Baked Paccheri with Ramps and Ricotta

By Chef Caroline Glover

Everything can be made a few days in advance – so you can assemble it quickly the day of!

PASTA:

Parboil your paccheri. I cooked mine in salted boiling water for 10 minutes and ran under cold water to cool down. Toss with a small amount of olive oil to keep from sticking.

TOMATO SAUCE:

4 cups canned tomatoes (I prefer whole plum tomatoes)

1 onion, diced small

3 cloves garlic, microplaned

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 Tbsp olive oil

1. Heat olive oil on medium heat.
2. Add onion and garlic and pinch of salt.
3. Sweat onions and garlic until fully cooked.
4. Add tomatoes and smoked paprika and turn to low.
5. Let simmer for an hour.
6. Adjust seasoning with salt.

RICOTTA FILLING:

10 ramps (or green garlic)

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

3 cups ricotta

1/2 cup parmesan, grated

2 eggs (I forgot to do this in class!)

2 lemons, zest only

1 tsp red chili flake

salt to taste

1 Tbsp butter

1. Heat pan over medium heat with the butter.
2. If using ramps, remove the bottoms and dice them small. Cut the green tops into 3 pieces. (If using green garlic, chop small)
3. Saute the ramp bottoms first until tender.
4. Add mushrooms and salt.
5. Once mushrooms are cooked down add in ramp tops and just fold into wilt.
6. Let the mixture cool.
7. Once the mixture is cooled, mix with ricotta, parmesan, eggs, lemon zest, chili flake and salt.
8. Put mixture in a pastry bag or a zip lock bag that you will cut a corner off of to pipe into the pasta.

ASSEMBLY

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

You will use a  9" circle pie dish (glass or metal works). Oil the dish with a small amount of olive oil.

1. Place about a cup of sauce on the bottom of the pan.
2. Using your spoon, cover the bottom of the dish with a thin layer.
3. Pipe each piece of paccheri with the ricotta mixture and stand them up like little soldiers in the pie tin.
4. Pack them in closely so they are touching. You don't want any holes!
5. Spoon the rest of the tomato sauce over the stuffed and standing paccheri and if you'd like (and I did!) grate some extra parmesan cheese on top. cover with tin foil and cook for 30 minutes.
6. Take off the tin foil and cook for 20 more minutes, or until the sides of the pasta get a little crispy!

Let cool for 30 minutes before serving.