Oven-baked Soprano-style cheese

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 300 g spare ribs, pork
• 2 sausages
• 2 can/n tomatoes, chunky
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 300 ml beef stock
• 3 cloves garlic
• 6 basil leaves or 1 level tsp dried
• 500 g minced meat, mixed
• 10 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1 clove(s) garlic, very finely chopped
• 4 tbsp Pecorino or Parmesan, grated
• 3 tsp parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 350 g pasta (ziti)
• 150 g Pecorino or Parmesan, grated
• 50 g ricotta or cream cheese

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours 5 minutes; Total time approx. 4 hours 5 minutes

a pasta casserole based on an American recipe from the Sopranos family cookbook

Wash the spare ribs, preferably baby ribs, pat dry, and cut into individual ribs. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When hot enough, add the spare ribs and fry for about 15 minutes until browned on all sides. Peel the garlic. Remove the spare ribs and add the sausage, fry, and remove. Reduce the heat if necessary and add the garlic for about 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove and discard. Add the tomato paste to the pan and fry lightly until it begins to settle slightly on the side of the pan and turns light brown, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Deglaze with the tomatoes and beef stock. Bring to a boil once and then reduce the heat considerably. Add the basil leaves. Add the ribs and sausage and simmer with the lid halfway open for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove the ribs and sausage and set aside for another dish, or perhaps eat with some white bread and salad. For the meatballs, lightly dust a large board with breadcrumbs or flour. Chop the parsley and 1 garlic clove as finely as possible. In a large bowl, add the ground beef, about 10 tablespoons of breadcrumbs, 2 eggs, 4 tablespoons of grated pecorino, 3 teaspoons of parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper, and knead thoroughly with your hands until smooth. If the consistency is a bit too soft, add more breadcrumbs and mix well again. With slightly wet fingers, form small meatballs about 1.5 – 2 cm in diameter and place them on the prepared board. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and add the balls, turning frequently and frying until crispy. They don’t need to be completely cooked through on the inside at this point. Add the meatballs to the sauce in a large pot and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Cook the ziti according to the package instructions until al dente and drain. If some cooking water remains in the tubes, that’s fine. Preheat the oven to 220°C. In a large baking dish, combine half of the cooked ziti with half of the meatball sauce. Spread the ricotta over the meatballs and cover with half of the pecorino. Top with the remaining pasta and the remaining sauce and meatballs. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and cover the dish with aluminum foil. Cover and bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and let it gratinate for 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy.