Baked Ziti

Fall brings the opportunity to cook comfort food without overheating the kitchen. One of my favorites is baked ziti. While this dish is more American than Italian, it is nonetheless a crowd favorite that will warm your heart and more. I like to use turkey Italian sausage as a way to reduce fat, and both tomato sauce and chicken stock in my sauce. Serves 4. 60 minutes total preparation and baking time. Serve with a green salad, garlic bread and red wine.

Ingredients:
½ pound ziti
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 15oz can of tomato sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
3 links turkey or other Italian sausage, casings removed and broken into small pieces 4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
1 egg, beaten
1 cup grated asiago cheese
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
½ cup fresh mozzarella, small balls best

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Begin heating water in a pot to cook the pasta, eventually bringing to a rolling boil. Begin heating the chicken stock, white wine and tomato sauce in a medium pot, eventually bringing to a simmer. In a nonstick frypan, heat the oil to medium and brown the sausage pieces on all sides. Remove from heat. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and whisk in the flower to make a roue. Cook the roue 2 minutes longer to remove the flour taste. Add the roue to the sauce, whisking in and returning to a simmer. Allow the sauce to simmer for a further 15 minutes to thicken. While the sauce is simmering, add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook the pasta for 5 minutes and strain. The pasta will finish cooking in the oven. Mix ½ the grated asiago cheese, egg, mozzarella, parsley, thyme and salt. Mix the cooked pasta into the sauce and toss in the cheese mixture and sausage. Add the entire mixture to a 9 inch square baking dish. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, cover with the remaining cheese and bake a further 10 minutes to brown the cheese. Allow to cool somewhat and serve.