This week's meal includes Baked Ziti, Orlondo's Salad, and Salted Caramel Budino.
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 ricotta cheese. I simmer the tomato sauce to develop a deep, sweet tomato flavor that perfectly cuts the ricotta cheese's richness. The ricotta cheese mixture combines ricotta cheese, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. It's soft, melty, and a little salty. The whole dish is baked 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, shredded 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, shredded mozzarella cheese, 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.
This week's dessert is Salted Caramel Budino! Budino is an Italian pudding made from milk, eggs, and thickened with cornstarch. I top mine with salted caramel, mascarpone whipped cream, and ginger cookies. It might just be your new favorite dessert.
I hope you enjoy this meal as much as I do! Next week is spring break, and I'm heading to The Twin Cities for some time with family and lots of good food!