eat like a local
APRIL 2020 bbcgoodfood.com 127GWe are like a father and son. He was so hungry to
learn, so I taught him everything I know about Italian
cooking. But he developed it with his own talents and
his passion, and his success belongs to him now.
We take the rigatoni cake out of the oven. It looks
like a party. We tuck in and it tastes amazing.
Make it yourself
Torta di rigatoni (rigatoni cake)
This simple pasta dish is fun to make – you stand the
cooked rigatoni upright in a cake tin and when baked,
it looks like a pasta cake! Made with tomato sauce and
cheese, it is great for kids’ parties, but equally good at
any time. A loose-bottomed, spring-form cake tin is
best for getting the pasta bake out easily.SERVES 4 6 PREP 20 minsCOOK 55 minsEASYVbutter, for the tin
4 tbsp breadcrumbs
325g rigatoni pasta
handful of basil leaves,
inely chopped
250g mozzarella, cubed
50g grated parmesanFor the tomato sauce
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and
bashed
2 x 400g cans chopped
tomatoes
small handful of basil
leaves1 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line the
base and sides of a 20cm round cake tin with baking
parchment, then butter and coat with the breadcrumbs.
2 For the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium
heat and fry the garlic for 1 min. Add the tomatoes and
basil leaves, reserving a few for later, and season with
salt. Cover and cook for 25 mins, stirring occasionally.
3 Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to
the boil and cook the pasta until al dente following pack
instructions. Drain well and mix with the chopped basil,
half of the mozzarella, some black pepper, half of the
tomato sauce (discarding the garlic) and half of the
parmesan. Leave to cool until you can handle the pasta.
4 Place the rigatoni standing upright in the prepared tin
until you have filled it. Pour over the remaining tomato
sauce, then scatter over the remaining mozzarella and
parmesan. Bake for 25 mins, until golden. Leave to rest
for 5 mins before carefully removing from the tin, then
scatter over the remaining basil leaves to serve.
GOOD TO KNOWcalcium•1 of 5-a-day
PER SERVING(6) 402 kcals• fat 16g• saturates 8g• carbs 44g• sugars 6g• ibre 4g- protein 19g• salt 0.8g
Good Food
contributing
editor Emma
Freud is a
journalist and
broadcaster,
director of Red
Nose Day and
a co-presenter
of Radio Four’s
Loose Ends.next
month
Emma cooks
a Burmese
dish for the
Rangoon sistersRecipe adapted
fromGennaro’s
Pasta Perfecto!
by Gennaro
Contaldo (£18.99,
Pavilion Books).
Photographs
© David LoftusGThis is my recipe – it’s an old idea, but I make it my
own with a little distinctive touch, or a clever herb.
Nowyouchange it a tiny bit and make it your own
and the people who read this, they give it a little spin.
That’s how traditions grow. That’s how it works in
Ita ly, too, cha ng ing a tiny bit from v illage to v illage
until each area has developed its own way with a dish;
that’s how Italy has 600 di erent pasta shapes and
2,000 di erent sauces. Now the dishes move from
country to country and they keep on growing. But,
can I tell you a secret? You’ve done it so well!
He shouts as loudly as he can:
GWhy is your cooking SO good!?
EBecause I followed your recipe.
G I’m telling you, you’ve done it better.
That was nearly it. But as Gennaro was leaving, he
spotted some flour and an egg, grabbed them and
quickly knocked up some fresh tortellini in front of
our eyes – using a wooden spoon instead of a rolling
pin, as it was closer to hand. It was spectacular.
Watch Gennaro at
the Good Food Show
Summer (18 21 June).
Turn to p59 for details.