From Scratch

Mr. Knife Skills and I have spent a good part of the day working on our menus and cooking schedules for Passover and Easter. If you haven’t figured it out, he’s the Jewish half, I’m Catholic. My mom, G-d rest her, was Protestant so blended beliefs are a way of life for me. This year, Passover and Easter overlap, and Eastern Rite Orthodox Christians, whose churches still follow the Julian calendar and whose Easter always comes after Passover, will celebrate Easter with the rest of Christiandom. All seems right with the world; we’re in sync this year. But, oy, that’s a lot of cooking and much has to be done ahead.

But we still have to eat in real time and the solution was a simple, tasty dish with plenty of leftovers that are even better the next day. It’s a baked ziti that can be varied however you like; even though it uses ground beef it’s fine with ground chicken or turkey. Indeed, I’ve made it without any meat at all. I’m really not a big fan of red meat and once went two or three years without it, but that was before I became a brisket slut.

This recipe uses marinara, which I’ve almost always got, homemade, in the freezer. The world certainly won’t end if you use a good bottled sauce, such as Barilla, Bertolli or Classico. You’d probably need two jars.

You’ll also see by the recipe that Mr. KS eats meat and dairy together; he’s observant for holidays but that’s about it. As a Cafeteria Catholic, I’m much the same and so I do observe Lent and will fast on Good Friday. He’ll fast too, just as I fast with him on Yom Kippur. Yes, all is right.

Ella’s Baked Ziti

1 pound lean ground beef
1 polite handful diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced or put through a press
4-6 cups marinara (the smaller amount if meatless)
1 pound ziti
1-2 oz. approx. sliced provolone *
12 oz. sour cream
4 oz. sliced or shredded mozzarella
parmesan, grated, for topping - about 2 TB if not grating fresh
salt and pepper to taste

* I get it sliced from the deli on the thin side. I use 3 slices, staggering them over the pasta. I certainly don’t cover the whole shebang.

Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a 9×13″ baking dish.

Heat a 12″ skillet over medium heat; if using stainless steel, sprinkle a bit of salt on the bottom to help prevent any sticking. When it’s hot, add the ground beef and start to brown it. Sprinkle just a little kosher salt and grind a little pepper onto it. Toss it around, do the little salt and pepper thing again and add the diced onion. When it begins to get translucent, 1-2 minutes, add the garlic and mix well. Let it cook for about a minute, then add the marinara.

Let it simmer, stirring from time to time, while you bring a pot of water to the boil, add about 1 TB of salt to the water, and parcook the pasta. Give it about 8 minutes after the water returns to a boil. Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Layer the dish this way: 1/2 of the pasta, all of the provolone, all of the sour cream, 1/2 of the sauce, the rest of the pasta, all of the mozzarella, the rest of the sauce and then the parmesan. It will melt from view, but you’ll taste it.

Cover with foil, bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, when it will be bubbling. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

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