Weeknight Dinner: Baked Rigaboni
During this month of magic and mischief, the obverse and the reverse rule. Anyone who grew up watching The Addams Family and The Munsters knows that scary is fun, bad is good, and naughty is nice, but the greater lesson is that perception is everything. In either of those urban homes, the residents and the surroundings reinforced each other, and were not only bewildered when outsiders didn’t understand their way of life, their belief in their own norms insulated them against encounters with the mundane. Magic was in the air. As these families created their own realities, the dark forces responded by protecting the homesteads and their inhabitants -- across the spectrum of corporeality. It was not the worst lesson to teach, for even through the slapstick humor (actually, because of it), there was the theme not just of dancing to one’s own drummer, but of cherishing the collective dance of the individuals, whoever and however they are.
How appropriate that Halloween was the style upon which these media monster lessons rested. Whether we are tricking or treating, Halloween mayhem reflects its placement in the season of final transition. It seems like there is disruption throughout the planes of existence as the crops fade, but it's really just a resettling as the old year passes and the new year assumes residence. Let's not forget that both of these monster families came alive on our tv screens during a very turbulent decade; one in which the older archetypes the Munsters and the Addamses referenced, from Bela Lugosi’s tuxedo and cape to Chaz Addams’ cartoon panels themselves, were not distant to the collective memory. Turning these archetypes into comedy – especially that which came straight from the silent era, right down to the wheezing appreciations of the laugh track – was reflective of the Halloween’s role as trickster, of cheap gags, practical jokes, and common yuks. For Halloween is the reverser: night overtakes day in power, the occult becomes revealed, that which we perceive with wariness and fear manifests as not unfriendly. But it’s still scary, and it turns our world upside down.
Though each residence was handsomely appointed with torture chambers, mad scientist labs and gloomy parlours, nowhere was this more evident than at table. In both families, the ladies of the manor were known for the graciousness of their social style, which was as elegant as a repast in a castle, as comforting as a caring hand at a funeral. References abounded to whatever concoctions were abubble in Grandmama's kitchen cauldron or trying to get away from Lily Munster's cast iron stove. It's telling that it's typically a witch in one guise or another who presides over the hearth, but the spirit of ghoulish hospitality is pure generosity. In the haunted house, what's ours is yours, from a sampling of an experimental compound in the lab to a conjuring of ectoplasm in aid of the dimensionally challenged. No visitor is ever turned away, but when they flee, which they always seem to, it isn't because anything untoward has actually happened -- it is because they are too banal to understand the gifts that they are being offered.
And that's what a party is: a gift that you're giving to your guests. No wonder then, that on this night where we're generous enough to give our candy away rather than hoard it, Halloween parties abound. Any event designer will confirm that, outside of weddings and birthdays, Halloween and New Year's Eve are the prime holidays for parties. Halloween parties have long since reflected the abnormal as the norm. Party guides suggest every kind of screwed-up party food from mummy pizzas to eyeball highballs. A tray of cookies displays ladyfingers baked in that shape, perhaps crowned with a scarlet talon of fondant or a diamond ring of rock candy. On the buffet table, there are sticky popcorn balls infected with candy mold, bowls crawling with gummy insects, a cake with shortbread tombstones pushing up through chocolate dirt.
As we've also established during Christmastime, pasta is a great dinner for busy times. This October's weeknight dinner is baked rigaboni, in which tubes of ghastly white pasta self-resurrect from a bath of blood red sauce only to find themselves buried under a shroud of melty cheese. Baked pasta is easy to assemble with supermarket ingredients, and it's just about everyone's favorite food. This rigaboni comes out of the oven abubble with a golden crust and heady with rich aromas. Best, or is that worst, of all, in the spirit of ghoulish hospitality, this rigaboni travels well to the communal table for fright night events that are, in ways ancient and sometimes forgotten, fundamental to the human need, which is just and true, to celebrate the harvest. All offerings are good. and in the world of apple bobs and hot cider, this dish will be received just as gratefully by the be-costumed as it was made by the whose consideration is as genuine as their fright mask is fake.
Baked Rigaboni
Canned San Marzano tomatoes have become widely available; look for them either among the canned tomatoes or in the import section of the grocery store. If you can't obtain San Marzano tomatoes, use a low-sodium low-water brand, and stir 2 tablespoons tomato paste into the tomatoes before cooking with them. If you don't have access to a food chopper, click here for instructions for preparing peppers and onions by hand.
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 medium yellow onion
1 red bell pepper
4 medium cloves garlic
2 28-ounce cans Italian diced tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
1/2 cup dry red wine, such as cabernet sauvignon, merlot or zinfandel
1 16-ounce box good dried rigatoni, such as Barilla, Ronzoni or Gia Russa
1 8-ounce package shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1-1/2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning, plus extra for the crust
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Prepare the pasta
1. Fill a pot large enough to hold the pasta (remember it expands as it cooks) 2/3 with cool water. Sprinkle the water with salt and place the pot on the stovetop. Turn the heat to high and wait for the salted water to boil, approximately 10 minutes.
2. Place a large colander in the sink.
3. Once the water is boiling, open the pasta box and dump the pasta into the boiling water. Stir the pasta with a wooden spoon to separate the pasta. Boil the pasta to al dente, approximately 10 minutes.
4. Once the pasta is cooked and working carefully to avoid burns, pour the pasta into the colander. Let the pasta drain for 5 minutes.
Prepare the sauce
1. Once you've started the pasta, place a dot of food-safe vegetable cleaner in your palm. Remove stickers if any from the pepper and rub the pepper with the cleaner. Rinse the pepper under cool water until it feels clean.
2. Working on a clean cutting board dedicated to produce, remove the stem, seeds and pith from the pepper. Rough-cut the pepper into large chunks and place the chunks into the bowl of a mini food chopper.
3. Remove the stem and blossom ends and the skin from the onion. Rough-cut the onion into large chunks and place the chunks into the bowl of the mini food chopper with the peppers.
4. Pulse the peppers and onions until chopped but no large pieces remain; about five pulses.
5. Remove the sausage from its packaging. If the sausage is in casings, use a paring knife to slice the casings open and remove and discard them from the sausage. Place the sausage on a cutting board reserved for meat, and use the paring knife to score the sausage lengthways and then crossways so that the sausage will not retain large chunks as it cooks.
6. Place a large saucepan on the stove top. Drizzle the pan with a five-count of extra-virgin olive oil.
7. Peel the garlic and remove the root end. Half each clove; remove and discard any sprouting from the center. Use a garlic press to press each clove into the pan with the olive oil.
8. Remove the bowl from the food chopper and remove the lid from the bowl. Remove the blade unit and set aside for cleaning. Use a silicon spatula to scrape the onion pepper mixture into the oil and garlic.
9. Transfer the sausage into the pan containing the vegetables, oil and garlic.
10. Turn the heat to medium and cook. Check the mixture as it cooks and use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage as the mixture is cooking.
11. Once the sausage and vegetables are cooked through and no large chunks remain, open each can of tomatoes. Gently pour the contents of each can into the pan containing the sausage and vegetables.
12. Once you've emptied the cans, measure 1/4 cup wine into each can. Swirl the wine to get any extra tomatoes that were left in the can. Pour the wine-tomato mixture into the pan.
13. Measure the red pepper flakes, the Italian seasoning, and a shake of salt into the mixture.
14. Continue to cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, until very fragrant and slightly thickened, approximately 5 minutes. Turn the burner off.
Assemble the dish
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place a large baking dish on a work surface near the oven.
2. Open the bag containing the mozzarella and empty the mozzarella into a mixing bowl. Measure the Parmesan into the mozzarella. Add a sprinkling of Italian seasoning to the cheeses. Use your hands to mix the cheeses and seasoning together.
3. Carefully give the colander a good shake to express as much of the water as you can.
4. Gently transfer the pasta from the colander to the baking dish.
5. Working carefully, tilt the pan containing the sauce over the pasta in the baking dish. Gently pour the sauce into the baking dish, moving the pan back and forth and working slowly so that the sauce doesn't splash and the pasta isn't dislodged from the baking dish. Use a silicon spatula to get all of the sauce out of the pan, set the pan safely aside, and then use the spatula to stir the pasta and the sauce together. It is okay if the mixture looks slightly soupy; the pasta will soak up a lot of liquid as the dish cooks.
6. Use your hands to cover the top of the casserole with all of the seasoned cheese mixture.
7. Pull a length of aluminum foil slightly longer than the length of the baking dish. Spray the shiny side of the aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray.
8. Carefully position the foil, shiny side down, across the top of the baking dish and press the foil to the sides of the dish to form a tight fit. Use the tip of a knife to puncture two or three small holes across the top of the foil so that steam can escape.
9. Carefully place the casserole in the oven. Bake undisturbed for 30 minutes.
10. After 30 minutes, carefully remove the foil from the baking dish. Continue to bake the rigaboni until the crust is golden and the dish is very fragrant, approximately 10 minutes.
Serve
1. Once the crust is golden with sauce bubbling up through it, remove the baking dish from the oven. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving or wrapping for transport.
How appropriate that Halloween was the style upon which these media monster lessons rested. Whether we are tricking or treating, Halloween mayhem reflects its placement in the season of final transition. It seems like there is disruption throughout the planes of existence as the crops fade, but it's really just a resettling as the old year passes and the new year assumes residence. Let's not forget that both of these monster families came alive on our tv screens during a very turbulent decade; one in which the older archetypes the Munsters and the Addamses referenced, from Bela Lugosi’s tuxedo and cape to Chaz Addams’ cartoon panels themselves, were not distant to the collective memory. Turning these archetypes into comedy – especially that which came straight from the silent era, right down to the wheezing appreciations of the laugh track – was reflective of the Halloween’s role as trickster, of cheap gags, practical jokes, and common yuks. For Halloween is the reverser: night overtakes day in power, the occult becomes revealed, that which we perceive with wariness and fear manifests as not unfriendly. But it’s still scary, and it turns our world upside down.
Though each residence was handsomely appointed with torture chambers, mad scientist labs and gloomy parlours, nowhere was this more evident than at table. In both families, the ladies of the manor were known for the graciousness of their social style, which was as elegant as a repast in a castle, as comforting as a caring hand at a funeral. References abounded to whatever concoctions were abubble in Grandmama's kitchen cauldron or trying to get away from Lily Munster's cast iron stove. It's telling that it's typically a witch in one guise or another who presides over the hearth, but the spirit of ghoulish hospitality is pure generosity. In the haunted house, what's ours is yours, from a sampling of an experimental compound in the lab to a conjuring of ectoplasm in aid of the dimensionally challenged. No visitor is ever turned away, but when they flee, which they always seem to, it isn't because anything untoward has actually happened -- it is because they are too banal to understand the gifts that they are being offered.
And that's what a party is: a gift that you're giving to your guests. No wonder then, that on this night where we're generous enough to give our candy away rather than hoard it, Halloween parties abound. Any event designer will confirm that, outside of weddings and birthdays, Halloween and New Year's Eve are the prime holidays for parties. Halloween parties have long since reflected the abnormal as the norm. Party guides suggest every kind of screwed-up party food from mummy pizzas to eyeball highballs. A tray of cookies displays ladyfingers baked in that shape, perhaps crowned with a scarlet talon of fondant or a diamond ring of rock candy. On the buffet table, there are sticky popcorn balls infected with candy mold, bowls crawling with gummy insects, a cake with shortbread tombstones pushing up through chocolate dirt.
As we've also established during Christmastime, pasta is a great dinner for busy times. This October's weeknight dinner is baked rigaboni, in which tubes of ghastly white pasta self-resurrect from a bath of blood red sauce only to find themselves buried under a shroud of melty cheese. Baked pasta is easy to assemble with supermarket ingredients, and it's just about everyone's favorite food. This rigaboni comes out of the oven abubble with a golden crust and heady with rich aromas. Best, or is that worst, of all, in the spirit of ghoulish hospitality, this rigaboni travels well to the communal table for fright night events that are, in ways ancient and sometimes forgotten, fundamental to the human need, which is just and true, to celebrate the harvest. All offerings are good. and in the world of apple bobs and hot cider, this dish will be received just as gratefully by the be-costumed as it was made by the whose consideration is as genuine as their fright mask is fake.
Baked Rigaboni
Canned San Marzano tomatoes have become widely available; look for them either among the canned tomatoes or in the import section of the grocery store. If you can't obtain San Marzano tomatoes, use a low-sodium low-water brand, and stir 2 tablespoons tomato paste into the tomatoes before cooking with them. If you don't have access to a food chopper, click here for instructions for preparing peppers and onions by hand.
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 medium yellow onion
1 red bell pepper
4 medium cloves garlic
2 28-ounce cans Italian diced tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
1/2 cup dry red wine, such as cabernet sauvignon, merlot or zinfandel
1 16-ounce box good dried rigatoni, such as Barilla, Ronzoni or Gia Russa
1 8-ounce package shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1-1/2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning, plus extra for the crust
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Prepare the pasta
1. Fill a pot large enough to hold the pasta (remember it expands as it cooks) 2/3 with cool water. Sprinkle the water with salt and place the pot on the stovetop. Turn the heat to high and wait for the salted water to boil, approximately 10 minutes.
2. Place a large colander in the sink.
3. Once the water is boiling, open the pasta box and dump the pasta into the boiling water. Stir the pasta with a wooden spoon to separate the pasta. Boil the pasta to al dente, approximately 10 minutes.
4. Once the pasta is cooked and working carefully to avoid burns, pour the pasta into the colander. Let the pasta drain for 5 minutes.
Prepare the sauce
1. Once you've started the pasta, place a dot of food-safe vegetable cleaner in your palm. Remove stickers if any from the pepper and rub the pepper with the cleaner. Rinse the pepper under cool water until it feels clean.
2. Working on a clean cutting board dedicated to produce, remove the stem, seeds and pith from the pepper. Rough-cut the pepper into large chunks and place the chunks into the bowl of a mini food chopper.
3. Remove the stem and blossom ends and the skin from the onion. Rough-cut the onion into large chunks and place the chunks into the bowl of the mini food chopper with the peppers.
4. Pulse the peppers and onions until chopped but no large pieces remain; about five pulses.
5. Remove the sausage from its packaging. If the sausage is in casings, use a paring knife to slice the casings open and remove and discard them from the sausage. Place the sausage on a cutting board reserved for meat, and use the paring knife to score the sausage lengthways and then crossways so that the sausage will not retain large chunks as it cooks.
6. Place a large saucepan on the stove top. Drizzle the pan with a five-count of extra-virgin olive oil.
7. Peel the garlic and remove the root end. Half each clove; remove and discard any sprouting from the center. Use a garlic press to press each clove into the pan with the olive oil.
8. Remove the bowl from the food chopper and remove the lid from the bowl. Remove the blade unit and set aside for cleaning. Use a silicon spatula to scrape the onion pepper mixture into the oil and garlic.
9. Transfer the sausage into the pan containing the vegetables, oil and garlic.
10. Turn the heat to medium and cook. Check the mixture as it cooks and use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage as the mixture is cooking.
11. Once the sausage and vegetables are cooked through and no large chunks remain, open each can of tomatoes. Gently pour the contents of each can into the pan containing the sausage and vegetables.
12. Once you've emptied the cans, measure 1/4 cup wine into each can. Swirl the wine to get any extra tomatoes that were left in the can. Pour the wine-tomato mixture into the pan.
13. Measure the red pepper flakes, the Italian seasoning, and a shake of salt into the mixture.
14. Continue to cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, until very fragrant and slightly thickened, approximately 5 minutes. Turn the burner off.
Assemble the dish
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place a large baking dish on a work surface near the oven.
2. Open the bag containing the mozzarella and empty the mozzarella into a mixing bowl. Measure the Parmesan into the mozzarella. Add a sprinkling of Italian seasoning to the cheeses. Use your hands to mix the cheeses and seasoning together.
3. Carefully give the colander a good shake to express as much of the water as you can.
4. Gently transfer the pasta from the colander to the baking dish.
5. Working carefully, tilt the pan containing the sauce over the pasta in the baking dish. Gently pour the sauce into the baking dish, moving the pan back and forth and working slowly so that the sauce doesn't splash and the pasta isn't dislodged from the baking dish. Use a silicon spatula to get all of the sauce out of the pan, set the pan safely aside, and then use the spatula to stir the pasta and the sauce together. It is okay if the mixture looks slightly soupy; the pasta will soak up a lot of liquid as the dish cooks.
6. Use your hands to cover the top of the casserole with all of the seasoned cheese mixture.
7. Pull a length of aluminum foil slightly longer than the length of the baking dish. Spray the shiny side of the aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray.
8. Carefully position the foil, shiny side down, across the top of the baking dish and press the foil to the sides of the dish to form a tight fit. Use the tip of a knife to puncture two or three small holes across the top of the foil so that steam can escape.
9. Carefully place the casserole in the oven. Bake undisturbed for 30 minutes.
10. After 30 minutes, carefully remove the foil from the baking dish. Continue to bake the rigaboni until the crust is golden and the dish is very fragrant, approximately 10 minutes.
Serve
1. Once the crust is golden with sauce bubbling up through it, remove the baking dish from the oven. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving or wrapping for transport.
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