pasta cake
hi friends, lovers + people probably related to me —
100 — we did it! not sure what to say here other than thank you for reading this (gestures vaguely to everything) — for being there for my stream of consciousness colloquialism bs. writing how i talk & hoping you’ll understand. that these newsletters have an impact in some way — that they make you want to cook, come over for dinner, to have people over, to do your own fake errands, to go out on a tuesday, to try something new, to buy those damn earrings, to drink all the natural wine & regularly order mezcal margs, to run/walk/bike farther than you thought you could, to reach out to friends that maybe you don’t see all the time, to go to the grocery store everyday. to just be present in all these moments. so cheers friends, lovers + people probably related to me — you’re truly the best
al dente — treat your lovers & pasta responsibly
so a few weeks ago — i saw a pasta cake. this pasta cake specifically. which looked so fun, i had to make it w/ a few additions. i got all my lil ingredients i told everyone i was making a pasta cake & i popped a bottle of wine. well during the assembly process i realized my springform pan is larger than your average springform pan. i was running out of rigatoni & fast. luckily had a half a box of zucca in the pantry that i was saving for a special occasion — this was the occasion. that pasta cake while delicious had questionable structural integrity & not enough sauce. this is not that pasta cake. this pasta cake is a baked vodka sauce pasta of your dreams, it’s saucy & spicy, cheesy, crispy & fresh & looks v. effing impressive. this is something you make on a weekend afternoon when you have nothing to do but be in the kitchen. like any baked pasta it seemingly multiplies so maybe invite some friends over or just one v. hungry person1
it goes well with that updated big italian sal — bc i can’t just eat just pasta for dinner apparently
ingredients
2 boxes of mezze rigatoni (pending size of your springform pan you might be okay with 1 - 1.5 boxes but no one has ever turned down extra noods) ( you can also use any tube shaped pasta but i like the chubbiness of the mezze rigatoni)
panko
olive oil
butter
vodka
garlic — 6 cloves
mozzarella
parm
ricotta — whole milk full fat, do you even know me
tomato paste — couple of tablespoons
pureed tomatoes — 1 large can
basil
shallots — 1-2 pending size
heavy cream — you’ll want about a pint of this, since you’ll also need it for the ricotta
salt & pepper
chili flakes
steps
1st track down your springform pan, mine was hiding behind the cast iron. place that on a large sheet pan. pick a podcast or playlist, pour yourself a glass of wine (i don’t care what time it is). get some heavily salted water boiling and cook your mezze rigatoni to v. al dente like 4ish minutes less than the box directions. save a lil of the pasta water & toss the pasta with a generous amount of olive oil & a snowstorm of parm. taste one it should be lil crunchy but good. set aside. i’m expecting you to multi task a lil so while your pasta was cooking — make some crispy crunchies (if you don’t know what these are yet, that’s okay, maybe you’re new, hi!) — toast panko breadcrumbs in a skillet with olive oil, garlic, salt + pepper — when almost toasted add parmesan and stir to make little clusters — take off the heat and sprinkle with flaky salt
2nd in a deep heavy bottom pot add a lil olive oil & a couple tablespoons of tomato paste, a shit ton of grated garlic, some finely chopped shallots, salt, pepper & red pepper flakes. cook till the paste has turned a deep brick red, add in the pureed tomatoes with some more salt, pepper, & red pepper flakes. once combined add like 1/2 cup of vodka and let simmer for a while till it all cooks off. once that is done add in a couple tablespoons of butter & some heavy cream. taste it. adjust flavor as necessary. if it seems thick loosen it up with a lil of the pasta water.
3rd pre-heat the oven to 350. it’s assembly time! so exciting! rub a lil olive oil all around your springform pan. take your lil noods and stand them straight up around the edges and then proceed to fill in so they are all nice & snug. pour some sauce over the top about half, gently bang the pan down so the sauce fills all the nooks & crannies. sprinkle with some mozzarella & parm. start your next layer & repeat to till you either have no pasta or space left — which ever comes first. cover with the rest of the sauce & do the lil bang. top with a lil more cheese & a bunch of the crispy crunchies. bake it in the oven for at least 30 minutes till it gets crispy & bubbling
4th while the pasta cake is baking combine some whole milk ricotta, some parm, enough salt & pepper to make you feel something & some heavy cream in a food processor. taste, try not to eat all of it. you’ll need it later (put in the fridge to keep chilled). tidy the kitchen. text your crush(es), chat with em. make a salad if you decided you needed some greens. pull the pasta cake out — this is the hard part you have to let it sit for like 20 minutes. staring at it the whole time does not make this part go faster, trust me i’ve tried.
5th it’s 20 minutes later. okay you can decorate now! take the whipped ricotta & use a spatula to put some in a ziploc bag, quart or gallon preferred so it looks a lil like a pastry bag, cut the tip off. squeeze lil swirls they don’t have to be perfect, honestly better if they aren’t. top with some nice big pieces of basil. take a picture. take 12 pictures. slice into wedges. they might fall apart a lil that’s okay. eat. talk about how delicious it is. go back for seconds.
particularly good things i consumed recently
michelle zauner w/ a couple of maybe babies + a couple of beers & empanadas & a last minute schubas show — tuesdays can be v. fun, you should try it
been playing volleyball the last couple weeks @ 6:30 — which is honestly perfect bc then i can stop @ taqueria chingon on the way home for a nice lil solo dinner. tacos & a topo just for me
easter weekend in the burbs — there was a toda madre, a fresh hair cut, stuffed shells, leisurely & nostalgic runs, family dinner, law & order, easter brunch + the softest sweet(est)2 cookies with sprinkles
big swiss — this book got me out of my recent reading rut — devoured it in a couple of days, almost missed my stop. 8.75/10 — do recommend & the new season of normal gossip has started — quite honestly one of the best podcasts out there
alison roman & samantha irby w/ janel — literally great & so funny & fun — we followed it up with sitting @ the bar @ chefs special. a perfect night. get the chili wontons, the egg rolls, the chicken lo mein & some blood moon(s)
on wednesday morning i did the first baby tri of the szn3 — it was great/exhausting & already looking forward to the next one
the long walk home from the loop — this one was a lil challenging, bc for some reason i kept checking my phone obsessed/in awe of how time was passing. looking forward to more of these as the weather gets more reliable. it’s a really nice way to see the city & work up a good low-impact sweat, bc sometimes i feel all of my 28 years
outside voices for a lil roomie date w/ em & kelli — took full advantage of the patio & the french fries
the perfect sunny saturday: a nice run, brunch (dove’s ofc) & some shopping w/ janel, the first freeze of the szn, can you guess what i ordered? cheese curds for dinner w/ kaitlyn pre a show @ schubas + being curled into bed by 12:20.
currently consuming
a cup of coffee & a breakfast salad (bacon, arugula, avocado, roasted potatoes, sunny egg & a lemony dijonaise dressing) while wrapping this up bc apparently cheese curds are not really dinner haha.
as always,
mk
p.s. if i’ve seen you in the last few weeks & invited you to the goes well with 100th issue/birthday party on the 22nd & you want to come — plz dm me & i’ll send you the details. if i haven’t & you want to come also plz dm me — you’re more than welcome to!
p.p.s. this was the 1st newsletter (just a baby) & also so optimistic that i would stick with rollerblading
special thanks to em & janel for being taste testers on both cakes — couldn’t have done it without you
sweetest as in adorable not as in like too sweet
a baby tri is when you go on a longish bike ride (this should be no more than an hour & a half round trip) to the lake, followed by a lil run around humboldt park (25-30 minutes) & then some yoga (15 minutes tops), followed by a v. hot shower in your apartment
Congrats on 100! Can't wait to celebrate.
Emily said it was delicious.