Dinner and a tantrum

Ah yes...entertaining. What to make for dinner that everyone will like but won't be so complicated that I can't enjoy their company because I am cooking the whole time? Baked Ziti -that's the answer! Such a good recipe and easy enough to prepare..bravo.

Before I go any further, let me just say that I am one of "those" people who gets their night absolutely ruined by a bad meal or poor service while dining out (remind me to tell you about the pepper grinding incident at Anthony's Home Port). At home, a bad meal will just push me right over the edge - guests or no guests. I have even been known to toss a meal out rather than attach my name to such a failure. Maybe someday when I am at a loss for blog ideas I will reminisce with you about such evenings and the dishes that only perpetuate my perfection disorder.

Back to last night.

Ok, picture this.... I am happily chatting with everyone about whatever, cleaning the dishes that I dirtied making the ziti. Putting away extra items in the refrigerator (mind you, the ziti is now assembled and in the oven baking) when to my horror I notice the unopened carton of whipping cream in the refrigerator. GASP! The cream! I missed a step in the preparation for the ziti!^#^$&#*!! It's one of those steps that you can't go back and do once you have missed it. I felt just like I had typed a personal email and then hit "reply all". One of those things you can't undo. ...Uh, not that I have ever done that. Ahem, anyway.... so I am gasping, frantically looking from the open refrigerator to the oven and then back again. The closest people to me are all "what's wrong?" Well, by now I am stamping my feet in frustration like a 3 year old muttering how I forgot a step etc..etc. "Oh, I am sure it will be just fine" were the responses. They were right to a degree...it would be fine. That was the problem, it would be just fine - not really yummy as it should be.

For those of you with perfection disorder, you will understand. For those of you without such a disorder...indulge me and it will be over soon. The step I forgot goes like this: you take whipping cream and corn starch and cook it until it starts to thicken. You add that to the pasta mixture and then you top it with sauce. Even though the ziti is still good without it, the cream smooths out the acidity of the marinara sauce and the corn starch helps to set the ziti so you don't have a runny mess on your plate. So instead of this refined tasting pasta dish, it was essentially baked pasta in marinara with cheese and a tomato bite. I could taste the difference.

If you are one of the lucky ones who have seen first hand my tantrums over dinner preparation issues (can you say Thanksgiving?) you would be surprised. I had my little fit, and just moved on. Well, the fit lasted until we actually sat down at the table but whatever...the point is that I moved on. On the surface that is. Everyone said the dinner was good, and it did taste good. But I guess I knew how it was supposed to taste, hence the frustration. The bigger picture is that we enjoyed good laughs with family and everyone was too full for dessert. A success for most. For me, I am haunted by that stupid carton of whipping cream just sitting there smugly in the refrigerator.

Baked Ziti (The right way)

1 lb cottage cheese
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups grated parm cheese
1 lb ziti or short tubular pasta
2 tbl olive oil
5 garlic cloves minced or pressed thru a garlic press
1 28oz can tomato sauce
1 15oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
½ cup plus 2 tbl fresh chopped basil (or 2 tsp dried ..or to taste)
1 tsp sugar
¾ tsp corn starch
1 cup heavy cream – Don’t forget this
8 oz grated mozzarella cheese
Salt
Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix cottage cheese, eggs and 1 cup Parmesan together in a medium bowl; set aside. Bring water to boil for pasta ..boil pasta until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, 5-7 minutes. You want the pasta just getting soft and still crunchyish in the middle. Drain. Don’t wash the pasta pot.

2. Heat oil and garlic in a skillet over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and oregano. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 mins. Off heat, stir in basil and sugar. Salt and pepper to taste.

3. Stir cornstarch into heavy cream in small bowl, transfer mixture to empty pasta pot set over medium heat. Bring to simmer and cook until thickened 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup of the tomato mixture and ¾ cup mozzarella. Mix together. Add pasta and combine.

4. Pour into a 13X9 baking dish and spread remaining tomato sauce mixture evenly over pasta. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over top.

5. Cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to cook about 30 minutes longer until cheese is bubbly. Cool for 20 minutes so it can set.

Eat!