Serving size: Serves 4
Cuisine type: Italian
Cooking time: More than 1 hour
Course: Main
Favourite flavours: Easy recipes, Pasta

Australian House & Garden recipe for baked rigatoni with roast red onion, leeks, fennel and salami.

INGREDIENTS

6 red onions, peeled and quartered
2 large leeks, white parts only, cut into 4cm pieces
2small fennel bulbs, trimmed and quartered
2 punnets cherry tomatoes
¼ cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp rosemary leaves
400g rigatoni or other short dried pasta, such as penne
125g salami, preferably sopressa, chopped
1 small clove garlic, coarsely chopped
Handful basil leaves
300g mozzarella, cut into 1cm cubes

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 190°C (170° fan). Place onion, leek, fennel, cherry tomatoes and oil in a large baking dish and toss well. Sprinkle with rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Bake 1hr or until vegetables have softened.

2 Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente; drain, reserving a small jugful of cooking water.

3 Combine salami, garlic and basil leaves in a food processor and pulse until mixture is finely chopped, but not smooth.

4 Combine pasta, salami mixture and vegetables in a large mixing bowl and add 2/3 of the mozzarella. Check seasoning and add enough of the cooking water to moisten pasta. Transfer to an oiled baking dish, scatter with remaining mozzarella, and bake 20-30mins or until top is golden and crisp and cheese has melted.

Recipes extracted from Pasta Rustica by Loukie Werle ($35, Penny Pig). Available from www.loukie.com.au and bookstores.