This recipe gives the humble pasta bake a sexy makeover through the addition of vodka, an interesting pasta shape and the very generous sprinkling of the best Grana Padano you can get your hands on. This is ideal home cooking for large groups – easy to prepare (the sauce can be made in advance) and perfectly accompanied by simply dressed salad leaves, some crusty bread to tear apart and mop up the sauce, and a big glass of something red and delicious.
Other short pasta shapes also work well, however there is nothing quite like the sauce “catchability” of pipe rigate.
Go heavy on the cheese and take the caramelisation as far as you dare – some black crunchy bits are what this is all about. If your oven is struggling to get the top well caramelised, switch over to the grill setting for a couple of minutes at the end, keeping a close eye on it. If you serve a salad on the side make sure it has a good hit of vinegar (I love a good red wine vinegar) as a counterpoint to the richness o
