Bucatini Pie With Marinara Sauce Recipes

CHICKEN PARMESAN WITH MY MOTHER'S MARINARA SAUCE AND BUCATINI

Steps:

• For the sauce: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook for a few minutes until the onions are softened slightly but not brown. Stir in the garlic, sugar and red pepper flakes. (If the onions begin to brown, add a splash of water.)
• Stir in the grated carrots and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and continue to cook until the carrots soften, about 2 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes and use a wooden spoon to break up some of the whole tomatoes. Cook over medium heat, stirring from time to time, until the tomatoes are fairly broken down and the sauce has thickened, at least 30 minutes. Season to taste and add water as necessary. Stir in the basil leaves. Keep the sauce warm.
• For the chicken: Lay a piece of chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and use the smooth side of a meat mallet to pound into a 1/4-inch-thick cutlet. Repeat with remaining cutlet then slice both pieces in half.
• Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside. Combine the breadcrumbs and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Crack the eggs in a second shallow dish and whisk to blend. Sprinkle the chicken pieces on both sides with salt and dip each thoroughly in the eggs; transfer to the breadcrumbs to thoroughly coat. Place the chicken on the paper towels.
• For the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add a generous amount of salt. (The pasta water should taste like seawater.) Add the pasta to the pot and stir so it doesn't stick. Cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente (chewy but not hard or raw tasting). Drain well and set aside.
• To finish the chicken: Fill a medium cast-iron skillet with about 1/3 to 1/2 cup canola oil (to come about 1/4 of the way up the sides) and heat over medium until the oil is just barely starting to smoke. Sprinkle the top of each cutlet with salt and gently place in the oil, salted-side down. Add the butter to the pan and as it begins to foam, shake the pan gently. Cook on the first side until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Gently flip to the second side, sprinkle with salt and carefully spoon some of the hot oil mixture on top. Cook until golden brown and cooked through, an additional 2 to 3 minutes, then remove from the pan with a slotted spatula to clean paper towels to drain slightly.
• Preheat the broiler with the rack in the highest position. Divide the sauce between 2 medium bowls, one for the pasta and one for the chicken Parmesan.
• To assemble the chicken Parmesan, add some tomato sauce to a small cast-iron skillet or baking dish. Layer with a couple mozzarella slices and the basil. Put one of the fried chicken cutlets on top of the basil, followed by another spoonful of sauce, then a second layer of mozzarella. Place the second chicken cutlet next, followed by a third layer of sauce, more mozzarella and a large sprinkle of Parmesan. Repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken and other ingredients in a second small cast-iron skillet. Place the skillets on a sheet tray and broil until the cheese is melted and slightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Top with more freshly grated Parmesan.
• Toss the pasta and sauce together in a large bowl and taste for seasoning. Top with grated Parmesan. Serve with the skillets of chicken parm.

BUCATINI PIE WITH MARINARA SAUCE

Steps:

• For the Bucatini Pie:
• Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 9" or 10" springform pan (or deep cake pan) with pan spray. Put a circle of parchment in the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Salt it well and cook the pasta to al dente. While the pasta is cooking, mix up the cheesy goodness.
• In a large bowl, evenly and thoroughly combine 1 lb of the mozzarella with the ricotta, Parmesan, Asiago, beaten eggs, milk and seasonings. Fold in the sopressata very well so it is evenly distributed. Set aside.
• When the pasta is al dente, drain and run some cold water over it. You don't want to chill it, but you do want to take the edge off of the heat so your eggs don't cook too soon. Drain the pasta very well after rinsing.
• Gently but thoroughly stir the bucatini into the cheesy goodness. It will take some doing because the cheese mixture is pretty stodgy. That's okay. Keep at it until everything is nicely combined. Scoop the cheesy pasta into the prepared pan, trying to spread it as evenly as possible. Press it down a bit so there are no big gaps or air pockets. Cover the pan with foil.
• Bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 20 minutes. Remove from oven and run a knife around the outside of the pan. Allow to cool about 10-15 minutes and then remove the sides of the pan.
• Serve hot or warm, or even at room temperature, with a side of the marinara sauce, which you either made ahead or made while the bucatini pie was in the oven, right?
• For the Marinara:
• Over medium heat, melt the butter and oil together. When the butter is sputtering, add the garlic. Swirl the pan and watch carefully. You want the garlic to turn a medium golden to dark brown but not burn, so be careful. When it starts to go, it goes fast. When the garlic has some lovely color on it, pour in the tomatoes all at once. Add the salt, pepper and optional pepper flake. Chances are it will taste a little flat at this point, but you'll be reducing this for a long time so under-seasoning is preferred. You can correct at the end if necessary.
• Cook the tomatoes, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes into smaller and smaller chunks, until the sauce is very thick and is starting to stick to the bottom of the pan a bit. It will also darken in color to a deep, intense reddish-orange. This whole process could take 45 minutes or so, so don't rush things. Once the sauce is thick and perfect, taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary.
• Serve hot or warm with the bucatini pie, or use it for pretty much whatever you want.

BUCATINI WITH OLIVE-CAPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta.
• Meanwhile, pile the garlic, 1 tablespoon capers and the red pepper flakes on a cutting board; mince, then mash with the flat side of a chef's knife to make a paste. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the olive oil, tomatoes, olives, the remaining 1 tablespoon capers and the butter. Stir in the basil and cheese.
• Add the pasta to the bowl with the tomato mixture and toss until the butter is melted, adding the reserved cooking water to moisten, if needed. Season with salt.

BUCATINI MARINARA WITH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the onion and carrot and saute until golden, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook 1 more minute. Add the tomatoes with their juice, bay leaf, sugar, and 2 teaspoons salt and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, about 30 more minutes.
• Prepare pasta while sauce simmers. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain.
• Remove sauce from heat, remove bay leaf, and carefully blend, in batches, to break up large pieces. Mix sauce with pasta. Serve individual portions topped with a heaping tablespoon of ricotta and garnish with basil.
• Cut each link evenly in half lengthwise. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat until hot. Place the sausage cut side down and cook, turning on all sides for even browning, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Serve as an accompaniment with the bucatini marinara.

BUCATINI WITH PANCETTA, TOMATOES, AND ONION

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water. Drain pasta; return to pot.
• While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-low. Add pancetta, and cook until browned and crisp, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain, and set aside (leave fat in skillet).
• Increase heat to medium. Add onion and garlic to skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion begins to soften, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes (with juice); cook, breaking them up with a spoon, until sauce has slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add sauce to pasta in pot; toss, adjusting consistency with pasta water if necessary. Serve pasta topped with pancetta and Pecorino.