I decided that since I was in New Jersey, I should probably get in touch with the Italian inside and make Baked Ziti. Let me just say, best decision I've made in a long time.
Whenever I make a new recipe, Gilbert and I always decide if it fits into 1 of 4 categories. 1) OHH MY GOD, I want to make this at least once every week!; 2) This is good, I would totally make it again; 3) It wasn't my favorite, it was edible; and 4) That was terrible, I can't finish it. I am happy to say that I've never actually made anything that fit into the latter category.
Anywho.... the Baked Ziti definitely fit into category 1. Gilbert's response was something like "okay, you have to make that next week and whenever we have company!"
This was supposed to be a skillet dinner from Cooks Illustrated..... As you can see in the picture above, I did not make this in a skillet. I don't know if there is something odd about my all of my skillets, but none of them were big enough to hold the ziti. So, I ended up switching to my trusty dutch oven halfway through. I'm also embarrassed to say that there was a point while making this recipe that I actually doubted America's Test Kitchen. Between the amount of liquid in the tomatoes and the 3 cups water it tells you to use, it just seemed like too much. I thought for sure it was going to be a soupy-tasteless mess. I've never been more willing to say, I WAS WRONG. Luckily, I didn't follow my, very incorrect, gut and try to add less water than it called for.
Ingredients:
1 (28-oz) can Whole Peeled Tomatoes
1 lb. Sweet or Hot Italian Sausage, casings removed (I used sweet)
6 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Salt and Pepper
3 Cups Water
12 oz Ziti (3 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1 oz Parmesan Cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup Fresh Basil, chopped
4 oz Whole-Milk Mozzarella Cheese, shredded (1 cup)
Directions:
1) Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Pulse tomatoes and their juice in food processor until coarsely ground and no large pieces remain, about 12 pulses. (Unfortunately for me I don't own a food processor, but my blender did the job splendidly.)
2) Cook sausage in 12-inch ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat, breaking apart meat until lightly browned and no longer pink, 3-5 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and continue to cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in processed tomatoes and 1/2 tsp salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes no longer taste raw, about 10 minutes.
3) Stir in water, then add pasta. Cover, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat to maintain vigorous simmer, until pasta is tender, 15-18 minutes.
4) Stir in cream, Parmesan and basil; season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over top. Bake until cheese has melted and browned, 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately.
UPDATE: In the NH vs. NJ contest, we have another NJ win! Being able to go to a bakery and buy amazing garlic bread is a wonderful thing.
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| Baked Ziti |
Anywho.... the Baked Ziti definitely fit into category 1. Gilbert's response was something like "okay, you have to make that next week and whenever we have company!"
This was supposed to be a skillet dinner from Cooks Illustrated..... As you can see in the picture above, I did not make this in a skillet. I don't know if there is something odd about my all of my skillets, but none of them were big enough to hold the ziti. So, I ended up switching to my trusty dutch oven halfway through. I'm also embarrassed to say that there was a point while making this recipe that I actually doubted America's Test Kitchen. Between the amount of liquid in the tomatoes and the 3 cups water it tells you to use, it just seemed like too much. I thought for sure it was going to be a soupy-tasteless mess. I've never been more willing to say, I WAS WRONG. Luckily, I didn't follow my, very incorrect, gut and try to add less water than it called for.
Ingredients:
1 (28-oz) can Whole Peeled Tomatoes
1 lb. Sweet or Hot Italian Sausage, casings removed (I used sweet)
6 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Salt and Pepper
3 Cups Water
12 oz Ziti (3 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1 oz Parmesan Cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup Fresh Basil, chopped
4 oz Whole-Milk Mozzarella Cheese, shredded (1 cup)
Directions:
1) Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Pulse tomatoes and their juice in food processor until coarsely ground and no large pieces remain, about 12 pulses. (Unfortunately for me I don't own a food processor, but my blender did the job splendidly.)
2) Cook sausage in 12-inch ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat, breaking apart meat until lightly browned and no longer pink, 3-5 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and continue to cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in processed tomatoes and 1/2 tsp salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes no longer taste raw, about 10 minutes.
3) Stir in water, then add pasta. Cover, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat to maintain vigorous simmer, until pasta is tender, 15-18 minutes.
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| Baked Ziti is Served! |
4) Stir in cream, Parmesan and basil; season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over top. Bake until cheese has melted and browned, 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately.
UPDATE: In the NH vs. NJ contest, we have another NJ win! Being able to go to a bakery and buy amazing garlic bread is a wonderful thing.
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