Recipes Baked Penne with Sausage and Creamy Ricotta 4.0 (791) 9 Reviews This hearty pasta dish is studded with chunks of Italian sausage and mixed with a quick garlic-infused tomato sauce. It's then topped with dollops of fresh ricotta and a sprinkling of both mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano, which form a cheesy layer as the pasta bakes.More Baked Pasta Recipes By Maria Helm Sinskey Maria Helm Sinskey F&W Star Chef » See All F&W Chef Superstars Maria Helm Sinskey (an F&W Best New Chef 1996) is the author of two fantastic cookbooks, Family Meals and The Vineyard Kitchen, which features recipes from the Napa winery she runs with her husband, Robert Sinskey. Here, she shares spectacular holiday gifts to make at home, a delicious and colorful cocktail and more. » More Holiday Inspiration from Star Chefs What are your favorite holiday food gifts? Most people appreciate something you make, that they can’t buy. It doesn’t have to be expensive, it just might take more time. But it’s always much more appreciated than candles. Every year I give Capezzana Olio Nuovo with a big chunk of organic Parmigiano-Reggiano. I love Capezzana because it’s so grassy and fresh and has this pepperiness, it just wakes up my senses. I love making salted caramels. It’s so much fun to twist them in waxed paper because it looks professional even though they’re homemade. In late fall I go out into the vineyard with my kids and pick the second harvest, the grapes left behind on the vine. We make a grape confiture, almost like a chutney, with vinegar, wine, the grapes and some warm spices, which we preserve in little bottles. Then if I’m going to somebody’s house for the holidays, I’ll bring a little jar of confiture and a wedge of a cheese. It’s great with fresh goat cheese and Cowgirl Creamery Wagon Wheel cheese. It’s an instant appetizer. We also make gingerbread people, which we decorate with royal icing, making them really ornate, and we put people’s names on them. That’s a great gift when you’re going to someone’s house, especially with kids. What’s your favorite holiday cocktail? A pomegranate cocktail with freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, rye, burnt orange zest and a little simple syrup. I serve it on the rocks because otherwise I get too drunk, but you can serve it many ways depending on your crowd: as a smash on crushed ice, or on big ice cubes, or shaken and served straight-up. We have tons of pomegranates in November and December. It’s so easy to juice one: cut it in half and squeeze it on an electric juicer, like an orange. Let the sediment settle then pour the juice off. You can garnish the drinks with a few pomegranate seeds; my kids love to pick the seeds out. To them they’re like jewels in a box. Can you share one great entertaining tip? Do everything ahead. Set the table, polish the glasses, arrange the barware, and then make a one-pot main course that you have to reheat, like a blanquette de veau. Everyone puts off setting the table, but you can do it a day ahead of time. You can cut flowers and arrange them in a vase a day ahead, too. I always see people freaking out and running around to set the table while they’re trying to cook some elaborate feast like seared steaks and a complicated side. Blanquette de veau, braised beef, or chicken with mini dumplings are all so elegant. You can make them a day ahead and they only get better. Plus in winter, people want something warm and sustaining. Another thing, people love to bring flowers. So always have a vase available, that way you don’t have to leave the party to go get one right when everyone arrives. What’s your most requested recipe? People always ask me about risotto. They want to know how do you make it seasonal. In fall and spring we make mushroom risotto; in the fall and winter we make a winter squash risotto with butternut squash and fried sage. In spring we do prosciutto and peas. People also tell me risotto is hard, it gets lumpy, and they ask me what my tricks are. One thing I do is stir it constantly—not to make it creamy, but to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Stirring helps to release the starch, but starch releases naturally, which also makes the risotto more liable to burn on the bottom, unless you stir. What’s your favorite cookbook of all time?Lulu’s Provençal Table, by Richard Olney. I like the way it’s written, the tone of it, and the stories. And the recipes are great. They’re simple. What’s one technique everyone should know? How to chop an onion evenly and finely, using a sharp knife. The days of rough-cut, hacked onions are over. Cut it vertically with the knife pointing to the root end, then horizontally twice, parallel to the cutting board, then vertically again. The knife just has to be sharp. If it’s dull it doesn’t work. That’s the biggest crime people suffer from, having dull knives. If you have a sharp knife, it’s the easiest thing to do in the world, you just have to practice. And even the best chefs in the world, at one point, even they had to practice. But it’s quite an accomplishment to be able to chop an onion well.1996 Best New Chef Bio Won Best New Chef at: PlumpJack Cafe, San Francisco Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 11, 2019 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Tina Rupp Active Time: 1 hrs Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Yield: 8 Ingredients 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, smashed 1 pound hot or sweet Italian fennel sausage, casings removed One 28-ounce can tomato puree 1 1/2 cups water 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1 bay leaf 1/4 teaspoon ground fennel Salt and freshly ground pepper 1 pound penne 3 cups Creamy Ricotta 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese Directions Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato puree, water, sugar, bay leaf and fennel. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until thickened, about 30 minutes. Remove the garlic, mash it to a paste and stir it back into the sauce; discard the bay leaf. Meanwhile, cook the penne in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Using a slotted spoon, add the cooked sausage to the pasta, then add 1 cup of the tomato sauce and toss to coat the penne. Spoon the pasta into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the pasta and dollop large spoonfuls of the Creamy Ricotta on top. Gently fold some of the ricotta into the pasta; don't overmix—you should have pockets of ricotta. Scatter the mozzarella on top and sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake the pasta for about 45 minutes, or until bubbling and golden on top. Let rest for 20 minutes before serving. Make Ahead The baked penne can be refrigerated, covered, overnight. Rewarm before serving. Suggested Pairing Rich and rustically Italian, this classic dish pairs well with an equally rich Italian red, especially one with a touch of spiciness. Primitivo, a southern Italian grape known as Zinfandel in the U.S., is a great choice. Rate it Print