Ut Oh
Monday November 9, 2009
My daughter moved this past weekend and being a nice mom (if I must say so myself) I made pans of baked ziti to feed the volunteer moving team. We did a pretty good job of setting up her new kitchen the day before the real move so heating the pans wasn't a big deal... until I reached for a pot holder. She had bought really nice heavy oven mitts. They were so heavy that you couldn't really feel what you were gripping so the first pan almost landed on the floor. Once she decides what her decorating theme is going to be I know I am making her new apartment new potholders and oven mitts. Since my daughter doesn't cook, I know I will be the one doing the cooking and I would rather not have my cooking land on the floor... or get any burns.
Comments
What is Ziti? Pardon my ignorance but I am Australian and have never heard of it.
Glad you asked! It never dawned on me that other parts of the world don’t know baked ziti. It’s a great do ahead meal so all you have to do is heat and eat when it’s dinner time. I have two recipes for you to look at http://southernfood.about.com/od/pastabake/r/bl30326b.htm and http://southernfood.about.com/od/hamburgcasseroles/r/bl30326d.htm. I always make multiple pans of it when I make it and freeze some. The version I make is a combination of both of those recipes… I guess more like the second version but I add ricotta cheese to it too.
I experimented with a white sauce version this past time and it turned out great. I fired boneless chicken breast with LOTS of minced garlic, then added it to ricotta cheese (with the garlic but not the oil) and them layered ziti, white sauce (jarred) ricotta and mozzarella until I filled a pan. It was very good and the pan full disappeared. Next time I think I’ll add some chopped broccoli for a little color though.