Recipe: Rigatoni al forno - Baked Rigatoni

Rigatoni al forno - Baked Rigatoni
Rigatoni noodles with mushrooms, sausage, and mozzarella, baked to perfection....deliciously Italian.

7 tablespoons butter
2 cups finely chopped onion
1 pound mushrooms
1 pound ground pork or Italian sausages
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil , or 1 teaspoon crushed dried
3/4 teaspoon crushed sage
3/4 teaspoon crushed oregano
1 dried red pepper, chopped (optional)
6 cups canned peeled Italian plum tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup water
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound pasta - rigatoni or ziti
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups grated parmesan Cheese

Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a heavy large casserole and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until wilted. If the mushrooms are tiny, leave them whole. Otherwise, quarter them or slice them, depending on size. Add the mushrooms to the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms give up their liquid. Cook further until the liquid evaporates. In a separate skillet, add the pork. or if sausages are used, split and pull off the skin. Add the sausage meat to the skillet. Cook, using a kitchen spoon to break up any lumps. Cook until the meat has rendered its fat. Pour off the fat. Add the meat to the mushroom mixture and stir it in. sprinkle with garlic, fennel (omit the fennel if sausages are used), basil, sage, oregano, and red pepper. Cook about 3 minutes, stirring. add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, water, and chicken broth. Simmer 1 hour, stirring frequently. Add the chopped parsley and simmer 15 minutes longer. Stir in the olive oil and set aside to cool. Drop the pasta or ziti into a large quantity of boiling salted water and cook, stirring rapidly to make certain that the pieces of pasta float freely and do not stick to the bottom. Stir from the bottom. Cook about 8 minutes. Do not cook longer, for the pasta will be baked later. Immediately drain the pasta into a colander and run cold water over it. Drain well. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spoon a thin layer of sauce into a 13 1/2 - by 8 3/4 by 1 3/4 inch baking dish. Add a single layer of rigatoni, scatter over it half the mozzarella and sprinkle with a tablespoon or so of Parmesan cheese. Continue making layers of sauce, pasta, mozzarella and Parmesan, ending with a layer of sauce and parmesan for the dish. The remaining Parmesan will be served with the dish. Dot the casserole with the remaining butter and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until bubbling hot throughout. Run the dish briefly under the broiler to give it a nice brown glaze. Serve the dish cut into squares with Parmesan cheese on the side.

Serves 8 -12