Comfort Me Ziti Bake

Well, I've made it back to the kitchen again. (Sigh).
Tonight, I made one of Cory's favorite pasta dishes.  What is better than pasta with homemade sauce?  Pasta with two homemade sauces, of course!

Did you know that the consumption of carbohydrates, such as pasta, increases your Serotonin levels, quickly releasing the feel good chemicals in your brain?
 Did you know this is why people suffering from depression often crave these types of foods?

My Cory was a pasta girl through and through.

Pasta is also my comfort food of choice.  I don't know if I'm secretly part Italian or just clinically depressed at this point, but either way, I want to crawl into a vat of this stuff with a fork, and not come out for about three days...

(By the way ,this is totally not my recipe, it is Rachel Ray's)-
Let's get cookin'!

Here's What You Need: 

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)

1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)* If San Marzanos are not available, add a teaspoon sugar to your sauce, optional

Coarse salt

A handful fresh basil leaves, torn

1 pound ziti rigate, with ridges

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Freshly ground black pepper

A generous grating nutmeg

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese

1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 cup sliced fresh mozzarella

Crusty bread, to pass at table

Directions

Put pasta water on to boil.

In a medium sauce pot over medium heat, saute garlic in extra-virgin olive oil. Chop whole tomatoes and add them to the pan. Add crushed tomatoes and salt and simmer 10 minutes, add basil and simmer over low heat 10 minutes more.

Add salt and pasta to boiling water and cook 6 minutes, leaving pasta a little chewy.

While pasta cooks, melt butter in a small pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour, then cook 1 minute, adding salt and pepper and nutmeg to flour. Add milk and bring sauce to a bubble. Reduce 5 minutes.

Drain pasta and transfer to a large casserole dish. Pour the tomato and basil sauce over the pasta and turn to coat the pasta. Pour the bechamel over the already coated pasta. Cover the top of the pasta with Asiago, Parmesan and mozzarella. Place the casserole under hot broiler and melt the 3 cheeses until brown and bubbly, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately

 

My Commentary:

• Cory called Parmigiano-Reggiano the cheese of the gods.  She was right on with that one.  If you haven't experienced this subtle, nutty goodness, try it today...you won't be sorry.  It makes everything yummier...it's not $7-$10 a wedge for nothing, folks.  You get what you pay for.
• The San Marzano tomatoes are pricey, but they put them on sale often at Horrock's.  Stock up!  They are worth it. 
• Always salt your pasta water generously before adding the pasta...it should be salty like the sea:)  Your pasta will soak up the flavor.
• Always test your pasta to see if it's done, it should have some bite to it (al dente).  There's nothing worse than overcooked pasta.  If it's going into a baked dish like this one, you may want to pull it a couple minutes early so it holds up in the oven and doesn't get mushy.
• There is no substitute for fresh garlic...and it's good for you!

 

Till next time, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...
   
Love,
Nicole