“Borta Bra Men Hemma Bäst”

Ingredients

• 2 T olive oil (divided)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 lb – 1 lb hot Italian sausage – link or bulk (I used Caggiano, a Petaluma sausage company.  Delicious!)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 c red wine
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp oregano (or 1/4 c chopped fresh oregano)
• 1/2 c water (we’ve got to make up for that smaller size can of tomatoes  – see above!)
• 1 c ricotta cheese (fresh is great but not essential)
• 1 c pecorino cheese, grated (parmesan works fine too)
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1/3 c parsley, chopped
• 1 lb penne rigate (mine was #41, whatever that means)
• 1/2 lb mozzarella (again fresh is great but not essential), cut into about 1″ chunks

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.  Lightly oil either 2 8″x8″ baking dishes or 1 9″x13″ baking dish.  (Most of you, cooking for one or two, will opt for the 2 dishes, so you can freeze one).

Heat 1 T olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and sausage and saute until the sausage is nearly cooked.  If there’s lots of grease, drain most of it off.  Add the red wine and simmer the mixture until the wine has almost evaporated.  Then add the can of tomatoes, the oregano, and the 1/2 c water, and bring the mixture back to a boil, and (without a lid) simmer for about 10 minutes.  The sauce should have thickened slightly.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper, if needed.

In a large bowl (that LARGE is important) mix the ricotta with about half of the pecorino, the nutmeg, and the parsley.  Add a pinch of salt.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the penne until al dente (mine took about 11 minutes).  Drain it and add the ricotta mixture, tossing so that all the pasta is coated.  Then add the sausage and its sauce to the pasta/ricotta mixture, followed by the chunks of mozzarella.

Pour the mixture into the oiled baking dish (or dishes).  Sprinkle the remaining pecorino on top and bake uncovered for about 20 – 30 minutes, or until steamy hot in the middle. If you want to keep the dish for a day or so before you serve it, refrigerate it unbaked, then bring it to room temperature before baking.  If you’re freezing a dish, cover it tightly and freeze it unbaked.  When you’re ready to eat it, let it sit out of the freezer for at least an hour or so, then add the pecorino on top and put it in the oven.  Be sure the container is oven-proof.  The frozen pasta can also be microwaved, but it won’t be quite as tasty as if you bake it in the oven.

Ingredients

• 4 + slices of brioche, each 1″ thick (go on the generous side of that 1″); use challah, if you can’t find brioche – or use French bread if you can’t find either brioche or challah- and add a little more sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 1/3 c sugar
• 2 c milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• a pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)
• a bit of orange zest (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 8″x8″ glass dish.  Place the brioche slices in the dish, arranging them so they make a single layer, completely covering the bottom of the dish; add a few more cut-to-size pieces of bread, if necessary.  Then pop the brioche slices into the oven for about 10 minutes (you’re basically drying the slices out a little bit).  While the bread is in the oven, lightly whisk the eggs, then add the sugar, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon (and whisk again until it’s all well incorporated.  Remove the bread from the oven, cool slightly, then pour the egg mixture over the bread, being sure that all the bread is getting soaked.

Now let the bread and egg mixture sit at room temperature – for at least 15 minutes – or up to an hour.  The less time this soaks, the more likely you are to have some spots of just custard, since the liquid won’t have time to fully soak into the bread – but it will still be delicious.

Then bake for 45 minutes.  Or you can refrigerate the mixture (covered) for a day, bring it back to room temperature, and then bake it.  Let cool slightly before serving but serve warm.

To reheat, cut into individual pieces, cover with a moist paper towel and put in the microwave. Or cut into pieces and fry like French Toast on a hot buttered skillet and serve with a bit of maple syrup.