Cookbook Countdown #4 : Baked Mediterranean Pasta

Cookbook Countdown is a monthly cooking/baking event, which I'm co-hosting with Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray.  Everyone is welcome to join us. How does it work? To summarize, you may select a cookbook from your own cookbook collection, to cook or bake from each month. That selected book shall be your cookbook of the month. You may cook any recipes and as many recipes as you want from your selected book of the month. This is a fabulous way of using your cookbooks at least once! For more information on how to join Cookbook Countdown, please click here. 

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Cookbook Countdown #4 : Recipe No. 4 - Baked Mediterranean Pasta

from my selected cookbook for this month, Bake by Rachel Allen

This is an easy and delicious baked pasta. There's no need to cook the pasta first, which is usually the way it is done. The only thing that needs to be cooked for a while is the chorizo sausages, which takes only 2 minutes. The uncooked pasta is mixed with boiling water, then stir in the rest of the ingredients and bake! Simple and easy! Make sure you get the seasoning right, taste before you bake the pasta, adding more salt or pepper as necessary.

I've added a little more water and cream so that the pasta do not get too dry during baking. For the cheeses, I've used a mixture of grated Cheddar and Mozzarella.

Simple, easy and yummy! 

Baked Mediterranean Pasta
(adapted from "Bake", Rachel Allen)
Serves 6
100gm (3-1/2oz) chorizo, finely sliced
1-2 tbsp olive oil
500gm (1lb 2oz) penne pasta
2 x 400gm tinned tomatoes, chopped
175ml (6fl oz) boiling water
175ml (6fl oz) double cream
50gm (2oz) chopped spring onion
2 tbsp chopped basil
50gm (2oz) capers
100gm (3-1/2 oz) olives, pitted and chopped
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp caster sugar
75gm (3oz) soft goat's cheese, crumbled
150gm (5oz) Gruyere cheese, grated
75gm (3oz) Cheddar cheese, grated

30 x 23cm (12 x 9in) ovenproof dish

1. Preheat the oven to 200C (400F), Gar mark 6.
2. In a frying pan set over a high heat, cook the chorizo with the olive oil for 2 minutes and drain.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the dried pasta with the tomatoes, the boiling water and cream. Add the chorizo and then the spring onion, basil, capers, olives and garlic. Season with salt, pepper and the sugar.
4. Place the mixture in the ovenproof dish and scatter over the three cheeses, making sure the pasta is completely covered, then bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes or until the pasta is cooked and the sauce golden and bubbling. Cover with foil after 30 minutes if it begins to dry out.

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

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