Penn with meatballs in the oven

Ingredients

6 servings

3 tbspextra virgin olive oil
2 largecloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 lbpancetta or bacon, coarsely chopped
214-ounce cans Italian yomatoes, chopped with juice
1/3 cupchopped flat-leaf parsley
1 lbshort dried pasta, such as penne or casareccia
1/2 lbfresh mozzarella cheese, such as bocconcini (about 4), cut into small cubes
1 cupricotta
1/3 cupfreshly grated parmesan cheese, plus 3 tablespoons extra, for the top
Meatballs
1thick slice Italian-type bread, crusts removed
1/3 cupmilk
1 lbminced veal
2 clovegarlic, finely chopped
1 largeegg, lightly beaten
1/4 cupfreshly grated parmesan cheese
3 tbspchopped flat-leaf parsley
3 tbspextra virgin olive oil

1

Prrheat oven to 400°.
2

Make the meatballs first: soak the bread in the milk until the milk has been absorbed. Squeeze the bread dry, crumble into a bowl, together with the veal, garlic, egg, parmesan and parsley. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Roll into small balls with wet hands. Heat a frying pan over high heat, add oil and when hot but not smoking, add balls and brown them on all sides, shaking the pan regularly, so they brown evenly. Set aside.
3

Combine the oil, garlic, and pancetta in a frying pan and cook over moderately low heat until the pancettanfat runs, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and parsley, bring to a boil, then simmer over moderate heat until the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Check seasoning.
4

Cook the Penn in plenty of boiling, salted water until nearly al dente. Drain, reserving a small measuring cup if the cooking water. Combine the pasta in a large bowl with the tomato sauce, the meatballs, bocconcini, ricotta and 1/3 cup of the parmesan. Add enough of the cooking liquid to keep moist.
5

Transfer to a baking dish, sprinkle with the remaining 3 tablespoons parmesan and bake for 20 minutes until the top is golden with charred peaks and the cheeses are bubbly. Serve hot.