America’s Test Kitchen

I have subscribed to Cook’s Illustrated for just over a year (thanks Mom!), but I’ve been reading it even longer.  Grandma glass of milk is an avid fan of the magazines (both Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country) and the show.  So each month, I’ve read their tips and tricks, and paged through their offerings.  But I’ve never made any of their recipes.  I was scared.

America’s Test Kitchen is like the Consumer Reports of cooking.  The masterminds over there try making the same dish a zillion ways until they find the specific process necessary for making, say, Osso Buco, the best it can be.  Said process often involves seemingly tedious steps, though the authors/producers/hosts/whomevers swear all will be worth it upon first bite.

So, being the weeknight, at-home cook that I am, I was content to leaf through each issue when it arrived in my mailbox, never making the time to commit to an actual recipe.  They sounded way too labor-intensive for me.  Then my dear aunt gave me The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook.  And I bit the bullet.

My choice was quite possibly the easiest dish in the book.  It was in the “easy skillet suppers” chapter: baked ziti.  I have never enjoyed baked ziti in the slightest (it always tastes so blah) so I don’t know what came over me that Thursday evening, except to tell you I had cream and mozzarella to use up, we hadn’t had anything tomato-pasta-y that week, and it looked doable.   I had been successful in turning a typically bland casserole supper into something truly wonderful earlier in the week and here was another chance to do the same.

As it came together, I had my doubts.  It seemed soupy and I couldn’t picture how 6 minced cloves of garlic and 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes would create a balance of flavors.  I was ready for a meal that tasted like you ordered it at some big “Italian” chain restaurant.

Ha.  Surely by now you’ve figured out this was one of the best pasta casseroles I have ever eaten.  And I’ve eaten my fair share.  I have officially declared it the baked ziti that made me like baked ziti.  The garlic gives the tomato sauce a nice base, while the pinch of red pepper flakes adds a hint of heat.  The cream makes you want to savor each and every bite.

And in the end, with a sprinkling of fresh basil, you’ve got yourself a casserole with a pretty sleek tomato sauce.  It’s really something special.

I used the smoked mozzarella we had leftover from my husband’s Valentine cooking endeavors, which gave the ziti a new and different feel.  I’m no connoisseur of smoked foods though, so to me,  smoked mozzarella makes whatever you’re eating taste a little bit like bacon.  No complaints there.  The only other change I made was using penne instead of ziti, as I can’t handle short-cut pasta without ridges.  I won’t expound.  I have no doubt you’d find my pasta preferences frighteningly incomprehensible.  Instead I will tell you that this is a dish for which you do not boil the pasta separately first.  You cook it in a tomato-water mixture right in the skillet.  I’ve done that once before; it’s fun and fascinating.  Go to it.

To make the Baked Ziti That Made Me Like Baked Ziti, you will need:

• 1 T olive oil
• 6 medium garlic cloves, minced (sounds like a lot, I know, but don’t skimp)
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• Table salt
• 1, 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 3 C water
• 12 oz. ziti or penne pasta
• 1/2 C heavy cream
• 1 oz. (about 1/2 C) grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 C minced fresh basil leaves
• Ground black pepper
• 4 oz. (about 1 C) whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (I used smoked)

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 475 degrees.

Heat the oil in a 12 inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  I used a skillet with higher sides, because you’re going to be adding some serious liquid in just a minute.  Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, an 1/2 tsp. salt and saute about 1 minute.  Add the crushed tomatoes, water, pasta and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Cover, and cook, stirring often, and adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a vigorous simmer, until the ziti is almost tender, 15-18 minutes (I would be grateful if you, like me, also wonder how you can stir something often when it is covered.  I just kept popping the lid on and off.)

Stir in the cream, Parmesan and basil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the ziti.  Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the cheese has melted and browned, about 10 minutes.  Using your best potholders to remove the skillet from the oven, and serve big platefuls all around.

Does anyone know how to photograph a serving of a casserole and make it look appetizing?