Cooking Time With Joe!

That's right, Blog Watchers, the first "Cooking Time With Joe" segment. I couldn't ignore all of the comments any longer! You win! Everyone has been begging me for some of my old recipes from back in the day. Well, I'm doing it one better; an instructional video. Maybe this will be the first of many? What do you all think?

Thanks to my great friend, Erin Buckley, I am able to bring you a step-by-step guide on how to make my "east-coast famous" Baked Ziti. I adapted the recipe from one I saw on the Food Network years ago. I hope you all make it! It's really delicious and a great addition to any pot luck, awards show or birthday party!

The video is in two segments. Be sure to watch both! The complete recipe follows. Get cookin'!


PART I


PART II



Baked Ziti Recipe:

1 pound dried barilla plus penne
Kosher salt
1 pound fresh mozzarella, half cut into 1/2-inch cubes and half thinly sliced
1 cup freshly grated pecorino romano, divided
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 pound spicy Italian sausages, casing removed and crumbled
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 1/2 cups whole, peeled, canned tomatoes in puree, (one 28-ounce can), roughly chopped
2 Sprigs fresh thyme
6 leaves fresh basil
3 tablespoons italian parsley
Freshly ground black pepper


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.


Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously, and boil the pasta a minute or so less than directed. Drain. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and the chopped herbs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir in the salt and season with pepper, to taste.

Toss the cooked pasta with the marinara sauce, cubed mozzarella, half the pecorino cheese, black pepper, and pepper flakes. Transfer the pasta to an oiled 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Cover the top of the pasta with the sliced mozzarella, and sprinkle with the remaining pecorino. Drizzle the top with some olive oil. Bake until lightly browned and hot, about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!