Ziti Al Forno

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This is another one of the recipes that I use for big gatherings. This is honestly the best Ziti I have ever had. Zesty tomato sauce, bell peppers and cheese all wrapped around perfectly cooked pasta!! I like to serve it with an olive platter, garlic bread and red wine. Delizioso!


Ingredients:
1 lb. Uncooked Ziti
8 - 10 cups Sunday Gravy, recipe follows (if you don't make your own sauce any zesty jarred variety is perfectly fine)
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese
4 oz. shredded Mozzarella
8 oz. Ricotta Cheese
2 medium size Bell Peppers, chopped ( I use red and yellow)
2 large Tomatoes, diced
2 tbl fresh Parsley, finely chopped
2 tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt

In a large pot bring 10 cups of water, 3 tbl salt and 2 tbl extra virgin olive oil to a rolling boil. Toss in Ziti noodles, cook 12 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking. Drain in a large colander and set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine Sunday Gravy (or jarred sauce), bell peppers and tomatoes. Add in Ziti noodles, fold gently. Preheat oven to 350*. In a large baking dish evenly layer the following: pasta mixture, pecorino, ricotta, pasta mixture, pecorino, ricotta and so on. The last layer should be pasta mixture. Them sprinkle with Mozzarella and Parsley. Bake, covered with foil, for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let stand 5 minutes. Serve alone or  with your favorite Italian sides.

Sunday Gravy:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb meaty pork neck bones or 1 lb pork spareribs
1 lb veal stew meat or 2 veal shoulder chops
1 lb Italian sausage
4 garlic cloves
1/4 cup tomato paste
4 tbl red pepper flake
1 tbl garlic powder
3 (28 ounce) cans peeled Italian tomatoes
2 cups water
6 leaves fresh basil, torn into small pieces

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Pat the pork dry and put the pieces in the pot. Cook turning occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until nicely browned on all sides. Transfer pork to a plate. Brown the veal in the same way and add it to the plate. Place the sausages in the pot and brown on all sides. Set the sausages aside with the pork. Drain off most of the fat from the pot. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes or until golden. Remove and discard the garlic. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. With a food mill puree the tomatoes, with their juice into the pot. For a chunkier sauce, just chop up the tomatoes and add them. Add the water, red pepper flake and garlic powder. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the pork, veal, sausages, and basil and bring the sauce to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more water. Remove the meats from the sauce and set aside.