Creamy Mac-N-Cheese (stovetop)

Creamy Mac-N-Cheese

Serves:  4 sides, (or 2 piggies).
You may want to eat the whole thing, but if you do I encourage you to seek psychological help.

INGREDIENTS A:

8 oz. dry pasta (I prefer penne over macaroni)
Water
1 tsp ksalt

INGREDIENTS B:

1 whole large egg (cracked)
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 tsp dry ground mustard
1 tsp Sriracha sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
pinch smoked paprika

INGREDIENTS C:

4 tbsp unsalted butter
4 oz. velveeta cut into cubes.

METHOD:

A: Par-cook pasta:  In 3 quart saucepan with lid add pasta.  Cover with enough water, dissolve salt, and bring to boil. Cook it until its a little more al-dente than you prefer to eat. I look for uniform color through the entire pasta shape. Underdone will still show a darker "core" when you look at it. Test it by tasting one. It should be FIRM but edible and not crunchy. Drain pasta in colander.  Keep empty saucepan hot for step C.  It will continue to cook in the next steps.

B: Prepare Liquids: In mixing bowl, whisk all ingredients until monochrome and slightly foamy.  Set aside.

C: Finish: Use the same pan from A (still hot):  Over low-med burner add butter, drained pasta, and Velveeta.  Stir to coat evenly, then add Mixture B.  Stir mixture to coat until smooth and creamy using saucepan lid to retain heat to melt Velveeta between stirs.  Taste and season salt & pepper to taste.  Can be held on low burner.

BLATHERING:

  In my very early adult life one of my standard mid-week meals was frozen fish sticks with "shells and cheese" and steamed broccoli.  While I've never developed a fondness for the powdered versions of Mac-N-Cheese, the brands with the "packet of goo" were my preferred favorite.  I liked their simplicity.  Boil some noodles and then squeeze the goo onto the hot noodles, stir, and serve.  Super easy and only one pan to clean.

  Then I learned methods for classic Bechamel (specifically it's derivative Mornay) in culinary school.  For a while I went off the deep end and with no small amount of zealotry insisted it was "the only way".  Thinking in extremes has been a pattern with me and with the advent of the new year it's time for me to recognize destructive patterns and set them aside.  This year I will forgive.  There is more than enough room at the table for more than one kind of Mac-N-Cheese.  There is certainly plenty of room in my belly.  Some may wince at the use of Velveeta and evaporated milk.  Others may twitch a little when they see it's not baked with a crispy crumby topping.  This is smooth, creamy, tangy, and comes together with minimal fuss.

Soy pickled Jalapenos

Soy-Pickled Jalapeños

Ingredients:

2 cups sliced jalapeno peppers (cut into thin rings)

3/4 cup soy sauce

2 teaspoons garlic (minced)

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar (packed)

2 limes (zested and juiced)

2 teaspoons cumin seeds (toasted and crushed)

Method:

·         Combine all ingredients in a small heavy saucepan and bring to a boil

·         Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.  Pour into a sterilized jar and seal with a lid.  Steep in refrigerator for 2 days before using.

I classify this as Fusion because the flavor profiles may seem Asian on first glance.  The end result is far more broad.  While these are good as a garnish for Udon/Ramen dishes for sure, the lime and cumin notes lend itself to South American palettes as well.  Simply awesome on nachos, tacos, and enchiladas.  These are the best pickled Jalapenos I've ever had.  The stuff in jars found in most "ethnic" aisles don't even begin to compare.

Picture forthcoming.

Enchilada Pork-stuffed Peppers

Enchilada Pork-stuffed peppers

"Farce" is the French word for stuffing.  As you can probably tell from my blog, improvising a farce and stuffing seasonal vegetables is one of my favorite ways to turn humble ingredients into delightful and satisfying main dishes.  There are a few tricks to getting stuffed veggies to work.  The key is to cook or par-cook everything first, assemble them, and then cook it off when you are ready.  I like dishes like these because in the hot days of summer I can prep it all in the morning before the house heats up.  Then, come suppertime all I have to do is top it with a little cheese and warm it up.

These beautiful bell-peppers were split in half, cleaned, and then par-roasted with a little salt and pepper for about 10 min.  Then I cooled them completely in the refrigerator.  The farce is one of ground pork sausage (browned), enchilada sauce, sweet yellow onion, garlic, rice, and a whiff of cinnamon and clove.  Again, I cool the stuffing off completely before putting them all together.

I like them served with a side of crunchy chips and a dollop of cool guacamole.  The contrast in textures, spices, and hot/cool make it fun to eat.

Lambert Cherry Tart

Fresh Lambert Cherry Tart

I recently journeyed to Jefferson, OR to celebrate a friends birthday.  We had a lovely weekend of drinks, good food, friendship, croquet, and fireside chats.  One of her trees was crammed with these bright red jewels.  Mid to late June is fresh cherry season here and the road-side stands, farmers markets, and stores are full of offerings.  For me, fresh cherries mean that summer is finally here.  She offered some up and I was happy to raid her orchard before the drive back home.  What a delight it was to drag out a ladder and pick these fresh from the tree.  By the time they were pitted I had roughly one pound (about a quart)  of fresh Lambert cherries.  They are delicious sweet/tart with a great crisp texture.

Next I had to figure out what to do?  I've worked with cherries before and felt making a pie or galette filling (exposing them to heat of baking) would diminish their natural brightness.  In my view tart cherries are the only ones with bold enough flavor to hold up to baking.  I decided to adapt a fresh cherry tart recipe I originally found on  marthastewart.com.  Of course, being me, had to tweak it.  My first substitution was in the crust.  I used the Triple Ginger Snaps from Trader Joe's in lieu of graham crackers.  By weight I ground up a little over 5 ounces.  It was just the right amount of crumbs for the 10" spring-form I used, but the amount of butter in hindsight seems a bit excessive.  One could easily dial back to 4-5 ounces butter.  For the filling, I used vanilla extract as per the recipe, but for my taste I feel almond would be better to compliment the cherries.  For the glaze I used a blackberry jam because it's what I had.  Raspberry would have been a better choice, and also instead of diluting with water I'd recommend something a bit more acidic (i.e. a sweet Gewurztraminer or Riesling).  "Dabbing" the glaze onto the cherries after they were on the tart I viewed as a waste of time and potentially messy.  I put the glaze (cooled) and the cherries in a bowl, tossed them, and drained off any excess (yum!).  In retrospect I wish I'd have doubled the volume of the ingredients for the glaze and then let them reduce.  I was impatient and wanted to devour this as soon as I could.  DEFINITELY let this chill overnight.  The results were quite tasty.

Buffalo Chicken Bake

Buffalo Chicken Bake

     I was first inspired to try this based on a Pinterest post.  Buffalo Wings have become ubiquitous bar food in the U.S.  The term "Buffalo" refers to chicken wings fried and then tossed in a vinegar, cayenne, and butter sauce.  The origins of it are unclear but it's generally assumed to have originated in Buffalo New York.  I love the flavors and crave it often - but the nutrition balance is out of whack for my personal goals.  While overall this recipe would hardly be considered "low-fat" or "low calorie" by a nutritionist, I feel it's marked improvement from what I saw in my research.  Fat and calories tallies often get kicked to the curb by many chefs in deference to flavor. I'm trying to be more sensitive.  I use real butter and real full-fat cheese, but make adjustments in volumes where I feel flavor and texture won't be compromised.

     I broke from my usual insistence on making my own sauces and pulled a bottle of Franks Wing Sauce from the pantry.  It's a product I like.  On the contrary, I find most commercial Ranch dressings to be revolting and drab.  In one place I worked I used to make ranch dressing 8 gallons at a time - all of it mayo and sour-cream based.  Opening and dispensing these bladders of pre-made mayo are to this day one of the most revolting things I've ever done in a kitchen.  Don't get me wrong, I LIKE a good mayonnaise... just not THAT brand of mayo. I thought I'd take a stab at making one from scratch and lighten it up as I went.  The result I think turned out well.

Ingredients:
~pasta:
8 oz penne rigate (dry weight)
+Water, Salt, and olive oil
~protein:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cubed 1")
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp vegetable oil
~ranch dressing:
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup no-fat greek yogurt
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup "franks wing sauce" (or more to taste)
~assembly:
1 tblp unsalted butter (+ a smidge extra to grease the dish)
1/2  yellow onion (med dice)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
6 oz blue cheese (crumbled: 4 oz for filling, 2 oz for top)
~garnish:
1/4 cup green onion (bias cut)

Method:

1. Prepare pasta per package directions.  Drain well.
2. Dry rub:  Pat chicken dry with a towel and then add to a bowl with seasonings and oil.  Stir to combine and thoroughly coat chicken.  Refrigerate while dressing is made (or at least 20min.)
3. Make dressing and start filling: In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, yogurt, and dry seasonings.  Stir in wing sauce and 2/3 of the blue cheese.  Taste check and add adjust seasonings as needed (some brands of cheese come off saltier than others).  Now is also the time to adjust amount of heat from wing sauce.
4. Complete filling:  In skillet over med-high heat.  Add chicken and brown on all sides until golden.  Remove chicken from pan (keep warm) and add to dressing mixture.  In the same hot skillet add butter.  Swirl butter to coat pan and add onion.  Sauté onion until just starting to brown.  Add garlic, mix into onion and continue to cook till garlic "blooms".  Add onion/garlic mixture to dressing/chicken mixture.  Add pasta to chicken mixture.  Stir to combine.  Add cooked pasta.  Stir to combine.
5. Bake: Butter a 9x13 glass baking dish and add chicken/pasta mixture.  Sprinkle with remaining 2oz blue cheese.  Cover with foil and bake at 375F for 20min.  Remove foil and return to oven for another 10-15 min. to get a little crisp on the pasta and melt the cheese.  Garnish with green onions and serve.

Yield:  6 servings

Stuffed Artichokes

Stuffed Artichokes - Mediterranean

Not a recipe this time... just a log of something I whipped up that turned out better than expected.  Stuffing was ground pork, onion, mint, lemon, feta, and panko.  Artichoke was grilled then stuffed and baked.  YUM!

Teriyaki Glaze

Teriyaki Glazed Chicken on a Pineapple Plank

     The word teriyaki derives from the Japanese noun teri, which refers to a shine or luster given by the sugar content in the teri, and yaki, which refers to the cooking method of grilling or broiling. Traditionally the meat is dipped in or brushed with sauce several times during cooking.  This salty-sweet sauce is delicious on fish, poultry, pork, and beef.   Basic recipes I've seen have 3 main ingredients - soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.

     Like many people these days I'm attempting to watch my intake of corn-syrup and other additives.  On a trip to the grocer the other day I found myself reading ingredient lists and many of them left me tongue-tangled and confounded.  It's no secret corn-starch and corn-syrup are widely used as thickeners but that doesn't mean I have to eat them.  I don't like the flavor, texture, or cloudiness this thickener produces.  A finished glaze should be shiny and clear.  There should be teri in your yaki!

     There are some store-brands I like, but I find the vast majority of them lack complexity (especially the cheap ones).  I prefer teriyaki with a citrusy/ginger note.  To the basic ingredients I like to add fresh ginger and citrus rinds (orange, lime, lemon, and pineapple).  I also use brown sugar instead of white.  As with many things, time is the ultimate ingredient.  When I make a glaze I let it reduce a little further than usual.  This makes a little goes a long way and if you need it thinner - you can always dilute it with water or stock.  Use it as a marinade, a glaze, or a dip.  It's fantastic.

~Ingredients:
10 oz soy sauce
5 oz mirin
5 oz rice vinegar
4 oz pineapple rind
4 oz citrus rind (orange, lemon, lime)
0.5 oz garlic (minced)
1 oz fresh ginger (minced)
6 tblsp brown sugar

~Method:

• In a large saucepan combine all ingredients and set over med-high heat until boiling.  Reduce heat to a mild simmer and let the liquids reduce and the sauce holds to the back of a spoon.  A 60% reduction yields just over a cup of finished sauce.
• Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the solids. 

~Yield:
1 cup sauce.