Ann Heller became the first restaurant critic for The Journal Herald in 1975 and added writing food stories for that paper in 1977. The Journal was merged with the Dayton Daily News, where she remained restaurant critic and food editor until 2006. During that time, she tested and shared hundreds upon hundreds of recipes with our readers. Now we want to share them with a new generation every week on our subscriber website, MyDaytonDailyNews.com.
If you’re hungering for the taste of pizza but don’t want to go out, there’s an easy alternative — pasta alla pizzaiola.
The Neapolitan sauce, made with tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, onions and seasoned with oregano, has the pizza taste. And you can improvise, adding your favorite pizza ingredients — green peppers or mushrooms.
PASTA PIZZAIOLA
Makes 4 servings
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped*
1 teaspoon oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces rotini or any comparable pasta shape
6 ounces grated mozzarella
2 ounces pepperoni, slivered
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
In medium-size pan, saute the onion in the oil until it softens. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add the chopped tomatoes, oregano, salt to taste and 6-8 grinds of pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the excess moisture evaporates.
Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a large pot, add 2 teaspoons salt, and then add the pasta. Cook until it is al dente; just firm to the bite. Drain and return to the pot.
Toss immediately with a little olive oil and mix in the tomato sauce, pepperoni and half the mozzarella cheese.
Pour the mixture into a baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Sprinkle with additional oregano and freshly grated Parmesan cheese and bake in a 400-degree oven for 10 minutes or until bubbling.
*When tomatoes are out of season, use a 14-ounce can of drained Italian plum tomatoes.
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