Gather the Goods

YIELD: 4- 6 servings

1 pound Casarecci

olive oil

5 large cloves garlic, grated

1 can crushed San Marzano tomatoes

1 fresh cherry pepper, cut in half

2 1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into thirds

1 cup farmers cheese, room temperature and crumbled

Buttered Breadcrumb

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs

Make It

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Sweat 3 cloves garlic in olive oil until lightly browned and toasted, it may start to clump together (this is ok!)

3. Add the cherry pepper and let the pieces sizzle a few seconds in the oil allowing its inner aromatics to kick!

4. Pour the tomato into the pan and sprinkle salt over the top and stir to combine. Taste the sauce in the “raw stages”so you know how different the end product will be.

5. Grate two more raw garlic cloves into the sauce and stir.

6. Drizzle the sauce with about two tablespoons of olive oil and tuck the butter gently into the surface of the sauce.

7. Roast the sauce in the oven for about 1 hour until it has reduced by half. Stir occasionally to incorporate the fat!

8. In the last 15-20 minutes boil salted water for pasta! Cook the pasta until al dente, and save some of the starchy water.

9. Melt the butter over medium high heat until golden. Add the breadcrumb and toast until light brown. Set aside.

10. Coat the pasta with a little bit of sauce and a little bit of the cooking water and heat over medium high heat to create a fluid saucy emulsion.

11. Put one layer of pasta in a small casserole dish and crumble the farmers cheese over top. Then spoon another layer of pasta in the casserole dish and top with another layer of crumbled cheese.

12. Put the oven on broil and bake until the cheese is toasty (this will go quick! Like in seconds so watch carefully!)

13. Sprinkle the breadcrumb over top and eat once cooled slightly.