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.

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

Chardonnay Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

As a young single person, one of my weeknight "go-to" dishes was a tomato Alfredo sauce served over pasta.  Typically, I would reheat a bottle of commercially available sauce, and toss into it whatever pasta was in the pantry and crown it with whatever steamed vegetable  the "crisper" had to offer (usually broccoli).

My tastes have evolved since then and much has changed about my knowledge of how to extract maximum flavor from simple ingredients.  This is an ongoing project for me and I continue to refine the flavor profile.  Deconstructing what I loved about the dish I set out to develop a sauce that has a creamy texture, a strong tomato flavor, A notably boozy note, and a salty finish.

 I'm happy to introduce this as I find it a marked improvement over what you can buy commercially.  I selected Chardonnay  for this dish because I like its robust oakiness.  Any dry white wine would work.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups heavy cream

2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes (dry style, very thinly sliced)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp dried red pepper flakes

1 garlic clove (crushed)

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1/8 tsp salt

1 sweet yellow onion (peeled, thin pole to pole slices)

1 garlic clove (minced)

1 ounce tomato paste

8 ounces chardonnay

8 ounces tomato juice

2 ounces Parmigiano Regiano (finely grated)

white roux

Method:  

1. Infuse the cream:  In a small saucepan over low heat combine cream, bay leaf, red pepper flakes and 1 crushed garlic clove.  Bring to scald, lower heat, and reduce to about 1 cup volume.  Remove bay leaf and keep warm.  
2. Caramelize aromatics:  In a large sateuse, heat olive oil over medium heat.  When oil is ready add onions and toss lightly with salt to draw out the moisture.  Saute onions until they start to caramelize.  Add minced garlic and stir to combine.  If garlic begins to burn, reduce heat.  Add a bit more oil to the pan if things get too dry.    
3. Deglaze, reduce, and thicken sauce: When the onions and garlic have caramelized, add the tomato paste and stir well.  Heat for about 1 minute or until the tomato paste begins to stick to the pan.  Deglaze the pan with the wine, scrape the suc from the pan.  Add warm cream mixture and tomato juice, stirring well.  Heat through and thicken with white roux and reduce to desired consistency.  Remove from heat and stir in the cheese a little at a time.  
4. Serve over hot al-dente pasta.