Last week a few of Ryan’s soon-to-be British coworkers were in town spending a few days in the D.C. office. We went out to dinner with them one night and we started discussing the things Ryan and I might miss once we cross the pond. We said baseball and Mexican food. They said we could watch cricket and that there is Mexican food in London but it’s not as good as stateside. They also said the hot wings aren’t as good (sigh, add that to my D.C. bucket list). And they said we wouldn’t be able to find American style pancakes.

Well that’s fine, but “can’t I make them at home?” I asked. They said no. We couldn’t get a straight answer as to why I couldn’t make them at home. We’ll see if I can figure out the answer once I’m there. But until then, I need to make sure I eat pancakes.

I got this recipe from Food & Wine Magazine. I was so excited when I saw it because it reminded me of brunch in my favorite place in New York. However, this recipe might be even better because the apple topping is so darn delicious. Truly, so good I think it’s worth making all on their own.

Directions:

2 tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan

2 crisp red or pink apples (F&W recommends Honeycrisp. I used Pink Lady)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar (divided in half, 2 tbsps each)

1 1/2 tsp lemon zest

Kosher salt

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups milk

3 large eggs, whites separated from yolks

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

Instructions:

1. Peel and core the apples. Chop them into 1/2 inch, bite sized pieces.

2. Using a large skillet, melt the 2 tbsp of butter at medium-high heat. Add the apples, cinnamon, 2 tbsp of the sugar, 1/2 tsp of lemon zest and a pinch of sugar. Stir occasionally. Make sure the apples get coated with the sugary juices from the pan. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until the apples are tender.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powders, and the rest of the sugar.

4. In a medium bowl, stir together milk, egg yolks, ricotta, and remaining lemon zest. Slowly whisk these ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated.

5. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. I highly recommend doing this with an electric mixer because it takes a long time with the mixer and even longer by hand. Add the egg whites to the rest of the batter.

6. On medium, heat up a griddle or large skillet. Grease with a bit of butter. Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter onto your griddle or skillet. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake (1-3 minutes). Flip. Cook until the pancakes are golden brown. Probably about 2 minutes longer.

7. Put on a plate. Top with apple mixture and maple syrup!

Messy level: Just two spoons, and only because you have to use so many dishes throughout this recipe.

The post Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Caramelized Apple Topping appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

But I thought about it and said, why not?! Let’s lean into the holiday season of hearty foods, decadent meals, and rich desserts. Now, don’t get crazy and give up your exercise routine, but let’s wait until January 2nd to worry about our meals. So here’s a great meal that will make you feel cozy on a cold day, that’s great to serve to holiday house guests, and will provide you with workday lunches you’ll eagerly gobble up.

The way I make this recipe, I make the sauce using Marcella Hazan’s recipe, which I first mentioned in my pici post. If you do the whole recipe the way I do, it should take you about an hour. If you’re going to use jar sauce, I think this should take you about 30 minutes.

Now, I know most of the time a recipe like this is called baked ziti. I’m calling it baked rigatoni because it’s my favorite noodle to use. Rigatoni’s large and textured shape makes it perfect for sticking to cheese, sauce, and meat. In my opinion, rigatoni allows you to have the perfect bite. But, if you’re interested in other pasta, I’ve used penne and ziti before and I also think you could use macaroni or fusilli.

Last but not least, I don’t usually measure when I make this. I like a lot of cheese and sauce. Feel free to find your perfect balance of ingredients. I hope you enjoy and can find space in your belly for this great meal.

Adapted from Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce recipe and the Amateur Gourmet’s baked ziti recipe.

Baked Rigatoni

 

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Ingredients

Tomato Sauce

• 1 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes
• 5 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion

Meat

• olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• salt
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb ground beef
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
• ½ tsp smoked paprika (optional)
• salt

Everything Else

• 1 lb box of rigatoni
• 8-10 oz ricotta cheese (so a bit more than 1 cup)
• 8 oz ball of mozzarella (or larger!)
• ¼ cup grated parmesan

Instructions

1. We're starting with the tomato sauce. Put the can of tomatoes in a medium sauce pan. Take a knife and roughly cut up the tomatoes in halves or quarters. This isn't the serious, it just helps everything break down.
2. Cut (and peel) the onion. Cut the onion in half from end to end, not across the equator. Put the onion halves and butter in the tomato sauce.
3. Heat the sauce on medium high until it's simmering. Then turn the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes. Set your kitchen timer! Over the 45 minutes, stir occasionally and use your spoon to smash and cut up the tomatoes.
4. Preheat your oven to 450°.
5. When the timer says 25 minutes left, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet on medium-high heat. Add the minced onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is soft but not yet brown (about 7 minutes).
6. Once the onions and garlic are ready, add the ground beef. Add the crushed red pepper, salt and paprika, if using. Cook until brown. Break up with your spoon as you cook it.
7. When the meat is finished pour out any excess fat and grease from the pan. Then set the meat side, it will wait until everything else is ready.
8. When the timer says 15 minutes left, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
9. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta. Cook until it is al dente (about 6-8 minutes). This means, when it still has a chew to it. Cook it about 2 minutes less than you usually would, when it's just on the cusp of being ready but is still a bit tough. The pasta will cook more in the oven.
10. Drain the pasta using a colander.
11. The sauce should be done by now. Remove the onion and throw it away. Add the cooked ground beef and the pasta to the pot of sauce. Mix it thoroughly.
12. Add the ricotta to the pot. Mix a little, but try to leave some chunks of ricotta showing.
13. Pour half of the pasta-beef-sauce mix into a 9"x13" pan. On top of that half, add half of the Parmesan and half of the mozzarella.
14. Pour the other half of the pasta mix and then top that with the rest of the cheese.
15. Cook in the oven for 15. The sauce will be bubbling and the cheese will be a bit brown.

3.2.2925

Messy Level  I’m giving this three spoons only because the pasta, meat, and sauce, and final product are all cooked in different pans, so that means there’s a lot of dishes. Also, pouring the rigatoni mix can be a little hard and sauce can splatter. I don’t really find this that messy, but my dishwasher might disagree.

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