Pasta Salad

What's new you ask? Well, I've finally started volunteering at Swedish Hospital in their pharmacy! If I've been on this path to becoming a pharmacist, I better get some experience don't ya' think? It's better late than never is what I always say!

Let me tell you, volunteering at Swedish is 10X better than working at Macy's. No more sales goals, no more managers breathing down your neck to get sales when they took away commission and no more following customers around helping them find jeans and then being forced to up-sale and say "You should buy a belt as well." Maybe I'm just crazy but I tend to like to browse and look at clothes myself without a sales associate following me around and suggesting things that they "think" I need. Am I the only one that feels that way? That's why I hated retail because I hated having to follow customers around when I personally wouldn't want that as a customer myself.

I'm just glad I'm finally working in an environment with professionals that have reached the goal that I want to reach. I still have a lot to learn but I love volunteering at Swedish so far! Not to mention, it brings me back to my high school days because my high school is just across the street.

Now, let's get back to the food. This post is all about Pasta Salad, pasta meant to be cold. Add in anything on hand with pasta and some dressing and it's a great accompaniment to a protein like chicken, for lunch.

Last post I introduced my idea for a cooking show and because of that, I will now feature a new segment at the end of each post called "AJ's Secret". Really, it's just a tip to have a fool proof dish. So, here goes!

AJ's Secret:

• Cook the pasta not to "al dente", but past it until it's fully cooked. Because the pasta is eaten room temperature or cold, the pasta will firm up in the fridge because of the starches present in the pasta. An "al dente" pasta is just too firm.
• Before mixing the dressing with the pasta, make sure the pasta is completely at room temperature or cold. With creamy dressings, I notice that if you add in the dressing while still warm, it eventually causes the dressing to separate especially when making it ahead. Vinaigrette type dressings can be added warm or cold however.
• Red Onion can be a bit strong in flavor. To take away the intense flavor, I pickled mine with vinegar and sugar. Blog post on Pickled Red Onion will be up soon!

Pasta Salad

Recipe by Me

Ingredients

1 lb Rotini Pasta

1/2 cup Caesar Dressing

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

1/4 Red Bell Pepper, roasted and diced

1/4 to 1/2 cup Sundried Tomatoes packed in oil, drained and sliced

1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced (I pickled mine)

1/4 lb Feta Cheese, cubed

Salt and pepper to taste

Parsley (for color)

Directions

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add salt and the dried Rotini Pasta. Cook the pasta until it is past the "al dente" stage. Drain and rinse with cold water until the pasta is no longer hot. Set aside.

The following ingredients are nothing more than cubing, grating, slicing and dicing. 

• Grate parmesan cheese
• Use jarred roasted red bell peppers or roast off a fresh one. I used a fresh one, only cutting a 1/4 piece from the pepper, rubbing with olive oil and popped it into a toaster oven on broil until the skin turns black. Remove and place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 5-10 min. Remove the skin and dice.
• Slice sun dried tomatoes
• Thinly slice red onion
• Cube the feta cheese to bite sized pieces

Assembly: Toss the pasta with the Caesar dressing, salt and pepper. Then add in the parmesan cheese and toss. Add in the roasted red pepper, sun dried tomatoes and red onion, toss. Finally, add in the cubed feta, being careful not to break the cheese too much. Finish off with a sprinkling of parsley.

-Aaron John

Baked Ziti (Rigatoni)

I've been MIA for the past couple of weeks! I've been swamped with everything going on in classes. This week is officially dead week. Dead week is really a nickname for the week before finals and let me tell you, that name is true in every way, shape and form. It's not even the first day of dead week and I'm already feeling the pressure.

In honor of dead week, I have cooked up something savory, Baked Ziti, or in this case, Baked Rigatoni! Essentially, it's lasagna without all the layering. Plus, it makes a ton of food and keeps for a long time in the refrigerator. Baked Ziti is perfect for people who don't have the time to always be cooking throughout the week. Plus, with it, you always know that you have something to eat and have nothing to worry about! :)

Tips
-To the garlic, I added 1/2 a medium onion and I added 1 lb of ground beef as well to give the Baked Ziti a heartier appeal. (Can definitely be omitted.)

-I used a 32 ounce jar of marinara sauce instead of using the canned tomatoes. Makes everything a lot easier. In a way, I just made a basic meat sauce.

- I cooked the Rigatoni Pasta until Aldente. Make sure not to overcook the pasta!

Results
Taste: Aldente Rigatoni pasta, tanginess and meatiness from the meat sauce, creaminess from the béchamel sauce with a hint of nutmeg as an undertone and, of course, the ooey-gooey melted cheese that everyone loves!

Texture: Aldente pasta and heartiness and creaminess from all the sauces

Scuderi Kids' Fast, Fake-Baked Ziti
Recipe By Rachael Ray


Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 a medium onion
1 lb ground beef
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)
1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)* If San Marzanos are not available, add a teaspoon sugar to your sauce, optional (I used a 32 ounce jar of marinara sauce)
Coarse salt
A handful fresh basil leaves, torn
1 pound ziti rigate, with ridges (I used Rigatoni)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
A generous grating nutmeg (I used 1/8 tsp nutmeg)
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup sliced fresh mozzarella
Crusty bread, to pass at table

Directions
Put pasta water on to boil.

In a medium sauce pot over medium heat, saute garlic and onions in extra-virgin olive oil. Add 1 lb of ground beef and brown. Chop whole tomatoes and add them to the pan. Add crushed tomatoes and salt and simmer 10 minutes, add basil and simmer over low heat 10 minutes more. Instead of adding the tomatoes, use one 32 ounce jar of marinara sauce. Season to taste

Add salt and pasta to boiling water and cook 6 minutes, leaving pasta a little chewy.

While pasta cooks, melt butter in a small pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour, then cook 1 minute, adding salt and pepper and nutmeg to flour. Add milk and bring sauce to a bubble. Reduce 5 minutes.

Drain pasta and transfer to a large casserole dish. Pour the tomato and basil sauce over the pasta and turn to coat the pasta. Pour the bechamel over the already coated pasta. Cover the top of the pasta with Asiago, Parmesan and mozzarella. Place the casserole under hot broiler and melt the 3 cheeses until brown and bubbly, 3 to 5 minutes.

-Aaron John