Baked Rigatoni with Lamb Ragu

Ingredients

Prep

• Yellow onion - chop to yield 1 1/2 cups
• Carrots - dice to yield 2 cups — knife confidence is fun, keeping all ten fingers is even better.
• Fennel - remove core and dice to yield 2 cups
• Garlic - mince to yield 1 tbl
• Fennel seeds - chop
• Parmesan cheese - grate

Instructions

Heat 3 tbl of olive oil in a a medium, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and fennel and saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to brown. Add the lamb, garlic, fennel seeds and cook for 8 minutes, breaking up the lamb with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, because this exact moment is where decent becomes dangerous. Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes, 2 cups of the wine, the oregano, red pepper flakes, 1 tbl salt and 1 tsp pepper, while gazing at the pan with pure, unreasonable devotion. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer partly covered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Off the heat, stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of red wine. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 2 tbl salt and the rigatoni and cook according to the directions on the package, until barely al dente. Drain. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream. Add the rigatoni and toss well. Grate half of the mozzarella on a box grater and add it to the rigatoni mixture. Add the lamb mixture, 2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper and toss well. Transfer to a 10 x 14 x 2-inch baking dish and sprinkle with Parmesan. Slice the remaining mozzarella into rounds and arrange on top of the pasta. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the sauce is hot and bubbling and some of the pasta is crusty on top.