How to Boil Pasta

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: "Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door." Well, the quote doesn't exactly fit my purpose here, but close. There are creative people who thrive on finding a different solution, an innovation, to a problem. In the culinary world, chefs need to create on a dime. Every day. Here, we're talking about pasta. And there's nothing quite like overcooked pasta. I do like it just barely done - but al dente still. So, instead of guessing and having to remove a strand of lingine from the boiling pot, here's a foolproof and very Italian method. There really is more than one way to boil pasta. I know, this isn't exactly a very interesting post subject, but I ran across something in my stack of recipes that I've had for years, and used many times. So, I thought I'd share it with you.

The advice came from a cooking instructor. What class, I can't tell you. It's something she passed out to all of her class participants, every class she teaches. And it's a photocopy from the back of a package or box. Agnesi is an Italian company - they do have a website, but it's all in Italian.

Anyway, the instructor was also a caterer, and she said this is her failsafe method. She uses it always. And as long as I remember, on those occasions when I do make pasta, it's works like a charm.

• "The ANGESI Advice for a Better Pasta Cooking Method: cook pasta in boiling water for just 2 minutes. Measure this time from the moment the water returns to a boil after adding the pasta. After the 2 minutes are up, remove pot from the heat, cover with a lid and leave to stand for the cooking time indicated on the box. Drain the pasta and . . . buon appetitto! This is to encourage you to try a new way of cooking pasta. You will see that when the cooking time is over, the water is almost clear. This is because the pasta has retained most of its precious nutrients, some of which are lost during the normal, longer cooking method."

Orzo Carbonara with Bacon & Thyme

You know, orzo is a rice-shaped pasta. Once it plumps up, it grows a bit in size, but still looks like large, very large, grains of rice. And carbonara is a rich, cream-laden Italian preparation of pasta with bacon as the primary flavor. Yet, risotto is a creamy rice preparation too, that can vary with the additions. So, Phillis Carey combined all of these culinary variations and created a great risotto-like pasta side dish. Since I like bacon a whole heck of a lot, and thyme is my most favorite-est herb, this satisfies like comfort food.

The preparation is fairly simple, although you do have to heat up the broth and be near the range when you're making this. But you don't have to stir for 30-45 minutes like you do with risotto. It comes together in about 30 minutes.

Cook's Notes: you may need to add more liquid to this - depends on how long it takes to cook the orzo. If you've run out of broth, just add water. This wants to be on the wet side - it should not be stiff when served, but creamy, soft. Once you add the cream and bring it to a simmer, have everything ready because you want to serve this immediately. I mean immediately.

Orzo Carbonara with Bacon & Thyme
Recipe By: Phillis Carey, cookbook author & instructor
Serving Size : 6
4 slices thick-sliced bacon -- 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound orzo
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth -- heated to a simmer
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup Parmesano-Reggiano Cheese -- freshly grated
1 teaspoon fresh thyme -- chopped
1. Cook bacon in heavy saucepan over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer bacon to paper towels and drain.
2. Pour off all but 1 T. of drippings from pan. Add butter and melt. Add orzo and toss in butter. Add 3 cups chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, adding more broth as needed to keep orzo from sticking to bottom the pan. Cook orzo until just tender and broth is absorbed, about 8-10 minutes.
3. Add heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Mix in cheese, bacon and thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Per Serving: 426 Calories; 15g Fat (29.5% calories from fat); 22g Protein; 58g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 31mg Cholesterol; 178mg Sodium. Exchanges: 4 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 2 1/2 Fat.

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Shells with Crispy Pancetta & Spinach

I'm on a roll. Trying some of the recipes amongst the hundreds of clippings I sorted through a few days ago. This one was only about 7 months old - after I broke my foot last summer I watched a heck of a lot of television, and this was one of Giada's Italian recipes that sounded so good, and I knew I'd enjoy it. It's easy to make, too. Can't beat that combination. I really can't say that I make all that many recipes from Food Network shows. I enjoy watching some of them (as theater, I suppose) but only occasionally do I go to the Network's site and print out a recipe.

Here are Giada De Laurentis' stuffed jumbo shells, placed in a baking dish. Photo from the Food Network.

I almost always have pancetta on hand, but I didn't have the 3/4 inch cubes Giada mentions in the recipe - I had the tiny cubed pancetta that I get from Trader Joe's in 4-ounce packages. DH offered to go grocery shopping for me, so I wrote down "large pasta shells." I should have known that "jumbo" was what I wanted. Soooo, I had to improvise a bit. The large shells are way too small to stuff, so I just made a casserole of them instead. Am sure they tasted the same, but most definitely didn't look as attractive as Giada's. The Asiago cheese is part of what "makes" this dish, since it has a kind of sharp taste. Good, though. And the dash of nutmeg in the mixture was really delish. The dish is rich, so it's filling. DH liked this a LOT. Said I could make this anytime. Any day. Night. Whenever.

Shells with Crispy Pancetta and Spinach
Recipe: Giada de Laurentis, Everyday Italian, Food Network
Serving Size : 8 [Giada says this feeds 4-6. No way - more like 8-10 in my estimation.]
SHELLS:
1 package jumbo pasta shells -- (12-ounce)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound pancetta -- cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 pounds frozen spinach -- thawed and drained
15 ounces ricotta cheese -- whole milk
1 cup asiago cheese -- grated
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
SAUCE:
1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove -- minced
1 cup cream
2 cups asiago cheese -- grated, set aside 1/4 cup
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. For the shells: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.
3. Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Remove the pancetta from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl. Add the spinach, ricotta cheese, asiago cheese, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Stuff the shells with about 2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture each and place the stuffed shells in a large, buttered baking dish.
4. For the sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to very low and add the 2 cups asiago cheese, parsley, and pepper. Stir until the cheese is dissolved. Pour the sauce over the shells. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup asiago cheese.
5. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Per Serving: 410 Calories; 31g Fat (66.9% calories from fat); 26g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 103mg Cholesterol; 1419mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 4 1/2 Fat.

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Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

(photo: colonialtymesrestaurant.com)

It was a few years ago and we flew from California to Philadelphia to attend the wedding of a young couple, friends. They'd met in San Diego, actually sailed with us on our boat one afternoon soon after they'd met. He was, is, a Navy pilot and close with dear friends of ours from Philadelphia. We thought they made a fine couple and wished them much happiness. The groom's mother prepared a lovely feast for the rehearsal dinner. There were many hands helping in the kitchen, mine among them, and I fell in love with this incredibly easy side dish (or, it could be a main dish as is, or add some protein of some kind too).

I watched as MaryAnn made this sauce - she opened cans of chopped tomatoes, cubed up some cream cheese, chopped some basil, added a tad of wine vinegar, fresh garlic, and olive oil. All this was stirred up in a very large bowl, covered with plastic wrap and left to sit out for about 6 hours. The flavors developed, obviously and the cream cheese kind of dissolved, sort of. At serving time she made a heap of hot penne, combined the sauce and poured it onto a very large platter with additional basil and sprinkled the real-thing Parmesan cheese and it was done. The total amount of actual work in this is about 5 minutes. (I'm not counting the time to cook the pasta, of course.) Maybe 10 max. If you need to hold the sauce for longer, put it in the refrigerator. Just bring it back to room temp before serving. The dish can be served at room temp, actually, but I think it's best hot.

And I'll tell you, this is absolutely fabulous. I've made it many, many times since. It's a cinch for guests. Tastes beyond good. This one is going onto the top FAV's down my right column. It's that good. Thank you, MaryAnn.

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce
Recipe: MaryAnn Quinn, a friend of a friend in Philadelphia
Serving Size : 10 (as a side dish, 4 as main dish)
2 cans tomatoes, canned -- diced with juice
8 ounces cream cheese -- cubed
2 cloves garlic -- minced
1 bunch basil -- minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 pound penne pasta
1. Combine all ingredients (except pasta and cheese) in a large bowl, cover and allow to sit for several hours at room temperature.
2. Boil pasta just until barely tender, drain, add sauce to pasta, stir and pour into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle cheese on top and additional basil, if desired.
NOTES : This takes about 5 minutes to prepare the sauce and it's DONE! You can use any kind of pasta, but choose one that will hold some of the sauce (i.e., not linguine or spaghetti) in its crevices. These days it seems odd to let food sit at room temp for several hours, but when I was first served this, it was left out and later served to 30 people without a problem. A double batch was JUST enough (small servings) for 30 with an entree, green salad and ample appetizers. My favorite tomatoes are Muir Glen fire roasted, but any brand will really be fine. Muir Glen is carried at Whole Foods.
Per Serving: 383 Calories; 22g Fat (50.8% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 36g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 31mg Cholesterol; 239mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 4 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

To view a printable recipe, click title at top.

What's Sicilian about Sicilian Tuna Salad?

It's the capers, of course, that make this uniquely Sicilian. Whether the Sicilians were the first to utilize the little buds, I don't know. I buy a giant economy sized bottle of capers at my local Italian market. A large jar isn't cheap, but I've had this jar for about 5 years, I think. Caper berries are also available - they've just been allowed to mature to a bigger size, hence they're berries, rather than buds. I do like capers a lot, but only in small quanitity. I once ordered chicken piccatta at some restaurant and it had so darned many of them, and probably a bit of the pickle juice, I couldn't eat it. But in moderation, they add a kind of piquant character to any dish in which you choose to use them. Just be sure to rinse them a little before using them.

I think capers are not common in tuna salad, but when I had this, it was just really, really good. There's nothing else in it that is that unusual. I've never been able to put my finger on why this combination is so darned good, but maybe it's the capers and lemon juice together that bring something different to the equation. And the fact that you use imported tuna packed in oil. And there's no mayo in it. There's just lots of flavor there.

Sicily abounds with lemons. There are lemons on trees obviously, lemons in the market, lemons in art, lemons in ceramics, lemons even in the ancient carvings. If you buy dinnerware, often it will contain pictures of lemons. The early people obviously found every possible way to utilize the citrus. Sicilians use lemon juice in lieu of vinegar, so it's found in every avenue of their cuisine. And how could I forget Lemoncello? Oh, so good is that liqueur.

But we're talking about a pasta salad here . . . this came from a Joanne Weir cooking class some years ago. I'd have gone right on by this recipe had I not tasted it, figuring what's one more cold pasta salad with tuna. But this was just different. Better. Tastier. Tangier. Every time I've made this it has renewed my enjoyment of it.

Sicilian Tuna Salad
Recipe: Joanne Weir, author and instructor
Serving Size : 4
6 ounces tuna in oil -- drained
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 pound penne pasta
2 tablespoons lemon juice -- must be fresh
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons capers -- rinsed and drained
1/4 cup Italian parsley -- chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil -- chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro -- chopped
1. Drain the tuna as much as possible. Place tuna in a large bowl and using a fork break it into flakes. Set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a teaspoon of salt, then add the penne, stir well, and cook ONLY until pasta is "al dente," firm to the tooth. This will be about 10-12 minutes depending on the brand. Drain well.
3. Meanwhile, into the bowl add the lemon juice, olive oil, remaining salt, and the pepper. Then add the hot, drained pasta and stir well.
4. Add the capers, parsley, basil, and cilantro and mix gently. Taste and adjust for seasonings. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
5. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl or divide amount individual plates. It is better if it is served at near room temperature. Garnish with additional Italian parsley sprigs or basil leaves.

NOTES : Buy the oil-packed tuna, since the flavor is significantly better. The salad is really good and can be made up ahead. It keeps for 4-5 days with little or no deterioration. It is a fairly dry pasta salad - you can add more oil if you want to. If it's summer and you can find good tomatoes, they are a wonderful addition to the top of the salad or on the plate with it.You can use different pasta if you would prefer.
Per Serving: 359 Calories; 11g Fat (28.4% calories from fat); 20g Protein; 44g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 8mg Cholesterol; 970mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain(Starch); 2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
To view a printable recipe, click on title at top. (photo from diabetes.org/nz)

Pasta a la Puttanesca

(photo courtesy of fallensouffle.com)
About 20 years ago a wonderful restaurant opened near our home, called Zov's Bistro. Owned by Zov (pronounced Zoh-v) Karamardian, it was open for weekday lunches and a few nights a week for dinner. As the restaurant grew, and Zov's well-executed Mediterranean food became more well known, they opened every day but Sunday. Zov is a wonderful philanthropist in our community, and loves to share her native Armenian cooking, although she has broadened the scope to include recipes from many different cultures around the Mediterranean. Now the restaurant houses the bistro, a bakery and a she's opened a couple of other locations as well.

But back in the earlier days of the Bistro, Zov taught a cooking class starring some of her family favorites, of which this recipe was one. It's not on the restaurant menu, unfortunately, or I would have it more often. I have no recollection what else she made that night, but I fell in love with this simple pasta dish, and have been making it ever since. You need to enjoy garlic, as it plays a prominent role. And the sauce needs to sit for awhile (at least an hour, or up to 2-3 hours) to develop its flavors. You can make this any time of year - it's nothing more complicated than canned tomatoes, garlic, green onions, olives, capers and olive oil tossed with hot pasta and sprinkled with real Parmesan. It has some other things in it too that enhance the flavor, and you garnish with a lot of fresh basil. The anchovies (buy good ones if you can find them . . . they have so much more flavor than the cheap cans at the supermarket . . . go to an Italian deli if you have one) give it some character, but you never know they're there. This is a great meal for a warm summer night.

So, I have a fun story to relate about this recipe. We had dinner with our son, Powell, and his wife the other night, and I mentioned that I had written up this recipe, which has always been a favorite of his. I'd forgotten that when he first met Karen he offered to help her with catering food for an art event a couple of weeks later. She wasn't a caterer, but had offered to help a friend and was happy to have some help with it. Powell enjoyed cooking and loved entertaining when he was a bon vivant bachelor. Anyway, back then Powell had phoned me to ask advice on what recipes I had that might work for such an event that had no cooking facilities, so they'd have to do everything ahead. This recipe was a standout for doing ahead, no question.

According to Karen, she was mightily impressed when Powell made this in a very large quantity for her event. According to Karen, her thoughts were along the line of wow, this guy may be a keeper. It was a black-tie event, and the two of them served this dish and a bunch of others to the crowd of people. Toward the end, with Powell standing nearby in his tux, a businessman approached him and asked for his card. Probably Powell looked at him askance. Uhm. The guy said, we'd like you to cater something for us at our home. Powell laughed and said, we really don't DO catering, etc. The guy said, well, what do you do and Powell explained that he is in the investment banking/bond biz. The guy looked at him and said what in the world are you doing here? Powell & Karen had a good laugh over that. So, a romance was made that night, according to them, over a big bowl of Pasta a la Puttanesca.

Pasta a la Puttanesca
Recipe from Zov Karamardian, of Zov's Bistro, Tustin
Servings : 10
1 bunch green onions -- chopped
6 cloves garlic -- minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups tomatoes, canned -- drained
1/2 c parsley -- minced
1/2 c basil, fresh -- minced
1/2 c capers
1/2 c olives -- black, Mediterranean
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
2 ea anchovies -- mashed
1/2 c Parmesan cheese -- imported, grated
1/4 tsp hot chili flakes
1/8 tsp black pepper -- cracked
2 pounds pasta of your choice (I prefer small spaghetti or linguine)

1. Heat the small quantity of olive oil in a small skillet and add green onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add minced garlic. Allow to cook together gently for 2-3 minutes. Do not brown.
2. In a large, non-metallic bowl combine the tomatoes, pitted olives, capers, anchovies and add the onion/garlic mixture. Add parsley, basil, chili flakes, pepper. Slowly stir in olive oil and allow to sit at room temperature for about an hour. Fold in cheese just before serving. Can be made a day or so ahead, but add fresh basil and cheese at last minute.
3. Cook pasta of your choice, drain, and pour into large bowl. Pour room temperature puttanesca sauce on top and sprinkle with additional cheese. Serve immediately adding strips of chicken on the top if desired. Recipe says you can serve it warm or cold. Or, place a serving size of hot pasta on a plate and add about 1/2 cup of mixture on top. Traditionally you should use Kalamata olives in this, but any other kind of Mediterranean cured olive will do.
To view a printable recipe, click on the title at top.

Joan's Pasta Salad

I'd forgotten about this salad and how much I love it until last weekend when I went to Joan's daughter's home to greet their newly adopted infant, and Joan had made it as part of a lovely luncheon. Joan is rather "famous" for this salad - it's one other people request too, not just me. We used to have season tickets to our local summer symphony series, and we've had many a picnic dinner on the lawn at the ampitherater, and every time Joan and Tom would attend I requested she make this. And she graciously gave the recipe to several people. So, thanks very much, Joan. I needed a salad for an outdoor dinner, and this just fit the bill.

Nothing about it is hard. It probably takes about 40 minutes to make it, including boiling the pasta. Be sure to not overcook the pasta. You don't have to use penne, but that's the way Joan makes it, and that's the type I prefer too. You can add more sun-dried tomatoes if you wish - her recipe calls for 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup. I used 1/4. And our basil plant is proliferating, so I pruned it back for this salad. The basil is crucial in my opinion. It also will keep a few days, although it's best the day it's made.

Joan's Pasta Salad
Serving Size : 10
SALAD:
1 pound penne rigate -- cooked al dente
1 cup cherry tomatoes -- halved
1/4 to 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes -- chopped
4 ounces Feta cheese -- crumbled
1 cup Parmesan cheese -- Fresh, grated
1/2 cup Italian parsley -- chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil -- chopped
1/2 cup green onion -- chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts -- toasted
DRESSING:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt -- or more to taste
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic -- minced
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Make dressing and set aside. Gather salad ingredients in a large bowl and pour dressing over. May be served immediately or chilled, but bring it back to room temp.
Serving Ideas : If this is served as a main course, it would probably serve about 6 people.
Per Serving: 382 Calories; 20g Fat (46.5% calories from fat); 13g Protein; 39g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 16mg Cholesterol; 529mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 3 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

To view a printable file, click on title at top.

Have you tried Mister Charlie?

I absolutely promise that my blog is not going to be all about casseroles. It's too bad that the word itself is a semi-bad one on blogs. I don't have all that many casserole recipes. Honest. But those of you old enough to remember the casserole era (that would be the 1960's and into the 70's for you young'ns) probably have many of your own of similar ilk as this one. I'm trying to give you some variety here on this blog, and I wouldn't have chosen this as a subject of a blog post except that this happened to have come out of the freezer the other night - literally it kept falling out of the freezer every time I opened the door. It was trying to tell me something, I finally concluded.

Some of you may know that way back in my deep, dark past, I was a Navy wife. My former husband was an air intelligence officer, and we lived in a variety of places (Florida, Washington, D.C., Whidbey Island, Washington and Denver, Colorado) over the years of his Navy service. During one of the early years I acquired a Navy Officer's Wives Cookbook, with hundreds and hundreds of recipes from other American Navy officer's wives from all over the globe. Actually there was a series of them (one of each of these: salads, desserts, casseroles & breads, meats, and one on international foods too). I still go to those cookbooks sometimes to get ideas about dishes to try, even though the plastic spiral bindings are nearly disintegrated on all of them. I was in my mid-20's then and new to the day-to-day cooking arena when these books went to press, so I didn't even think of submitting one of my recipes for any of the books. I'm not even sure I had any recipes I could call my own at that time.

As many of you probably remember, casseroles were a staple in every cook's repertoire. They were popular for family meals, and more elegant casseroles were very popular for guests too. They certainly were in mine, and they were inexpensive. In the 1960's my normal weekly food budget was $20, and that fed two people for 7 days, 3 meals a day. So, in the Meat cookbook of that era, amidst the little spots of food that spilled there is this recipe for Mister Charlie. Heaven knows why it's called Mister Charlie. Was Charlie the inspiration? Was he the cook and his wife submitted the recipe? Or, I like to think it's the dog's name, because he ate Suzie Q's portion when she dropped it on the floor? Do you ever ponder why recipes receive the names they do? I've asked myself this question about this dish for many years. Undoubtedly I'll never know the story. I even did a Google search for the title to just see if there was anything official out there for a pasta casserole called Mister Charlie. Nope. Over the years I've adapted the recipe some (I use Italian sausage rather than ground beef) and I've added mushrooms and cheddar cheese to it. So maybe I should call it Missus Carolyn? What do you think?

Well, then. There isn't anything startling in this casserole - pasta, meat, mushrooms, a variety of cheeses and a tomato-based sauce. That's it. But in combo, they make a very tasty dish. Casseroles sometimes don't look very appealing. Does the photo convey a little bit of the 1965-ish boredom of the tops of many such casseroles? What it does have going for it is that it makes a LOT. It can be made ahead. It's high in carbs (sigh). But all-in-all, it's still a keeper. Most of all, it's American comfort food. So, enjoy Mister Charlie, wherever he is. Woof.

Mister Charlie
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:45

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage
1 whole onion -- minced
2 cloves garlic -- minced
12 ounces tomato paste
8 ounces fresh mushrooms -- sliced
24 ounces water
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning -- or oregano, basil, thyme combination
1 pound cottage cheese
1/2 pound cheddar cheese -- grated
1/2 pound Mozzarella cheese -- grated and sliced both
1 pound pasta -- your choice of type (penne rigate, macaroni)
1/2 cup parsley -- chopped

1. Heat large skillet, adding olive oil. Add diced onion and cook while preparing other ingredients. Add the Italian sausage (mashed into small pieces) and continue cooking until all the pink is gone.
2. Add the garlic, herbs and mushrooms, then add the tomato paste and water. Cook for about 15 minutes until well blended. Taste for seasoning (salt and pepper). Set aside to cool slightly. Preheat oven to 350°.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta until it's just under-done. Drain.
4. Into a very large bowl add the pasta, cottage cheese, then add the slightly cooled meat mixture. Prepare the cheese - about 1/3 of it should be in thin slices, the remainder should be shredded. I freeze the big ball of mozzarella cheese for about 20 minutes to make it easier to grate. Pour into two 9 x 13 pans, or a combination of other types. Place cheese slices on top. Bake about 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.

Serving Ideas : You need nothing with this except a crispy green salad. Back in the day, I'd always make garlic bread, but it isn't really necessary.
NOTES : This makes a big gooey, mushy mixture, but as it bakes it firms up some. I actually prefer it when it's sat overnight before baking. Seems to solidify the flavors, I guess. You can alter the amount of water you add - the original recipe said to add 4-5 cans (from the tomato paste) of water. I usually add about 4 cans, which should be 24 ounces. You can also add canned, drained tomatoes to this. Ricotta can be substituted for the cottage cheese too. Originally this recipe called for ground beef, but I like the flavor of the sausage better.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 561 Calories; 33g Fat (52.3% calories from fat); 29g Protein; 38g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 83mg Cholesterol; 995mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 4 1/2 Fat.