Recipes by Ben Gazzara: Agnellino al Forno; Meatless Rigatoni

Ben Gazzara's Agnellino al Forno

1 leg of baby lamb
2 small cloves of garlic
Several springs of oregano (or dried oregano)
Lemon pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Juice of one lemon
1/3 cup olive oil

Make incisions in meat, insert slivers of garlic and sprigs of fresh oregano (or dried herb). Rub outside with cut lemon, salt and pepper.

Put lamb in shallow pan. Combine lemon juice with olive oil; pour over lamb. Cover, marinate several hours, turning several times.

Drain meat, reserving marinade. Place meat, fat side up, in roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer. Roast in preheated 300 degree oven until thermometer registers 170 degrees. Baste often with marinade. Serve with green vegetable, wedges of olive-browned potatoes and watercress salad. Serves 3.

Thoughts: Baby lamb is difficult to obtain but can best be purchased in an Italian butcher shop. The average leg roast will weigh about 3 pounds. Otherwise, select a small (about 5-pound) leg, allowing about 3 hours roasting time for rare meat.

Ben Gazzara's Meatless Rigatoni

For the three-hour sauce:
One 12 oz. can Italian tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
About 1 cup water
2 cloves pressed garlic
1 large yellow onion, chopped
A few sprigs Italian parsley, minced
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 large bay leaf
Pinch of sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in large saucepan. Simmer uncovered about 1 1/2 hours, stir occasionally to prevent burning. Remove from fire, strain, discarding seeds. Return to fire, simmer 1 1/2 hours longer until desired thickness. Add water during cooking time as needed. Correct seasonings.

For the rigatoni:
1/2 pound pkg. rigatoni
15 ounces ricotta (or cottage) cheese
Handful of Italian parsley, minced
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 pound pkg. Mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

While sauce simmers, cook rigatoni according to package instructions; drain well. Combine remaining ingredients except Mozzarella cheese, season to taste. Line shallow casserole with aluminum foil, spoon a few tablespoons of sauce in bottom of casserole. Arrange layer of cooked rigatoni; spread with layer of ricotta, a layer of sauce, ending with layer of Mozzarella cheese. Repeat until all the ingredients have been used ending with Mozzarella cheese layer. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven 30 minutes. Uncover, bake 15 minutes longer or until Mozzarella cheese is melted and browned. Serves 6.