Cover the bottom and sides of the pan with overlapping eggplant slices. Let the slices hang over the sides of the pan as shown. This homemade anellini pasta rings recipe comes from Abruzzo in Central Italy. It’s a dish you can find in many trattorias and homes there, particularly in and around the town of Elice in the province of Pescara. This pasta recipe is rich in veggies and perfect for vegetarians. Of course, you can use other types of pasta with the alla Pecorara sauce. A unique pasta dish from Abruzzo. That’s when I knew it was a darn good idea that I have started to make my own. It does take 24 hours to firm up in the fridge , so just be aware that you need to plan ahead, but of course store bought Mascarpone will work fine too!

Chef Salvatore Fraterrigo – Head Chef and Owner of Norma Gastronomia Siciliana restaurant in New York City – grew up in Trapani but also lived in Palermo. He considers anelletti al forno to be his version of comfort food. “I remember when we went to Mondello, the most famous beach in Palermo, and we’d bring the anelletti al forno with us. The smell of the ragù was all over the beach. It was the perfect dish after a long and tiring day.” I recommend using a short pasta, cream sauces work the best with anelli, penne, mezze penne, rigatoni etc. Choose your favourite. The bechamel mingles with the marinara and parmesan cheese and creates a creamy, luscious sauce that envelopes the anelletti pasta so well.

The sautéed veggies.

Gather all your ingredients before you, the pasta, the cooked sausage, frozen peas, grated cheese, basil leaves and marinara. Like I said there are many versions of this dish, I got inspired to add the bechamel from a video I saw on Rosella’s Cooking with Nonna, and I’m so glad I did because it really makes the sauce dreamy. The condiment for homemade anellini alla pecorara has 3 main components, a tomato sauce, sautéed vegetables and fresh ricotta. Traditionally the latter is sheep’s ricotta, but you can use cow’s milk ricotta instead. The tomato sauce.

Add the ground meat trio (beef, veal and pork) and cook, stirring and breaking up the pieces with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.I hope you give this timballo a go because it's a wonderful dish, perfect for family occasions and holidays. And that something happened to be this Creamy Mascarpone Pasta with Pancetta and fresh rosemary, and did I mention a couple of tablespoons of vodka? Sound strange? Nah Italians always use rosemary when cooking pork. Add bay leaves, salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook partially covered for 1 hour. Stir in green peas and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed. Mix a teaspoon or so of dried chilli flakes (or some finely chopped red chilli) with a few tablespoons of olive oil, then cautiously zigzig on top of the soup before serving.

Anelli or anelletti, as they are called in Sicily, are thin dry ring shaped pasta often used by Italians in soups, salads and oven baked pasta dishes. In fact 'anelli' in Italian translates as 'small rings'. There is also a smaller version of this pasta called 'anellini, which are tiny rings used mostly in soups. Baked Anelletti are delicious! Anelli pasta is from Sicily in Southern Italy. The Sicilian people love this type of pasta and use it most frequently in pasta al forno dishes, i.e. baked pasta. One of the most revered pasta recipes in Sicily is Timballo, which is like a round, savory cake made out of anelli pasta, meat, cheese, vegetables, sauce, and breadcrumbs (or some kind of crust). What kind of meals can I make with anelli or anellini Pasta? In Italian, the word anello means ring. Hence, anellini are pasta rings. However, in most recipes for anelli, anelletti or anellini the pasta is dried rings of various sizes. This is the pasta that people outside of Italy associate with Campbell’s spaghetti Os or Heinz spaghetti hoops! It’s considered a traditional pasta variety in Sicily, where they use it in a baked pasta dish called anelletti al forno or timballo di anelletti. Italians also use pasta rings in soups and salads. Step 1 Make the anellini pasta rings

Anelletti al Forno by Salvatore Fraterrigo

Cover the top of the pasta with the slices of eggplant hanging over the sides of the pan. Top with additional eggplant slices to completely cover the pasta. Bake for 30 minutes. Let the baked anelletti sit for about 30 minutes before removing the sides of the pan. Do not skip this step or it may fall apart when you attempt to slice it! When the pasta has about 5 minutes left, steam the broccoli over the pan of pasta. Let the broccoli cook for a few minutes and then drain everything into a large colander. Rinse thoroughly with cold water to cool down the pasta and the broccoli. Anelletti al forno with eggplant is a classic Sicilian baked pasta made with meat ragu and peas, eggplant, hard boiled eggs and anelletti, a small ring shaped pasta of Sicilian origin. This impressive pasta dish is prepared on special occasions or for Sunday lunches with family. Both anelli and tortellini are round, ring-shaped pastas. However, there is one key difference: tortellini is a type of stuffed pasta while anelli is not. Anelli are small, thin rings of pasta often used in brothy soups and pasta salads while tortellini is often paired with a simple sauce to elevate its filling. Although these pasta shapes aren’t interchangeable, they are both unique and delicious in their own right. Traditional Dishes Suitable for Anelli Pasta

Well those are anelli! I recently read that not only are SpaghettiOs still being produced, but they sell over 150 million cans a year! When Campbells first launched them on the market they used the advertising tag line"The neat round spaghetti you can eat with a spoon" I just love that! Round spaghetti!Is there anything better than eating a bowl of savory warm soup on a cold day? This dish contains anelli pasta that’s simmered in beef broth and topped with small portions of polpettine and parmesan cheese. We have a friend who is an amazing cook and he always adds a couple of tablespoons of Mascarpone to his Risotto instead of cream, and I have to admit it is so good. When the wine has evaporated pour in the passata and mix it in well with the meat.Add the fresh basil and salt and pepper as required.