Our obsesssion with baked ziti stems from every gangster movie we’ve ever watched, and seeing slices of crispy NYC pizza topped with the stuff.
So when Mother Nature lost her effing mind this week, plunging us into a deep-freeze, we knew it was ziti time.
Only we couldn’t decide which of our two hoarded baked ziti recipes to try. So we combined them AND IT WAS FREAKING FANTASTIC. A bit of a Bittman/Rachael Ray mashup — Bittman’s simple tomato sauce and sausage with Ray’s rich bechamel nestled on top. It was the perfect mix of red and white sauce.
We did make use of some chopped celery and carrot we had lying around, and a splash of red wine was a good excuse for opening yet another bottle…
We love how simple this is. No ricotta or eggs necessary. The secrets here are easy: undercook the pasta, and use cubes or curds of cheese in the middle so you get surprise pockets of molten cheese.
BAKED ZITI
Time: about an hour
Salt and pepper
1 pound Italian sausage, preferably bulk or ground meat of any type, or a combination
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic, optional
1 28-ounce can tomatoes, chopped, with liquid (we’re going to try adding a half a cup tomato sauce to make it clingier, although the sauce was great as is.)
1 pound ziti or other large cut pasta
1 pound mozzarella, grated and chopped
Olive oil or butter as needed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
—
White Sauce (although we halved this amount for calories’ sake.)
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
Freshly grated nutmeg
Bring large pot of water to boil; salt it. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Distribute meat in large skillet over medium high heat and cook, undisturbed, until browned on one side, about 5 minutes. Stir, cook another 2 minutes undisturbed, then add the onion and garlic, if using. Lower heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft; add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer while cooking pasta, stirring and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste; do not let sauce become too thick.
Once you have the red sauce working, make the white sauce: Place a medium-size saucepot over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the flour, stir to combine and cook for about a minute. Whisk in the milk, add the bay leaf and season with some salt, pepper and a couple of grates of nutmeg. Bring up to a bubble, turn the heat down to low and gently simmer, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
Cook pasta until just tender; it should still be too hard to eat. Drain it (do not shake the colander; allow some water to cling to the noodles) and toss it with the sauce and half the mozzarella. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and spoon mixture into it.
Top with the white sauce. Sprinkle the mozzarella and grated Parmigiano over the top, transfer to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until top is browned and cheese bubbly, 20 to 30 minutes.
Yield: 6 servings.
If you’re looking for Grey Cup party recipes, you’ve come to the right place. We blush with pride to claim a super yummy collection of football party classics.
Football food is not fancy, it’s deliciously unpretentious.
Chorizo takes seven-layer dip to new heights. Chicken wing dip is a crowd pleaser. And brownies with salted peanuts and pretzels are the way to go.
DECONSTRUCTED BUFFALO CHICKEN WING DIP We see a number of similar recipes online calling for additions of, gulp, ranch dressing. What on earth is wrong with you people?
This recipe is best at its simplest.
Bake in the oven until bubbling or keep warm in a small slow cooker.
(we like Frank’s Redhot Buffalo Wing flavour sauce)
1/2 cup (125 mL) blue cheese salad dressing (start with less)
1/2 cup (125 mL) grated cheese (jack, cheddar, or if you like things nippy, blue cheese crumbles)
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Combine all ingredients and mix well. Spoon mixture into an oven proof casserole or small baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbling in the centre.
Serve with celery fans (To make them, fill a bowl halfway with very cold water. Cut the celery stalks into 2-inch pieces. Using a small knife, slice half of each piece into slivers and then put it into the bowl of water. After a few minutes, the cut ends will curl into fans. Drain on paper towels before serving), carrot sticks and chips or crackers.
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into pieces and softened
½ cup freshly shredded white Cheddar cheese
¼ cup crumbled blue cheese
1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped chives, or to taste
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In an 8-inch cast-iron or ovenproof skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and hot sauce and simmer until the sauce has thickened and reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes.
Turn off the heat, then stir in the lemon juice, sour cream and cream cheese until combined. Sprinkle the Cheddar cheese over the top.
Bake until bubbling around the edges and the cheese has melted, about 10 minutes. If you’d like the top to get browned, run it under the broiler for a minute or two.
Immediately garnish with blue cheese and chives. Serve with chips, bread or vegetables for dipping.
SEVEN LAYER DIP A classic layered Tex-Mex dip with a twist: savory crumbled chorizo is nestled inside creamy layers of refried beans, sour cream, salsa, grated cheese, green onions, guacamole.
A glass pie plate or baking dish lets the different layers show through, but any high-sided pan or platter will do.
1 lb (500 g) chorizo sausage
can of refried beans
1 cup (250 mL) of sour cream
1/2 cup (125 mL) or more of salsa
1½ cups (375 mL) shredded cheese
3 ripe avocados, pitted and mashed with salt and lime juice (or your own or store-bought guacamole)
3 green onions, chopped
Squeeze chorizo out of its casing and fry in a large skillet on medium heat until cooked, breaking up any chunks as you go.
To assemble: layer refried beans on the bottom of a pan or platter. Next, add sour cream, salsa, cooled chorizo, shredded cheese, guacamole and green onions.
Chill until ready to serve.
______________________________________________________ HAIL MARY BROWNIES
1 cup (250 mL) sugar
1/4 cup (50 mL) vegetable oil
eggs 1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
2 tbsp (25 mL) butter, softened
6 tbsp (100 mL) cocoa powder
2/3 cup (150 mL) flour
For topping:
1/2 cup (125 mL) roasted salted peanuts
1/2 cup (125 mL) pretzels
1/4 cup (50 mL) agave
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
Using an electric mixer, combine sugar and oil thoroughly. Add eggs and beat until creamy. Add vanilla, salt and butter and mix thoroughly.
Now, by hand, stir sifted cocoa and flour into mixture.
Pour brownie batter into greased or parchment paper lined 8-inch by 8-inch (20-cm by 20-cm) cake pan.
In a separate bowl, mix peanuts and pretzels with agave to bind. Spoon mixture evenly over brownie batter.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick pressed into the centre comes out clean.
Grey Cup is just around the corner and so is party time.
For first-time entertainers, Grey Cup is the perfect party. It’s affordable, it’s casual and it has built-in entertainment.
And of course, good Grey Cup parties have deliciously unpretentious snacks.
This is no time for complicated, fancy food. It’s not a tasting party. Leave those fussy ramekins in the cupboard. Football party foul. No tapas, no gazpacho soup shooters.
This is hand-to-mouth combat. Fans are going to be transfixed, watching the game unfold on TV and shovelling great gobs of food into gaping mouths without taking their eye off the blitz.
Football is the focal point — no one’s going to notice your radish roses or carrot curls.
The entire spread can be cooked the day before, allowing the host to stay out of the kitchen and take in the game. It’s an all-day party, so plan on people grazing for hours. And keep plenty of tasty nibbles within reach.
When it comes to classic game day snacks, we think of chicken wings and guacamole. This year, we’re putting a twist on those two crowd favourites by turning them into dips.
Buffalo-style chicken wings are easily deconstructed into a creamy dip — an Internet sensation that begs to be scooped up with celery and carrot sticks.
To get our guac on, a classic seven-layer dip has a hidden layer of savoury chorizo sausage between luscious layers of guacamole, refried beans, sour cream, salsa, cheese and green onions.
Paired with ice-cold beer, the dips have it.
If you’ve a crowd to feed, the most valuable player for any football party is a bubbling pot of your famous chili. Or try offering a mouth-watering roast beef for a gourmet sandwich bar: guests can serve themselves.
You can get away with either theme year after year by updating quality condiments. Lime sour cream for topping chili this year, orange chipotle the next.
The same goes for a roast beef sandwich bar. Offer a few luxurious spreads such as garlicky horseradish aioli or cranberry onion jam. Add some pillowy rolls and a selection of fall pickles on the side.
Place the buffet line a good distance away from the TV action. The key to any great Grey Cup party is to create two distinct television zones: one for serious game watchers, and another set closer to the food for Chatty Cathies. You know who you are.
After halftime, something’s got to give. Time to get the coffee on and roll out these Hail Mary Brownies: luscious chocolate squares with a sweet and salty pretzel and peanut topping. It will be a game day party to remember.
It came from the trusted pages of our family’s favourite cookbook. And it sounded so promising:
“Rally round the chafing dish!”
The recipe for tender meatballs glistening under a coating of sweet grape jelly and chili sauce was sure to be delicious. And somehow, despite the hype, we were disappointed by the pedestrian (to us), warm ketchupy flavours.
But all is not lost.
Jelly Balls will live on, but under the guise of a sweet and sour jellied cranberry sauce.
Also, a cola and barbecue sauce mix might make a great game day treat.
Yes, Grey Cup is two weeks away, and we’re always packing our arsenal of party recipes. What are your favourite Grey Cup goodies?
CRANBERRY GLAZED MEATBALLS Recipe from President’s Choice Insider’s Guide
1 pkg (850 g) PC® Turkey Meatballs
2 cans (each 350 g) no name Jellied Cranberry Sauce
¼ cup (50 mL) PC® Soya Sauce
2 tbsp (25 mL) Red wine vinegar
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
Spread meatball on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes. Turn meatballs and continue cooking 6 to 8 minutes or until cooked through.
In saucepan, heat cranberry sauce, soya sauce and vinegar over medium heat, stirring occasionally, or until boiling and smooth. Set aside.
In large bowl, combine meatballs and sauce. Transfer to slow cooker. Set it to low to hold warm for up to 1 hour. Serve with decorative toothpicks.
________________________________ COLA GLAZED MEATBALLS Recipe from President’s Choice Insider’s Guide
1 cup (250 mL) PC® Cola
1 cup (250 mL) PC® Gourmet BBQ Sauce
1 box (907 g) PC® Swedish Beef Meatballs
In large saucepan, stir together cola and barbecue sauce. Add frozen meatballs. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 17 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Transfer the cooked meatballs to a medium-sized slow cooker turned to low to hold warm. Serve with toothpicks
_________________________________
The old school inspiration:
JELLY BALLS Best of Bridge Winners
1 lb. (500 g.) lean ground beef
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
3 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Chili Grape Sauce
12 oz. (341 ml) bottle chili sauce
10 oz. (284 ml) jar grape jelly
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
Mix ground beef with egg, bread crumbs, parsley, onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Roll into balls 1″ in diameter. Heat chili sauce, jelly, lemon juice, brown sugar and soy sauce in a large pot. Bring to a boil and add uncooked meatballs. Simmer meatballs in sauce for 30 minutes. Serve in a chafing dish. Makes about 50 balls. Freezes well.
Cook’s Illustrated
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
2½ cups apricot preserves
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
It’s a great tradition… watching films back-to-back at the wonderful Banff Centre.
But each year, I forget how crummy the brown bag sandwiches are, and kick myself for not planning ahead.
We would have killed for a healthy, hearty sammich with these famous cookies from Evelyn’s Coffee Bar, recipe at bottom. Evelyn’s super yummy Health Sandwich of avocado, hummus, Monterey Jack, mayo, tomato, cucumber and sprouts on healthy multigrain bread would likely never survive the trip from town! Or her roast chicken with mayo, lettuce and cranberry sauce beloved by sumo wrestler Akebono, who I photographed chowing down on a plateful!
We were madly craving a ham, brie, tomato and Dijon on baguette. But also thinking of a pretzel bun with Gruyere and Swiss salami — a little old school mountain mouthful.
Then we started thinking about chicken salad, and not just any chicken salad. What about a GORP/trail mix-infused recipe, with raisins, dried cranberries and nuts? With celery bits and mayo/apple cider vinegar, and honey to bind it together, it would be yummy.
But we’ve been hoarding this for years, and we’re thinking a curry chicken salad would have done the trick. And it looks like it would feed a few friends!
OPRAH’S FAVOURITE: MARGAUX’S CURRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH
(this looks like a lot of dressing, so we are going to add only enough to bind. Will report back!)
20 whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 whole cloves
1/2 lemon
3 pounds medium chicken tenders
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1/2 cup honey
1 1/4 teaspoons curry powder
3/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
Butter for spreading
1 loaf challah or other rich egg bread, cut into 12 thick slices
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 medium tomatoes , chopped
1 bag (about 5 ounces) mesclun salad greens
Red grapes and assorted berries for garnish
In a large saucepan over high heat, add peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves, lemon and 14 cups water; cover and bring to a boil. Add chicken and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, 7 to 10 minutes, or until cooked through; drain. Once cool, quarter each tender crosswise.
In a large bowl, combine mustard, honey, curry powder, lemon pepper and salt; stir in chicken. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 day.
Butter both sides of bread slices. In a heated nonstick skillet over medium-high flame, cook bread in batches 3 to 5 minutes or until browned, turning once.
Combine carrots and almonds with chicken mixture. Divide chicken curry among 6 bread slices. Top with tomatoes, mesclun and remaining bread slices. Serve with fruit.
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CRANBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES
These are Evelyn Zabloski’s cookies from her old Banff coffee shops. A classic mountain treat.
3/4 cup all purpose flour (or half whole wheat and half all purpose)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups oats
3/4 cup dried cranberries (or blueberries)
In a medium bowl, combine flour, spices, baking powder.
In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla Stir in flour mixture just until blended.
Stir in rolled oats and cranberries.
Shape mixture into 16 balls and flatten slightly on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cookies are slightly browned and hold their shape. Cook on racks.
Saucy Cherie 