THE ONE WHERE IT'S BAKED ZITI
An actually relaxing Christmas meal
Before we start, it would be remiss of me not to recommend my cookbook, Good Time Cooking as a Christmas gift this year. It’s full of amazing recipes and hosting ideas and is my proudest achievement to date. Not to mention I think it’s actually quite funny too. Or, gift a subscription to this newsletter!
MENU TO SERVE 6 PEOPLE
BAKED ZITI
GARLIC BREAD
BIG SALAD
CHEESECAKE WITH MARSALA DATES
It’s something I have wanted to do for a while here, pretty much since I started the newsletter. A menu centred around a ginormous, heaping tray of Baked Ziti, just like the one Anthony Jr. laments he won’t get in the first episode of The Sopranos. Ziti, for my British readers, is a type of pasta of course. In Italy it comes as a long tube - basically imagine someone made a rigatoni but let it get to 30cms. For this reason they are often broken into smaller bits to make it easier to cook with. In the States it’s found already the correct size; essentially as rigatoni without the ridges.
A Baked Ziti is exactly that - a pasta bake, and a very delicious one. But in Sopranos lore it means much more. It’s a unifying dish loved by all, that also causes intense division because everyone thinks theirs is the best. When it’s placed on a table, it will halt all proceedings, such is the reverence it demands. It's the dish brought to parties, to births, to deaths. Its presence is eternal. And I think it’s a perfect thing to make during the Christmas hosting season.
At a time of year where it’s easy to feel pressured into making elaborate, labour intensive and frankly exhausting meals (guilty), why not make a pasta bake, garlic bread, a big salad and a cheesecake. I gave the leftovers of the recipe testing to some of my family and heard back “this is the perfect meal for us”. And it is a perfect meal because it’s a walking bullseye. It’s shabby chic in the best way, it’s the love-of-huns dinner party menu from heaven. If this was in M&S as a dine-in-for-2, it would be sold out every week.
It’s also a cheap way to feed many mouths, and really not hard either. The sauce for the ziti is easily prepped ahead, even frozen months in advance. The salad and garlic bread are low effort, high reward. The cheesecake is made the day before and ready to adorn before you serve it. The whole thing is extremely kid friendly, accessible for fussy eaters and generally heaven. For me, this is perfect Christmas food, when we should all be RELAXING. Plus, you know when you put that ziti down, there will be gasps and cries and maybe even a very “mamma mia!”. This is a meal that is hearty and homey, and there’s no shame in that.
And now a little note from me! This is my last dinner party for 2024, a year that has been without doubt the biggest in my career. Thank you all again for your support, for cooking the recipes, for buying my book, for sharing the newsletter and just generally making me feel extremely lucky to do my job. I can’t wait for another year of dinner parties with you all, and so much more.
ON MORE PLEASE THIS WEEK -
My Ultimate Gift Guide for Hosts - trinkets, decorations, kitchen tools, tableware, linen and more, all from independent shops. Includes the candles pictured above! Anyone reading this who might be a family member looking to buy for me this christmas, please consider this my Christmas list.
Plus, two excellent freezer friendly dishes to crack out during Twixmas - my Chicken alla Pizzaiola and Irish Birria - a hybrid of Irish Stew and Mexican Birria, and let me tell you it works.
BAKED ZITI
This is an Italian-American dish and therefore Italian-American in style, that is to say it’s very much a more-is-more jobby. So the sugo or “gravy” is made with 3 different meats, a soffritto and tonnes of tomato. The topping is no less than four cheeses deep - pockets of melty ricotta, smoked scamorza, mozzarella (the plasticky kind) and parmesan mingle with the sauce and the pasta. The latter is up to you - if you can find Ziti then use it, but to be honest any tube will work -rigatoni, paccheri, even penne will do here. I actually found some big old Candele and used those, they were pretty hard to break though and on reflection an extra step the recipe didn’t need. Make the sugo well in advance and freeze, or 1 or 2 days before. It’s a pretty easy one, and so good to have on standby for when you need to feed a big crowd.
SERVES 6-8
For the sauce
6 tbsps olive oil
400g beef mince, at least 20% fat
400g pork mince, at least 10% fat
400g sausage, skins removed and crumbled
2 small onions
2 small carrots
3 celery sticks
6 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tsps chilli flakes (optional)
5 sprigs of rosemary, finely chopped
400ml red wine
1.4l tomato passata
500ml chicken stock
100ml whole milk
1 tbsp caster sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
For the rest
800g pasta - ziti, rigatoni, paccheri, candele, penne lisce
2 tbsps olive oil
500g ricotta
Salt, pepper and a good grating of nutmeg to taste
150g scamorza, thinly sliced
150g cooking mozzarella, thinly sliced
50g parmesan
Start with the sugo. Heat the oil in a large casserole or saucepan, and then add the meats and brown them one by one on a medium heat. They may release a bit of liquid as they cook, make sure all of the liquid has evaporated and the meat is actually starting to caramelise before you remove it from the pan. Meanwhile, blitz the onion, carrot and celery in a food processor - you want the pieces finely chopped.
When you have browned all the meat, set it aside and cook the soffritto in the remaining fat for around 10 minutes or so, again making sure any liquid has fully evaporated and the vegetables are caramelising before you proceed to the next step. Add the garlic, chilli and rosemary and fry for a minute or so until fragrant. Pour in the red wine and scrape up any fond (caramelised bits) from the bottom of the pan, bringing it to a simmer and reducing by half. Then add the tomato passata, and wash out the bottles with the chicken stock to loosen any tomato still inside. Pour that in too with the milk and season generously with salt and pepper - for this volume you will need at least 2 tablespoons of flakey sea salt, but I haven’t put this in the ingredients as big salt quantities are scary for some. Bring the sugo to simmer and then cook gently on a low heat for 2 hours, making sure you stir every 10-15 minutes or so. The ragu should be an evil, diabolical red with a slick of oil separated on top. Taste it and check the seasoning - you will almost certainly need more salt. I like to make this the day before so it has a good rest in the fridge overnight and really builds in flavour. Cool and then chill in the fridge overnight.
Pasta, when cooked, is incredibly absorbent. This means it will continuously soak up any liquid it comes into contact with, lose its structure and become flabby and dry out the sauce around it. If you want to build your pasta bake in advance of actually baking it, which I only recommend doing at most a couple of hours before kick off, we have to mitigate this by committing the cardinal sin of par-boiling and washing the pasta. I am sorry but it’s what has to be done. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and season it generously. Cook the pasta for 6 minutes, drain in a colander and then run under the cold tap to stop the cooking and wash any excess starch off the surface, mixing well with the water as you do. Drain the pasta and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to coat it and stop it from sticking.
Reheat the sauce - it will be easier to mix in when it is hot.
If you are cooking the dish straight away, you can just add the drained pasta to the sauce while hot. Preheat your oven to 180 fan.
Mix the ricotta with some salt, pepper and nutmeg and have your cheeses to hand. Stir the pasta into the sauce so it is well combined, there will be too much sauce and that is intentional! Pile the pasta and sauce into your chosen tray, I used a 30cm / 37cm falcon dish. Next dollop over the ricotta, then layer the scamorza and mozzarella, followed by the parmesan.
If cooking from hot, bake for 30 minutes uncovered until golden and bubbling. If cooking from cold, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes covered, then remove the foil and cook for a further 20 - 30 minutes until golden and bubbling.
Serve with the garlic, salad and lots of red wine.
MAKE AHEAD
You can make the sauce up to 3 days ahead and keep in the fridge until needed, or freeze for 3 months.
The assembled bake can be made up to 3 hours ahead of cooking, I wouldn’t recommend putting it together much before that as it will dry out. Similarly I would avoid baking and reheating.
SUBSTITUTIONS
If you prefer to make this veggie then leave out the meat! Or you could make my beautiful Cannelloni con Zucca e Funghi
Other great cheeses you can use - pecorino romano, fontina, taleggio.
Meat wise, feel free to keep the overall weight the same but to use only one or two types of meat, if easier.
GARLIC BREAD
Listen, I am not trying to teach you to suck eggs, I know you all know how to make garlic bread. It’s certainly up there as one of our great nation’s favourite foods! I do think it useful however to have some quantities for large scale production, because let’s be honest when it comes to garlic bread the limit does not exist.
SERVE 6 - 8
8 garlic cloves, finely grated
25g parsley, finely chopped
250g very soft salted butter
3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
30g pecorino romano, finely grated
salt and pepper to taste
8 ciabatta rolls or 2 large ciabatta baguettes
Combine the butter with the garlic, parsley, oil, pecorino, salt and pepper, beating well to make a homogeneous butter. Whether using rolls or baguette, slice some slits into your chosen loaves. Generously fill all the slits with your soft butter, saving a little bit for the top. Set aside until needed. Preheat your oven to 180 fan. Wrap each roll in foil (don’t worry if you are using baguettes) and bake for 15 minutes at 180. Unwrap and bake for a further 5 for a bit of crisping if needed.
MAKE AHEAD
The garlic butter can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept in the fridge, as can the rolls as long as they are well wrapped individually in cling film. They also freeze brilliantly this way too! Just bake when you need them.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Use parmesan instead of pecorino if you prefer.
Any baguette or crusty roll is good really.
BIG SALAD
This is a very easy salad that is kind of, dare I say it, Pizza-Hutty in style. It’s a crunchy green base, spiked with onions and tonnes of salty cheese with an excellent creamy dressing of the ranch/caesar persuasion. A sliced black pizza olive would be a great addition if you are that way inclined. Importantly it’s simple, scrumptious and great for a crowd, as well as being a good accompaniment for our pasta and bread.
SERVES 6 - 8
For the Salad
½ a red onion, finely sliced and rinsed in cold water to take the edge off.
3 large gem lettuces, leaves separated
60g rocket
40g parmesan, finely grated
A drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil
For the Dressing
120g buttermilk or sour cream
2 tbsps chives, finely chopped
100g mayonnaise
Zest of half a lemon
A couple of drops of tabasco
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all the dressing ingredients together, checking and adjusting the seasoning to your taste.
Pile the lettuce leaves, onion and rocket onto platters, scatter with half the cheeses and then drizzle over the dressing and olive oil. Finish with a bit more cheese and serve.
MAKE AHEAD
The dressing will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Add olives or capers, bitter leaves like radicchio or treviso, even some shaved fennel or cooked potatoes too.
BAKED CHEESECAKE, MARSALA DATES
A baked cheesecake is a wonderful make-ahead pud and at a time of year when everything is crusty and crunchy and frankly, dry, this is the antidote. The filling is gloriously moist, creamy and lush and uses a secret ingredient - goats cheese. It’s not detectable necessarily, but it gives the most delicious savouriness and body to the filling which I have kept otherwise very classic. My suggested topping here is medjool dates steeped in a marsala syrup - they become glossy and glowing and have a luscious tang to them. I know the dried fruit lobby really get their bag at this time of year and that some of you hate that, but these are more like delicious alcoholic sweeties than anything else.
SERVES 8 - 10
For the base
250g digestive biscuits
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp caster sugar
Pinch of salt
85g salted butter, melted
For the filling
800g full fat cream cheese
145g caster sugar
300g soft goats cheese - the kind that comes in little packets without rind
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
A pinch of fine salt
For the dates
175ml marsala
80g sugar
50ml water
200g - 250g medjool dates - the best ones are whole, so you will need to pit them yourself. Try to make sure there is at least 2 per person.
The juice of half a lemon
Make this the day before your dinner party. Preheat your oven to 170 fan. Grease and line the base and sides of a 23cm/9inch tin with baking paper. To make the base, crush the digestives until fine - I personally prefer to put them in a bag and bash them with a rolling pin but if you want to get out the food processor then feel free.
Mix the digestives with the butter, cinnamon, sugar and salt. Press the mix into the bottom of your tin to make a smooth, thick base. Bake in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes, the base should be a deeper gold and feel fused and crunchy. Leave to cool to room temperature, while you lower the oven to 130 fan.
If you are using a loose bottom tin you will need to make it watertight before you bake the cheesecake. Wrap it well in clingfilm right up to the top - you may need a few layers to cover all the sides. Then add a layer of foil for extra protection. I have never had a completely successful watertight covering, but as long as there’s only minimal leakage your cheesecake will still be delicious. Put the wrapped, cooled base into a large deep roasting tray. Fill and boil a kettle.
In a large bowl use electric beaters (or you can do this in a stand mixer) combine together the cream cheese, sugar and goats, it will become slightly looser and glossy. In a separate bowl mix the eggs and egg yolks together briefly, then add to the cream cheese along with the vanilla and salt. Mix well until smooth and creamy. Spoon or pour the cheesecake mix into the tin and smooth the top as much as possible with a palette knife. Pour the water from the kettle into the roasting tray around the cheesecake, taking care to do this gently and not splash. The water line should come about two thirds of the way up the cheesecake, so top it up with warm tap water if it’s not quite there. You can put the tray in the oven and fill it up with water in there if that is easier. Carefully transfer to your oven and bake 130 fan for 55 - 60 minutes. There should still be a decent jiggle to the centre of the cheesecake. DO NOT remove from the tray of hot water. Cheesecakes crack due to sudden temperature changes, so it needs to sit and cool gradually with the water in the tray before you move it. I leave it for 1 hour minimum, then take it out and remove the wrapping around the tin. Chill in the fridge overnight to set it completely.
For the marsala dates, put the marsala, sugar, water and lemon juice into a pan on a medium heat. Bring up to a boil and reduce the mixture by ⅓ at least, this will cook off the alcohol and create a gorgeous golden syrup. Remove the pits from your dates and then add them to the hot syrup and cook them in it for a couple of minutes, then take off the heat. Leave the dates and syrup to cool together completely.
When it is time to serve, remove the cheesecake from the tin and paper and place on your chosen platter. Pile the dates in the centre of the cheesecake, then pour over the syrup. Slice with a sharp, warm knife, wiping it in between each cut.
MAKE AHEAD -
The cheesecake is best set overnight, so try to make this the day before or at least 8 hours before you plan to eat.
The dates will keep for up to 5 days in a container in the fridge.
SUBSTITUTIONS -
Use more cream cheese or ricotta instead of goat's cheese if you prefer.
Swap the dates for prunes, dried figs or even sultanas.
Of course you can also top this with a fruit compote - here are few options
TIMEPLAN
This first plan should help you see what you can get done in advance, so that for each course on the day you have at least 1, maybe 2 major parts of it taken care of. I appreciate that not everyone’s weeks are easily peppered with dinner party prep, but if you’re hosting after work or on a day where you can’t be in the kitchen, getting ahead is going to save your arse.
MISE-EN-PLACE
This is the fancy name we give to the food prep each section in the restaurant needs to do for their dishes. Hopefully breaking down each dish like this will help you feel organised.
Use the hour before your guests arrive to organise your space too- I find it helpful to group ingredients by dish so it is all in the same place. Little ramekins are really useful for this.
