. Top pasta with remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Bake uncovered until cheese is melted and casserole bubbling, 30-40 min.

Serves 6 to 8.   Published May 1, 1996 in Cooks Illustrated.

You can make the filling ahead of time, but remember to heat it on top of the stove before topping it. Mushrooms can be sautéed along with the celery and carrots, and blanched pearl onions can stand in for the onion. If you don’t want to make a pastry topping, make the related biscuit recipe, stamp out 8 rounds of dough, arrange dough rounds, over warm filling and bake as directed.

Ingredients

Instructions

1. For Pie Dough: Mix flour and salt in workbowl of food processor fitted with the steel blade. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture, tossing to coat butter with a little of the flour. Cut butter into flour with five one-second pulses. Add shortening; continue cutting in until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal, keeping some butter bits the size of small peas, about four more one-second pulses. Turn mixture into medium bowl.
2. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons ice-cold water over the mixture. Using rubber spatula, fold water into flour mixture. Then press down on dough mixture with broad side of spatula until dough sticks together, adding up to 1 tablespoon more cold water if dough will not come together. Shape dough into ball, then flatten into 4-inch-wide disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes while preparing pie filling.
3. For Pie Filling: Adjust oven rack to low-center position; heat oven to 400 degrees. Put chicken and broth in small Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium heat. Cover, bring to simmer; simmer until chicken is just done, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer meat to large bowl, reserving broth in measuring cup.
4. Increase heat to medium-high; heat oil in now-empty pan. Add onions, carrots, and celery; sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. While vegetables are sautéing, shred meat into bite-sized pieces. Transfer cooked vegetables to bowl with chicken; set aside.
5. Heat butter over medium heat in again-empty skillet. When foaming subsides, add flour; cook about 1 minute. Whisk in chicken broth, milk, any accumulated chicken juices, and thyme. Bring to simmer, then continue to simmer until sauce fully thickens, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper; stir in sherry.
6. Pour sauce over chicken mixture; stir to combine. Stir in peas and parsley. Adjust seasonings. (Can be covered and refrigerated overnight; reheat before topping with pastry.)
7. To Assemble: Roll dough on floured surface to approximate 15-by-11-inch rectangle, about 1/8-inch thick. If making individual pies, roll dough 1/8-inch thick and cut 6 dough rounds about 1 inch larger than pan circumference.
8. Pour chicken mixture into 13-by-9-inch pan or any shallow baking dish of similar size. Lay dough over pot pie filling, trimming dough to 1/2 inch of pan lip. Tuck overhanging dough back under itself so folded edge is flush with lip. Flute edges all around. Or don’t trim dough and simply tuck overhanging dough into pan side. Cut at least four 1-inch vent holes in large pot pie or one 1-inch vent hole in smaller pies.
9. Bake until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 30 minutes for large pies and 20 to 25 minutes for smaller pies. Serve hot.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 small or 1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 to 4 garlic cloves (to taste)

2 pounds fresh tomatoes, quartered if you have a food mill or else peeled, seeded and chopped; or 1 1/2 (28-ounce) cans chopped tomatoes, with juice

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon sugar

2 sprigs fresh basil

For the gratin:

2 pounds eggplant, roasted

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons slivered fresh basil leaves

2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1. Roast the eggplant.

2. Meanwhile, to make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy, preferably nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add the onion. Stir until tender, about five to eight minutes, then add the garlic. Stir until fragrant, about a minute, and add the tomatoes, salt (1/2 to 1 teaspoon), pepper, sugar and basil sprigs. Turn the heat up to medium-high. When the tomatoes are bubbling, stir well and then turn the heat back to medium. Stir often, until the tomatoes have cooked down and are beginning to stick to the pan, about 25 minutes. Remove the basil sprigs.

3. If you did not peel the tomatoes, put the sauce through the fine blade of a food mill. If the tomatoes were peeled, pulse the sauce in a food processor fitted with the steel blade until coarsely pureed. Taste and adjust seasoning.

4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Set aside 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and mix with the bread crumbs. Oil the inside of a two-quart gratin or baking dish with olive oil. Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce over the bottom of the dish. Slice the roasted eggplant about 1/4 inch thick, and set an even layer of slices over the tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon a layer of sauce over the eggplant, and sprinkle with basil and Parmesan. Repeat the layers one or two more times, depending on the shape of your dish and the size of your eggplant slices, ending with a layer of sauce topped with the Parmesan and bread crumb mixture you set aside. Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil over the top. Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until bubbling and browned on the top and edges. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.

Yield: Serves six

Advance preparation: The tomato sauce can be made up to three days ahead. The casserole can be assembled a day ahead, covered and refrigerated, then baked when you wish to serve it. Don’t add the last layer of bread crumbs and Parmesan, with the drizzle of olive oil, until right before you bake it.

1 ready-to-use pie crust

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons chopped yellow onion

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium zucchini, sliced or cubed

1 small eggplant, cubed

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence

1. Preheat oven to 400. Place the prepared pie pastry in a 9- or 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Line the pastry with a sheet of aluminum foil and add pie weights, rice or dried beans. Place in the oven and bake until the edges are firm, about 10 minutes. Remove the foil and the weights and bake until the bottom is opaque, about 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. (The rice or beans used in blind baking can be reused for the purpose but cannot be eaten.)

2. In a heavy-bottomed casserole, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the onion and cook until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute or two, then add the zucchini, eggplant and pepper. Sauté, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and herbs. Bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce the heat, cover and cook until the tomatoes have dissolved and the vegetables are soft yet still intact, 20-30 minutes.

3. Remove the cover, increase the heat to medium high and cook, stirring from time to time, until thick and jammy, about 20-30 minutes longer.

4. Spoon the ratatouille into the partially baked tart shell, leaving as much juice behind as possible. Fill to about 3/4 full.

5. Reduce the oven to 350. Place the tart in the oven and bake until the filling has set and the pastry edges are golden, about 15 minutes.

6. Remove to a rack and let cool 30 minutes before serving.

7. To serve, gently slide a knife around the edges to release any pastry that might be sticking, then remove the bottom and place the tart on a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

Note: The secret is to cook the ratatouille until it is very thick, almost jammy. Vary the color and tastes by using yellow zucchini instead of green, green peppers instead of red and yellow tomatoes instead of red.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Large pinch saffron threads (optional)

2 teaspoons Spanish pimentón (smoked paprika), or other paprika

2 cups Spanish or other short-grain rice

Minced parsley for garnish.

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Warm stock or water in a saucepan. Put tomatoes in a medium bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle them with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss to coat.

2. Put remaining oil in a 10- or 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, saffron if you are using it, and paprika and cook for a minute more. Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is shiny, another minute or two. Add liquid and stir until just combined.

3. Put tomato wedges on top of rice and drizzle with juices that accumulated in bottom of bowl. Put pan in oven and roast, undisturbed, for 15 minutes. Check to see if rice is dry and just tender. If not, return pan to oven for another 5 minutes. If rice looks too dry but still is not quite done, add a small amount of stock or water (or wine). When rice is ready, turn off oven and let pan sit for 5 to 15 minutes.

4. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle with parsley. If you like, put pan over high heat for a few minutes to develop a bit of a bottom crust before serving.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

2 whole bay leaves
1½ tsp salt
1½ tsp ground red pepper (preferably cayenne)
1½ tsp dried oregano
1¼ tsp white pepper
1 tsp black pepper
¾ dried thyme

2 T chicken fat or lard (butter or vegetable oil could also be used)

2/3 c chopped tasso or other smoked ham (3 oz)
½ c chopped andouille sausage or other good pork sausage (3 oz)
1½ c chopped onions
1 c chopped celery
¾ c chopped green peppers
½ c chicken cut into bite sized pieces (4-6 oz)
1½ tsp chopped garlic (2 cloves)
1 pound chopped tomatoes
¾ c tomato sauce (can omit if using good tomatoes)
2 c seafood or chicken stock
½ c chopped green onions
2 c uncooked rice
¾ lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
¾ lb oysters with liquor

Preheat oven to 350F.

1. Melt fat in large dutch oven or straight sided skillet with a lid. Add tasso and sausage and sauté until crisp, about 5-8 minutes.
2. Add onions, celery and bell peppers (I chop these by hand to get a more even size and better texture). Saute until tender but still firm, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add chicken. Raise heat to medium high or high and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium. Add seasonings and garlic. Cook about 3 minutes, stirring and scraping pan bottom as needed.
4. Add the tomatoes and cook until chicken is tender, about 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Add the tomato sauce (if used); cook while stirring often. Stir in the stock and bring to a boil.
6. Add rice, shrimp and oysters; stir well and remove from heat.
7. Cover and bake at 350 until rice is tender, about 20-30 minutes.