This is what I call comfort food! Eve made this from a very popular NYT recipe by Melissa Clark.
Heat your oven to 220ºC (425F). Heat some olive oil in an ovenproof pan or skillet over medium-high. Crumble 350g (¾ of a lb) of Italian sausage (we used pork and fennel sausage) into a skillet and use a spoon to break it into small pieces. Cook until it’s beginning to brown. Stir in 4 cloves of thinly sliced garlic, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, ½ a teaspoon of coarsely crushed fennel seeds and a pinch of chilli flakes and cook for a further couple of minutes. Stir in one 800g (28 oz) can of whole peeled tomatoes with their juices and use a spoon to break them up. Add one 400g (14 oz) can of crushed tomatoes, 2 bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened then stir in 340g (12 oz) of dried pasta (we used wholemeal penne) and 1 cup of water. Bring back to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to prevent the pasta sticking. Remove from the heat and fold in about ⅓ of 225g (8 oz) of fresh mozzarella torn into chunks. Top with the other ⅔ of the mozzarella and dollops of ¾ of a cup of fresh ricotta. Sprinkle with ⅓ of a cup of finely grated parmesan, then transfer to the oven. Bake until the pasta is tender and the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving. Ours was served on a bed of fresh baby spinach leaves and topped with fresh basil, plenty of freshly ground black pepper and some more chilli flakes.
michelle picker cooks 