Ziti Therapy

There are weeks in one's life that you just want to go away.  I am unfortunately having one of those.  So of course when life delivers me a real stresser I always turn to cooking to try to minimize my stress level, and in turn alleviate my heartburn, headaches, and just the overall crap that goes along with feeling like you head is going to explode. 

Cooking to me is like an old friend that is always there when you need them and gives you that escape, if just for a moment, from the complications of life.  Sorry to get too philosophical, so I'll get to the point of the post.  When I need a good pick me up, something to make me smile a bit and forget my troubles I like to cook things that remind me of better days.  For me that is usually something involving pasta, since I am pretty much always in the mood for it and it has always been a staple at my family's table.  In fact some form of pasta was always served during my family's trips and get together's, it is kind of our family mascot.....if food could be one.  So for this cooking therapy session I decided to do a baked ziti, since it is usually something that is somewhat involved, but not overly complicated, and therefore will diverge my thoughts away from the list of crap I am dealing with, but not drain my brain anymore than it already is.  In preparing this dish I decided to do a two day therapy session, preparing the sauce the night before, and assembling and baking it the next night.  So what did my two day ziti therapy give me you might ask?  Firstly, it gave me a very happy tummy, and secondly it gave me that break from life I definitely needed, and in the end the hope that things will get better.......who needs Prozac when there's ziti.


Baked Ziti With
Zucchini, Olives, and Sausage

Estimated Cook Time: 2 hours

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1lb spicy Italian sausage
1 yellow onion diced
1 carrot diced
2 cups diced zucchini (about 4 small)
2/3 cup diced olives (I like Kalamata olives
but choose what you like)
4 garlic cloves minced
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
8oz fresh mozzarella diced
1 cup cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a medium saucepan heat the olive oil over medium high heat.  Place the sausages in the pan and brown on both sides, about 3 minutes on each side.  Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook the sausages until they are cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Remove the sausages from the pan, cut into bite sized pieces, and set aside.  Pour off the excess grease and add the onion, carrot, zucchini, and garlic to the hot pan.  Cook the vegetables on medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes.  Once the vegetables are tender add the olives and diced sausage and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, salt, sugar, and pepper and simmer the sauce on medium low heat until thickened and reduced.  About 45 minutes.  After the sauce has thickened add half of the fresh basil and the butter and cook an additional 10 minutes.  As I said before, you can make the sauce the night before, and assemble the ziti the next day, which is what I did and it worked out great.

For the pasta, heat a large stockpot filled with water on medium high heat until the water comes to a full boil.  While the water is heating preheat oven to 350 degrees.  When the water reaches a full boil salt the water and add the pasta.  Cook the pasta until it is just a bit firmer than al dente, about 8 minutes.  Drain pasta and pour hot pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Add to the pasta the sauce, the mozzarella, the ricotta, half of the Parmesan, and the remaining half of the basil.  Loosely toss the ingredients together and pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.  Top with the remaining Parmesan cheese and bake until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted, about 35 minutes.

On the Cheap and Easy

So, I know I haven't posted in a few days but I really don't have any readers yet, so who's gonna notice?  But I will persevere, and I will continue to blog away, venting random foodie factoids until my little heart's content.  But I have to say, is anybody out there?  Well, on to this post.......

As a busy mother of a three year old sometimes I just want to sit my fat a$$ on the couch with a good glass of wine and really not cook an elaborate dinner, call me crazy, but sometimes everybody needs a little "Bachelor Pad" therapy (I know, I know, tacky, so very tacky).  So on those nights when I am feeling a little lazy I reach for my old standby.  This recipe got me through college, without it I would literally not be here!  Well, maybe I'd be here but considerably thinner.  I love this recipe because it's ridiculously easy, ridiculously good, ridiculously cheap and can be transformed into something even greater and more posh if your foodie heart desires it.  So anyway, on with the show!

Spaghetti with Garlic and Parmesan

1/2 lb spaghetti
4-5 garlic cloves minced
2 tablespoons good olive oil
3-4 tablespoons good salted butter (you can add more if you are a butter nut job like myself)
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (again, if you want more, go for it!)
Kosher salt
Black Pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a full rolling boil, add a small handful of kosher salt to the water (this is VERY important, it flavors the pasta.....I don't know how many times I have seen people ruin good pasta by not salting the water..... SALT THE F&*&%&& WATER PEOPLE...... I think I was slightly mean there, oh well)  Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente (8-10 minutes, but this will vary depending so many things I will not go into, so just check the pasta every few minutes).  While the pasta is cooking add the olive oil and butter to the pan and heat on medium heat until the butter has melted.  Now the addition of olive oil is important because it helps prevent the butter from browning or burning.  Add the garlic and cook until the garlic has softened, about 3 minutes.  Drain the pasta, reserving about a 1/2 cup of the pasta water.  Add the pasta to pan, remove from the heat and toss to coat the noodles.  Add the cheese and toss the pasta again, adding the pasta water to loosen the spaghetti.  Salt and pepper to taste and voila, dinner is served!!

I really like to add things to this recipe.  I have added roasted chicken and sauteed spinach.  I have also added sauteed cherry tomatoes and fresh basil.  You can add Mascarpone to make a creamy sauce, really the possibilities are endless.  This recipe to me epitomizes the essence of Italian cooking, which is essentially taking really three or four simples ingredients and creating a masterpiece.  They are literally the best at doing this, and I can safely say that it is a true art form.  The key to this art form is knowing how much of each ingredient to use but most importantly to use good quality ingredients, hence this is where the foodie comes into play.  So anyway, hopefully this recipe finds its way to you, and hopefully on those nights when you need a little "Bachelor Pad" therapy, you'll be able to enjoy it and still be able to have great food along with it.