Mario Batali's Baked Ziti

Mario, I love you. No, seriously, I really love you. After making your baked ziti this past weekend, I realized that a chubby bearded man wearing orange clogs is what Ive been looking for all along.

I decided that before I attempt to embrace my healthy New Year resolutions, I would go out with a bang. Mario's baked ziti was just what we were looking for . I've been eating numerous variations of ziti for a very long time. Most of them, blahhhhh. I always hope for something special, perhaps a little basciamella, fresh mozzarella, nope never. Its always the same, an aluminum tray of ho mum overcooked ziti sitting on top of a whimpy Sterno flame. Well, Mario changes all of that, introducing Mario's Ziti al Telefono.

• 1 pound ziti(Cooked al dente, drain and rinse under cool water)
• 2 cups tomato sauce (I used a jarred sauce called Patsy's)
• 2 cups besciamella (directions below)
• 1 pound of fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano

Basciamella

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup flour

3 cups of whole milk

1 to 2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the flour, stirring till light golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking constantly. Cook till thickened, about 10 minutes, remove from heat. Season with salt and nutmeg, let cool.

Place drained cooked ziti in a large bowl. Add the tomato sauce, basciamella, mozzarella and Parmigiano to the ziti. Mix and stir well. I divided the pasta into 8 individual gratin dishes. A 9 by 13 dish works great as well. Bake for 20 minutes until bubbling and crusty on top. Serve immediately.