Baked Ziti with Three Cheeses
Ingredients
- 2 tomatoes, quartered
- 1 yellow onion, quartered
- 3/4 cup/120 mL/4 fl oz olive oil
- 1 pound/500 g ziti or other pasta tubes
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 1/3 pound/90 g mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup/250 mL/8 fl oz dry white wine
- 2 cups/500 mL/16 fl oz heavy (double) cream
- 3 ounces/90 g Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
- 2 ounces/60 g fontina cheese, grated
- 2 ounces/60 g Parmesan cheese, grated
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F/210 degrees C/gas mark 7. Place the tomatoes and onion in a baking dish and toss with 1/2 cup/120 mL/4 fl oz of the olive oil. Roast until the tomatoes are blistered, about 25 minutes. Remove the tomatoes, set aside, and continue roasting the onion until tender, about 15 minutes more. While the vegetables are roasting, bring 8 cups/2 L/64 fl oz salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add the ziti and boil until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Set aside in a large bowl. In a large saucepan over high temperature, heat the remaining olive oil. Add the garlic and shallots and saute' until they give off their aroma, 2 or 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute' until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and continue cooking over high heat until half the liquid remains, about 4 minutes. Add the cream and cook, stirring, until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the cheeses just until blended. Set aside to cool. When the onion has finished roasting, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F/175 degrees C/gas mark 4. Grease a baking dish 9 x 11 inches/23 x 28 cm. Roughly chop the onion and tomatoes and toss with the ziti. Place the ziti in the prepared baking dish. Pour the cooled sauce over the pasta and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Allow the mixture to stand for 2 or 3 minutes before serving the Baked Ziti family-style. Serves four.