4 servings
40-month Parmigiano Reggiano
Ingredients
250g conchiglioni pasta (large shells)
salt
30g grated Parmigiano Reggiano
½ x mozzarella ball, sliced in small pieces
for the tomato sauce:
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 x garlic cloves, finely sliced
700 ml tomato passata approx.
350 ml water (rinsed out of the passata jar)
handful of basil leaves
salt and pepper
for the filling:
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 x medium-sized red onion, finely sliced
350g ricotta
150g cooked ham, finely sliced
50g grated Parmigiano Reggiano
black pepper
Method
- First make the sauce – heat the olive oil in a pan, sweat the garlic for a minute, then pour in the tomato passata, water, some salt and pepper and basil leaves. Cover with a lid and gently simmer for about 30 minutes, whilst you prepare the rest of the dish.
- To make the filling, heat the olive oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat, add the onions, reduce the heat and gently fry for about 15 minutes until the onions have softened. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
- In a bowl, combine ricotta, ham, 50g of Parmigiano Reggiano, black pepper and the cooled onions. Place a large pot of slightly salted water on the heat, bring to the boil and cook the pasta shells until “al dente” – check your packet cooking instructions and reduce the time by 3 minutes. Drain well and set aside to cool.
- Place nearly all the tomato sauce into an ovenproof dish. Place the filling mixture into a piping bag (if you don’t have one, use a teaspoon) and fill each pasta shell, then place them over the tomato sauce.
- When they are all done, spoon blobs of the remaining tomato sauce over the shells and sprinkle all over with 20g of grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the foil.
- Place pieces of mozzarella over each shell and return to the oven for about 5 minutes until the cheese has nicely melted. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano Reggiano and serve.
