This week's meal includes Baked Ziti, Orlondo's Salad, and Lemon Ricotta Cupcakes.
The Baked Ziti is a straightforward vegetarian pasta dish that is as comforting as it is delicious. I make it by layering pasta, homemade slow-cooked tomato sauce, and a ricotta cheese blend. I simmer the tomato sauce to develop a deep, sweet tomato flavor that perfectly cuts the ricotta cheese's richness. The cheese is a blend of ricotta, whole milk mozzarella, and parmesan. It's soft, melty, and a little salty. It's perfect. I bake the entire thing until the pasta has absorbed some of the sauce and the cheese is melted and bubbling. It's perfect and delicious.
The Orlondo's Salad is inspired by one of my all-time favorite restaurants in Des Moines that sadly closed a few years back. They had great pizza. Green and black olive was my personal favorite. And more importantly, they had the most legendary salad. The salad was iceberg lettuce, grated mozzarella cheese, the best salad dressing, and pepperoncini. The key to the salad is the amount of salad dressing (a ton) and the ratio of lettuce and cheese, 1:1. I crave it all the time. Luckily they sell the salad dressing at local grocery stores. I make it with romaine lettuce, grated whole milk mozzarella, Orlondo's salad dressing, and a pepperoncini. I don't usually use store-bought products for my meals, but this exception is worth it. If I could get my hands on the recipe, I would GLADLY make it myself.
The Lemon Ricotta cupcakes are from one of my newest cookbooks, Simply Julia, by Julia Turshen. One of my favorite cookbook authors and Chefs. These cupcakes are simple—lemon and a light, airy crumb and delicious cream cheese, ricotta frosting. You're going to love them!