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Eat Like Ralph -- Penne Lasagna
Boil water and cook pasta according to directions. Drain, add a bit of olive oil to keep pasta from sticking; set aside. Remove the sausage from two of the casings and sauté until browned and most of the fat has been cooked out; drain fat and transfer meat to separate container temporarily. While the meat is sautéing, finely chop the onion and celery; coarsely chop the shitakes. Add a bit of olive oil to the pan and add onion, celery and mushrooms, sautéing on medium-high heat until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are soft... about five minutes. (I love the flavor that shitakes add, but a small can of button mushrooms can be substituted... or even omitted if you prefer to save a bit more) Add the sausage back in, the red pepper sauce -- or your favorite brand of inexpensive marinara -- and spices (add a couple ounces of the Chianti if you wish) and allow to simmer for a half-hour or so until the flavors have had a chance to meld together.
Adding the onions, celery, spices and mushrooms will give a jar of "store-bought" sauce a whole new life, the flavor approaching that of homemade. Add some garlic bread and you're going to see some smiles at the table. This same dish, if ordered in a restaurant, would likely be found on the menu for around $12-15 and likely more when the "options" are included. Add a glass of wine (restaurants usually mark up the stuff anywhere from 250-300%) and once again, your weary credit card takes another hit. Watch for sales on the pasta, sauce and cheese to make this dinner really affordable; making this dinner at home can save some money that can be best used somewhere else. Bon Appetite!
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My
Italian blood often calls out for a good old, solid Italian meal... with
pasta. Sometimes I have the time and wherewithal to prepare the
marinara as Joseph (Insalago) taught me so many years ago; I also feel
guilty when I don't prepare it that way. However, time constraints
and other, more pressing matters force me to take some shortcuts that
save me both time and money, both of which are in short supply lately.
So below is my "quicker recipe" for a dish that is not only great
comfort food, it's one that can be made ahead of time -- frozen if
necessary -- and then simply popped into the oven 45 minutes to an hour
before dinner... allowing for some time to relax and share a Grey Goose
and conversation with Lauren... This dinner is far less expensive
than one might think.
To
assemble, put a layer of pasta into the bottom of a 9-in baking dish.
Cover the pasta with about half of the sauce, and top with the ricotta,
then parmesan and finally mozzarella. Add another layer of pasta
-- using the rest of the noodles -- and top with another layer of the
remaining sauce, more parmesan and more mozzarella. When ready,
bake at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes or until the top layer of
cheese begins to get brown and bubbly.
