No Ordinary Baked Ziti

Baked Ziti.  A simple hotdish familiar to many American households, but its tastiness can vary greatly and tend towards mediocrity.  

This version hails from a Cooks Illustrated article. The America's Test Kitchen team takes recipes and re-hashes them usually 50+ different ways to find, what they deem, the perfect recipe.  Their recipes tend to be reliably delicious, but also obnoxiously complicated or tediously long.  But always amazing! And this is no different. 

Their strategy for Baked Ziti involves using cottage cheese, to make for flavory, pillowy cheese pieces, rather than ricotta, which when stirred in, can turn grainy and tasteless.  Another method is to use chunks of mozzarella, rather than shredded, so there are pockets of melty cheese.  Then for the sauce, they make a red sauce and alfredo, for a richer flavor than just red sauce alone.

So when you're in the mood to do more than throw noodles, jarred pasta sauce and mozzarella in a pan and bake it to death, this is the recipe for you.  Its involved, but the end product is gooey cheese, correctly-cooked noodles, yummy sauce.  

So here are the usual suspects, plus a few others.

Grate 1.5 c parmesan.

Lightly beat 2 eggs.

Whisk eggs, cottage cheese and 1 c Parmesan together, then set aside for later.

Boil water in large dutch oven.

Boils faster with a lid!
I find it funny, the recipe says to add 1 Tbsp salt and pasta together, rather than salting the water first, which people do to make it boil faster--huh.

While your water's boiling, mince or garlic press 5-ish garlic cloves.

When I use my press, I end up with a big chunk of the garlic skin after pressing each clove, but I just throw it in with the rest and haven't noticed a difference.

Chop the basil; I just used the entire small container of basil I bought, because any time I save a a few leaves of fresh herbs, they just go bad in my produce drawer!  The amounts came out about the same, I decided.

Water is boiling!
Add 1 Tbsp salt.

Then 1 lb Ziti or other short, tubular pasta and cook until just al dente, 5-7 min.
I cooked mine closer to 7 min, and the noodles seemed a little over done in the end, so don't be afraid to leave them firm--the dish bakes an hour in the oven, so it takes care of any remotely crunchy noodles!

Drain in colander and set aside.
Do not rinse out dutch oven.
We'll use it for another sauce in a bit, and leaving the pasta water residue helps it thicken.
That's never a problem for me,  I never think to "do dishes as I go".

In large skillet, heat olive oil and garlic for 2 min, to soften but not brown the garlic.

While garlic and oil are heating, prepare these guys:
1 tsp oregano
28 oz can tomato sauce (or 2 (15 oz) cans)
14.5 oz can diced tomatos

Stir in.

Bring to a simmer, then simmer for about 10 min, until thickens.

If you have a splatter screen, now's the time to break it out.
Especially if you have a white stove.

While sauce is simmering, gather 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 c chopped basil.

When 10 min are up, add sugar and basil.

Salt and pepper to taste.
I over-salted, and then burned my tongue trying to taste it.
Remember this was simmering just a minute ago and taste with discretion.
Remove from heat and set aside.

Now for the other sauce.
Combine 1 c heavy cream and 3/4 tsp cornstarch in bowl
Or if using whole milk, increase cornstarch to 2 tsp and simmer 2 extra minutes later on.

If you, too, have a *helper*, let her/him keep stirring while you work on the next steps.
It also entertains the baby!

Chop the cheese!
That sounds like a euphemism.

There is a really great brand that carries Whole Milk Mozzarella, that slips my mind, but its located on the top shelf of the regular cheese section at Cub.  I used regular part-skim mozzarella, and it was fine, but not as awesome and melty as whole-milk mozz.

Recover cream/cornstarch mixture from said *helper* and bring to a simmer in unclean Dutch oven.
Simmer 3-4 min, until thickened.

Meanwhile gather the cottage cheese mixture, half the chopped mozzarella (3/4 c) and 1 c tomato sauce.

Remove cream mixture from heat and add cottage cheese mixture, mozz and sauce.

Stir to combine.
Mmm boy.

Pour into 9x13 pan.

Pour tomato sauce over pasta.
Then dot with remaining mozzarella.
Sprinkle remaining parmesan.

Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees x 30 min.

Remove foil and continue to bake another 30 min, until bubbling and cheese begins to brown.

Cool 20 min, or not.

Eat. 

And love those pillowy pockets of cheese!

Baked Ziti

Serves 8-10

1 lb whole milk or 1% cottage cheese
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
3 oz grated Parmesan cheese (about 1.5 c)
Table salt
1 lb Ziti or other short, tubular pasta
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
5 med garlic cloves, minced or pressed (about 5 tsp)
1 (28 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup pus 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tsp sugar
Ground black pepper
3/4 tsp corn starch
1 c heavy cream (or if whole milk, increase corn starch to 2 tsp and cook 1-2 min longer)
8 oz whole milk mozzarella, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk cottage cheese, eggs and 1 cup Parmesan together in medium bowl; set aside.
Bring 4 qts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat.
Stir in 1 Tbsp salt and pasta; cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta just softens, 5-7 min.
Drain pasta and leave in colander; do not wash Dutch oven.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil and garlic in 12-inch skillet ove rmed heat until garlic is fragrant, but not brown, about 2 min.
Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and oregano; simmer until thickened, about 10 min.
Off heat, stir in 1/2 c basil and sugar, then season with salt and pepper.

3. Stir cornstarch into heavy cream in small bowl; transfer mixture to now-empty Dutch oven.
Bring to simmer over med heat; cook until thickened, 3-4 min, then remove from heat.
Add cottage cheese mixture, 1 c tomato sauce and 3/4 c mozzarella; stir to combine.
Add pasta and stir to coat thoroughly with sauce.

4. Transfer pasta mixture to 9x13 baking dish and spread remaining tomato sauce over pasta.
Sprinkle remaining 3/4 c mozzarella and remaining 1/2 c Parmesan over top.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 min.
Remove foil and bake 30 min longer, until bubbling and cheese beginning to brown.
Cool for 20 min.
Sprinkle with remaining 2 tbsp basil and serve.

Mama Mia, Ole!

Mexican Stuffed Shells.  

Its like the Midwestern attempt at Fusion Cuisine, because its basically Chicken Enchiladas in pasta shells rather than tortillas.  

And, boy-oh-boy, is it tasty!

Yes, that's 3 blocks of cream cheese.

Now the recipe does make 2 (9x13) pans worth, however I used Neufchatel cheese instead; 1/3 less fat and when there's so much of it, I don't notice a difference.

  

I've been experimenting with substituting it in cooking recipes, but when it comes to baking, it may be more noticeable.  The biggest thing for me is texture, and that's what I like about Neufchatel cheese, is that it has the same texture as cream cheese in cooking, so far, when many low-fat dairy products are runnier/thinner and have an added zing! of flavor to distract you from the lack of creaminess.

So, Neufchatel. I said it again.

Salt water and bring to a boil in a large pot.

Meanwhile, feed the hungry baby, if applicable.  Until he looks like this!

Boil shells until just al dente, according to instructions on the box.

Drain and forget about them for awhile.

Chop 1/2 of 3 different colored peppers, 6 green onions and chicken. 

Yeah, that's obnoxious, but the different colors look pretty--so really, whatever amount of whatever peppers you want.

Combine in bowl with cumin and black beans.

In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese, chicken broth and canned tomatoes with chiles and stir until well-blended. 

(I used 2 cans diced tomatos and 1 can green chiles).

In retrospect I would say to do this in a saucepan on the stove or microwave-safe bowl, because you really have to heat the cream cheese to get it to combine with the tomatoes and not be just little chunks.

Still some chunks of cream cheese, but good enough.

Add chicken mixture to cream cheese mixture.

Spread 1/3 c salsa into bottom of each pan.

Stuff shells with chicken mixture and place in pan.  

There will be leftover filling, so stuff generously.

Now for the finishing touches...

If your cheese has been compromised by a family  member, trim the offending piece and shred the rest.

Pour remaining 1/3 c or so of salsa over the shells.

Top with cheese.

Bake one and freeze the other. [unless your crowd is really hungry]

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 min, until hot and bubbly.
If cooking from frozen, thaw in fridge 24 hrs and probably bake covered for 1 hr or so, until hot and bubbly.

Dig in!

This dish is fantastic, like a dairy explosion in your mouth! I bet you could reduce from 3 to 2 blocks of cream cheese and not even notice the difference.

One thing that stood out was that the peppers were still pretty crunchy, which Brett prefers, so good for our household, but its not what one would expect from a "casserole".  I think you could bake it for an hour and take care of that, or sautee the peppers and onions prior, just to soften, then that could give it a seared flavor.  Like eating fajita veggies, in which case I would change the name to Chicken Fajita Stuffed Shells.


Mexican Chicken Stuffed Shells
by Glenda Emree

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken breast, cooked and chopped
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 6 green onions, diced
• 1/2 each of red, green, yellow, & orange bell peppers (or 2 whole bell peppers of your choice), diced
• 3 (8 oz.) blocks cream cheese, softened (not melted)
• 2 cans diced tomatoes with chiles (don’t drain) (Rotel or store brand, either works)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup of picante sauce
• 38 large pasta shells, cooked al dente

Instructions

1. Cook pasta shells in well salted, boiling water until al dente (still have a little bite to them) If you cook them too long, they will be difficult to stuff, plus they will have additional cooking time, once they are stuffed. Drain the pasta and set aside while you make the filling.
2. Cook, drain and dice enough chicken breast to make 4 cups. I always have homemade chicken stock and pre-cooked diced chicken bagged in my freezer. You could use canned chicken broth if you prefer.
3. To make the filling, mix diced chicken, drained black beans, green onions, diced peppers, and cumin in a large mixing bowl. Thoroughly incorporate all the ingredients.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese, chicken stock and undrained tomatoes with chiles. When thoroughly combined, pour it over the chicken mixture and mix well. (If you have trouble incorporating the cream cheese and tomatoes, you can heat it slightly in the microwave.)
5. Spread 3/4 c. picante sauce in the bottom of a large baking pan. (I used 13x18x2, but I’m guessing that two 9×13′s would also work.) Reserve the final 1/4 cup, for later.
6. Using a spoon, or your fingers, fill each of your cooked and cooled pasta shells, setting them into the picante covered pan. Continue until all shells are filled and arranged in the pan.
7. When the pan is full, drizzle the shells with the remaining 1/4 cup of picante and then sprinkle with the shredded cheddar cheese.
8. Cover the baking pan tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.