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Spicy Piri Piri Rigatoni Covered in Fresh Mozzarella

Source: Power House Production / CLEO TV

Ingredients

  • Spicy Piri Piri Rigatoni Covered in Fresh Mozzarella
  • ¼ cup olive oil, divided
  • 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 5 sprigs thyme
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 medium onion, medium dice
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced ginger
  • 10-15 Bird's eye chilies
  • 2 ½ cups fresh tomato, roughly chopped
  • 3 tablespoons tomato puree
  • Juice of 1 orange
  • Kosher salt
  • Cracked black pepper
  • 1 pound rigatoni
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced
  • .

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large pot over medium high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the garlic, thyme, and dried oregano, and cook for 2 minutes. The garlic and thyme are going to infuse flavor into the oil this way. Add the onion and ginger and allow the onions to start sweating down for about 2-3 minutes. Add the Bird's eye chilies (more or less depending on your heat preferences), fresh tomatoes, tomato puree, fresh orange juice, and season with salt and pepper. Put a lid on the pot and continue to cook the sauce until it thickens and the tomato breaks down about 15- 20 minutes. Once the sauce has cooked down, remove the thyme stems and gently pour it into a prepared blender. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and carefully puree the hot sauce until smooth. Pour the sauce back into the pot and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your rigatoni pasta until al dente (according to the box). Using a slotted spoon, remove the pasta into the pot of sauce. It’s ok if some of the pasta water gets into the sauce, it will add extra starch! Stir the sauce into the pasta. Pour the pasta into a prepared 9 inch cast iron pan and top with parmesan cheese and fresh mozzarella slices. Place the cast iron onto a foil lined sheet pan in case the saue bubbles over. Bake the pasta just until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly. Remove, cool slightly, and serve.