Serves 15
"IN THE KITCHEN ~WITH MOM" p. 108
Ellayne Sapienza
3 tablespoons butter
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 pounds lean ground beef
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
CREAM SAUCE
6 cups milk
2 sticks butter
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
2 dashes nutmeg
6 large eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
FOR ASSEMBLY
1 pound ziti pasta
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet. Saute' the onions until soft. Don't let them brown. Add the ground beef and stir until the meat begins to brown. Mix the tomato paste and wine together until blended. Add this to the ground meat. Then add the salt, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mix well and let simmer for about an hour. If the meat mixture begins to get too dry, add a little more wine or water to it. Let cool and mix in 1/4 cup of bread crumbs and 1 1/2 cups grated cheese.
CREAM SAUCE:
Scald the milk. Remove from heat. Melt the 2 sticks of butter in a large saucepan. Do not brown. Sift the flour into the butter and stir until smooth. Let the butter/flour mixture cook over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add a dash of nutmeg. Continue cooking and stirring with a wire whisk. Do not let the sauce get too thick. It should have the consistency of heavy cream. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Beat the eggs well. Whip 1/2 cup of the cooled sauce into the eggs, and then stir this mixture back into the cream sauce. Add 1/2 cup of grated cheese to the sauce and mix in.
Cook the ziti according to package directions. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil to the water so the pasta won't stick together.
Butter a large (16 X 10 X 2 inch) baking pan. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of bread crumbs.
Spread 1/2 of the ziti evenly in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of cheese. Spread all of the meat sauce over the pasta. Pour 1/2 of the cream sauce over the meat. Smooth with a spatula. Spread the rest of the pasta evenly over the sauced meat. Sprinkle with 4 tablespoons of grated cheese. Pour the remaining cream sauce over the top. Smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle with remaining crumbs and cheese. Dot with 3 tablespoons of butter.
Bake at 350*F for about an hour, until golden and sizzling on top. Let sit 15 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.