Cajun Macaroni and Cheese

Hello! 

The weather has been running hot and cold here.  Literally!  I guiltily turned the central air on last week when the house just didn't cool down enough for our preferred sleeping temperature. 

After sleeping for 10 years above an uninsulated front porch (the "summer porch" a lot of older homes had, which is basically a room that's almost all windows, so you can catch a breeze in the summer heat), we REALLY have come to like a cold room.  This is definitely not the usual November weather- some days have been in the high 60's, and today is a much colder 34.

During one of the cold days, Jeffrey decided to write up a recipe we've been enjoying for a year or so. This is his own recipe, arrived at through trial and error.  Every batch was just a little bit better!

Cajun Macaroni and Cheese is definitely not an inexpensive comfort food because of all the cheese, but the taste is so good that every time I bring a container for lunch, someone in my office comments on how good is smells.  It tastes even better!

And as usual, we make massive amounts, because even with all the cheese, this recipe freezes very well.  If you're going to go to all the trouble of putting this together, you might as well be able to enjoy your hard work for awhile!

-Juli

Cajun Macaroni and Cheese

yield = 14-16 servings

Topping:

5 -6 slices fresh bread

1 cup grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

4 tablespoons minced parsley

½ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

½ teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika

¼ teaspoon sea salt

4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

24 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced

1 large onion, minced

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 pounds elbow macaroni

Sauce:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour, divided

6 cups milk, divided

1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

8 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded

1 pound American cheese, shredded

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika

¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¾ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Directions:

Prepare two 9x13 casserole dishes by spraying with nonstick cooking spray.

Topping:

Process bread into unevenly-sized crumbs.    Combine bread crumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, black pepper, paprika and salt in a medium mixing bowl.  Pour the melted butter on top of the bread crumb mixture and stir to combine.  Set aside.

Melt 1 tbsp butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add sliced Andouille sausage and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the sausage is lightly browned and the onion is translucent (5-6 minutes).  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Transfer sausage mixture to a bowl, cover and set aside.

 

Start water boiling and prepare the macaroni according to package directions.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sauce:

Start at about the same time you start the water boiling for the macaroni.

In the same Dutch oven used to cook the sausage and onions, melt 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat.  When the butter is bubbling, add ¼ cup of the flour and whisk to combine.  Whisk in the rest of the flour, ¼ cup at a time, to make a roux.   Whisk in one cup of milk and whisk until smooth.  Whisking constantly, add two more cups of milk, one cup at a time, until smooth.   Cook until slightly thickened (about 2 minutes), then add the final 3 cups of milk and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce starts to thicken (about 10 minutes). 

Reduce heat to medium-low, then add the grated cheddar and gruyere cheeses 1 cup at a time, whisking until smooth before adding the next cup.  Repeat until all of the cheddar and gruyere are incorporated into the sauce, then repeat with the American cheese.  Whisk in the Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, paprika, cayenne, black pepper and salt.   Remove from heat.

Assembly:

Drain the macaroni.    Divide the macaroni and the sausage mixture evenly between the two casserole dishes,  add half of the sauce into each casserole, then stir to combine.  Sprinkle half of the topping mixture over each casserole, then transfer to the preheated oven.

Cook for 35 minutes, rotating the casserole dishes once during cooking.  Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes.  Serve.  

We like to package the leftovers into sandwich-sized freezer-safe containers.  This size is good for an individual work-day lunch.  Microwave and enjoy!

Pasta with Mushroom Marinara Sauce

I'm posting a lot later than usual due to us being really busy lately, but tonight's post is about a new dish I tossed together tonight.  It's a completely original recipe, one that came together in my mind this morning as I thought about what I was going to make tonight.

In designing this recipe, I was going for a greater depth of flavor than one usually gets from a simple red sauce.   Toward that purpose, I used flavorful porcini mushrooms in addition to the common button mushroom, I cooked down a bit of red wine, and I added three somewhat unusual ingredients, namely anchovy fillets, a bit of Worcestershire sauce and a bit of Parmesan rind.  Parmesan rind is more typically used in soups, but it blended nicely into this sauce, providing a nice bit of richness. 

I'm really pleased with the results.  With all the mushrooms and the rich, thickened sauce, this was nicely filling without meat.  I used campanelle, so the pasta shapes would hold the bits of mushroom nicely, but pretty much any pasta, including spaghetti, would be fine for this dish.  Served up with a salad, this made for a really nice, and pretty fast, dinner.

Pasta with Mushroom Marinara Sauce

yield = 6 servings

3            tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1            medium onion, minced
12          ounces button mushrooms, sliced
1            ounce dried porcini mushrooms, soaked and chopped
2            teaspoons minced garlic
1/2         teaspoon dried basil
1/2         teaspoon dried oregano
1/2         teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/4         teaspoon table salt + 1 teaspoon with pasta
1/4         teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2         cup Merlot (or other red wine)
1            can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1            can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes
1            ounce anchovy fillets
1            ounce Parmesan cheese rind, chopped.
1            tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1            pound campanelle or other pasta
              freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Heat olive oil to shimmering in a large skillet.  Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened.  Add the button and porcini mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have given off their moisture and said moisture has cooked off.  Add garlic, basil, oregano, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the garlic is fragrant (about 45 seconds).   Add Merlot and cook until the wine has cooked down about halfway.   Add whole and crushed tomatoes, anchovy fillets, Parmesan rind and Worcestershire sauce.  Break up the tomatoes with the side of a wooden spoon and stir to mix.  Simmer until nicely thickened, about 1/2 hour.

Meanwhile, add the remaining salt to a large pot with 4 quarts of water.  Bring to a boil, add pasta and cook per package directions (10-11 minutes for al dente, in the case of campanelle).  Drain pasta, top portions of pasta with sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese and serve.

Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Prosciutto

The June 2011 issue of Bon Appetit featured a pasta recipe that looked pretty good.  The recipe called for baking cherry tomatoes for several hours at low heat to intensify and concentrate, their flavors, making a quick sauce by crushing and boiling some more tomatoes, and adding seasonings and the baked tomatoes befoe stirring in the pasta.  I've thought about making that recipe for awhile now (ever since I read the issue, really), but ultimately I decided to use some ideas from the recipe to make something quite different of my own.

I used a mix of cherry and grape tomatoes from our garden for this recipe.  Our tomato plants have been giving us more tomatoes than we've been able to keep up with, so this recipe provided a good opportunity to use some of that bounty.  The basil and chili peppers were also from our garden.   I used two fresh chilis and one garden-grown, dried one. 

This pasta turned out to be wonderfully delicious.  Cooking the nearly-done pasta with the sauce and some of the reserved pasta water resulted in the finished pasta having absorbed a lot of the flavors and being well-coated by the sauce.  Roasting the tomatoes really did concentrate and sweeten their flavor.  The chili peppers gave the dish just a bit of bite, while the proscuitto and Parmigiano-Reggiano added a savory element and more depth of flavor.  All in all, this made for a very satisfying meal.   It does take a bit of time to roast the tomatoes, but you needn't pay much attention to the oven during that time, and the effort is well worth it for this delicious a dish.

Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Prosciutto

yield = 4 servings

6            cups cherry or grape tomatoes
3            tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1            large pinch kosher salt
1            tablespoon table salt
2            small onions, finely chopped
3            fresh or dried red chili peppers, finely minced
3            ounces thin-sliced prosciutto, chopped
2            teaspoons minced garlic
1/2         teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
12          ounces spaghetti (or other pasta of choice)
3/4         cup freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1            cup fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.   Place two cups of tomatoes in an 8x8x2" glass baking dish.  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, stir and sprinkle with a large pinch of kosher salt.  Roast, stirring occasionally for 4-5 hours.

Heat a pot of water and one tablespoon table salt to boiling.  Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.   When the oil is shimmering, add the onions and chilis.  Cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft and starting to brown.   Add prosciutto and cook, stirring often, until slightly crisped.  Stir in garlic and black pepper, cook 1 minute, then add the remaining 4 cups of tomatoes.  Cook, stirring frequently and mashing tomatoes with a potato masher, until the sauce has thickened and little liquid remains.  Stir in the roasted tomatoes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta until not quite done per package instructions.  Reserve 2 cups pasta water, then drain the pasta.   Add the pasta and half of the grated Parmesan to the skillet with the tomato mixture.  Add 1/2 cup pasta water and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is done to desired tenderness.

Transfer to a serving bowl.   Add and stir in basil and top with the remaineder of the cheese.  Serve.

Spaghetti al Vino Blanco

Back when I joined the Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country websites, I signed up to do recipe testing, as part of the "Friends of CI" program.   A few days ago, we finally recieved an invitation to take part in the program, and to taste-test a recipe that may show up in a future issue of Cook's Illustrated.   The recipe was for Spaghetti al Vino Blanco.

As you might guess from the title, the dish is, essentially, spaghetti cooked in white wine.  The dish also includes Swiss chard and a fairly large amount of Parmesan cheese, plus some pine nuts and seasonings.  CI's stated goal for this recipe is "A simple yet unusual pasta dish that is flavorful and easy to prepare."  

This recipe achieves that goal, and then some.

I can't include the recipe here, since it isn't mine to share, but I can talk about the ingredients and the preparation, show you some pictures and share our thoughts about the recipe.

The first thing you do in preparing this recipe is to saute some chopped Swiss chard in olive oil.  After transferring the cooked chard to a plate, you cook some garlic and red pepper flakes in more oil, then add 1 1/2 cups of white wine and cook to reduce the wine to a half-cup.  

Meanwhile, you boil some water and start to cook a pound of spaghetti, but before it is done you transfer it into the skillet with the wine reduction, add more wine a bit at a time and cook, tossing the pasta more or less constantly, until the spaghetti is done. 

You then return the chard to the skillet, stir in some Parmesan and a bit of butter, then top with toasted pine nuts and more Parmesan before serving. 

The recipe instructions were clear and concise, and the dish was quite easy to make.   As to unusual... well, I don't know about you, but I've never made a Pasta dish that required an entire bottle of wine as an essential ingredient!

I used a sauvignon blanc for this dish, and as usual I used real Parmigiano-Reggiano instead of domestic Parmesan or the stuff from the green can.  These, along with the pine nuts, imparted the dish with a rich flavor, one unlike any other pasta dish I've ever had.

We had never cooked anything with Swiss chard before making this recipe, and we found out right away that Juli doesn't like Swiss Chard very much.   She loved the other aspects of the dish, and after picking out the chard and tossing the pasta with some fresh-chopped tomatoes, she had a very satisfying dinner.  I liked the chard just fine, and quite enjoyed the dish.

Not being vegetarians, we both found the Spaghetti al Vino Blanco to be a bit lacking as a meal in and of itself.  Despite lots of flavor and the presence of good portions of cheese and some pine nuts, we would have found it a lot more satisfying had it been served along with a pork or lamb chop, chicken, or perhaps shrimp or fish.   That says more about our eating habits than it does the recipe, though.  On its own terms, the recipe is quite good.

I'm not sure how much revision (if any) this recipe will go through before it's published in CI, but I think it's pretty good as is.   I might make Spaghetti al Vino Blanco again as written, but more likely I'll use some aspects of the cooking technique (such as finishing cooking the pasta in wine) along with some other ingredients.  Meanwhile, I'll look forward to hopefully testing out some more future CI recipes.

Spaghetti with Pancetta, Mushrooms and Basil

The May 2011 issue of Bon Appetit included a feature article on cooking restaurant-quality pasta dishes, plus several recipes.  The article included several good tips and techniques, including the observation that while home recipes often specify one making the sauce, cooking the pasta separately then serving the sauce atop the pasta, in restaurants the pasta is often cooked until nearly done, then added to the pan or skillet with the sauce along with a bit of extra liquid to finish cooking.  This results in the pasta absorbing some of the flavors from the sauce, and in it being more evenly coated with the sauce.

I decided to try out the article's suggestions, and after studying the sample recipes to get a sense how the cooking techniques were put into action, I tossed together a recipe of my own featuring pancetta, mushrooms and garden-fresh basil. 

I should note that the pancetta I used was La Quercia brand.  La Quercia, based in Norwalk, Iowa, produces a selection of Italian-style dry-cured artisan meats.  The company has gotten a lot of favorable reviews in the food press, including exceptional reviews in Bon Appetit, Cook's Illustrated, Fine Cooking, The New York Times and even Vogue.  In the Des Moines area, La Quercia meats can be found, among other places, in the better Hy-Vee and Dahls supermarkets.  The brand is also available in Whole Foods stores and many premium markets. The pancetta was certainly excellent in this dish.

In fact, the entire dish was excellent.  The rich taste of the pancetta, the earthy flavor of the mushrooms and the savory cheese and fresh basil provided the sauce with tons of flavor.  As promised in the Bon Appetit article, the cooking method resulted in some of this flavor being absorbed into the pasta, as opposed to the pasta simply being topped with flavorful sauce.   This made for a wonderfully satisfying meal. 

I should note that the picture above was taken before I remembered to sprinkle the pasta with the basil and grated cheese.  It would have been great even without those final touches, but adding them pushed it to another level of flavor excellence.

That article turned out to have a lot of great advice, and unless you're already cooking pasta dishes on par with those offered at the better Italian restaurants, I'd strongly recommend tracking down a copy of that issue of Bon Appetit, or at very least the article on pages 136-143. 

Spaghetti with Pancetta, Mushrooms and Basil

yield = 4 servings

2              tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3              ounces pancetta, chopped
1/2           teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2           teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1              medium onion, grated
8              ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced
3              teaspoons minced garlic
1              can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, pureed
2              teaspoons table salt
12            ounces spaghetti
1/4           cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1              tablespoon butter, chilled
1/4           cup fresh basil, chopped

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Add pancetta and cook, stirring often, until crisp and lightly browned.   Add red pepper flakes and black pepper, stir for 10 seconds, then add onion.  Cook, stirring often, until the onion is starting to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid and release in size. 

When the excess mushroom liquid has cooked off, add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then stir in the the pureed tomato puree.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.

While the sauce simmers, add table salt and 4 quarts of water to a large pan or stock pot.  Bring to a boil and add the spaghetti.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until 2 minutes prior to the pasta being done, or al dente, per package instructions.  Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. 

Add drained past to the skillet and toss with tongs to coat.  Add the reserved cooking water and cook until the pasta is al dente (about 2 minutes).  Remove from heat.  Add butter and 1/2 of the Pecorino and toss until the cheese melts.   Serve, sprinkling individual servings with basil and the remaining cheese.

Jeffrey and Juli's Basil, Feta and Tomato Pasta Salad

This is a great salad for summer time, especially when home-grown tomatoes are ripe.  It would be a great dish to bring to a potluck- the recipe makes a lot and the ingredients are fairly inexpensive.  If you grow your own tomatoes and basil, as we do, really the only expense is for the feta cheese and a pound of pasta.

Now, our tomatoes are nowhere close to the eating stage.  They're still pretty little yellow flowers at the moment!  But we couldn't wait for our homegrown tomatoes to make this tasty side dish.

Jeffrey took my original recipe and greatly improved it by adding some heat from crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, and black pepper.  We'll be serving this pasta salad a lot! 

Jeffrey and Juli's Basil, Feta and Tomato Pasta Salad

yield - 6-8 servings

4                 quarts water
1                 teaspoon table salt
1                 pound medium shell pasta (or campanelle,
                     farfalle or other shapes, to preference)
1                 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
8                 ounces feta cheese, diced
1/2              cup chopped fresh basil
1/4              cup extra-virgin olive oil
2                 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2              teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2              teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper


Add water and salt to a large pot.  Bring water to a boil, add pasta and cook per directions until al dente.  Drain pasta and add to a large bowl.

Add tomatoes, feta cheese, basil, olive oil, garlic and black pepper to the bowl with the pasta.  Toss to thoroughly mix.  Serve as is, or refrigerate and serve cold.

Chicken and Farfalle with Creamy Sherry-Mushroom Sauce

This recipe is adapted from one I found at My Gourmet Connection for Chicken with Farfalle, Mushrooms and Sherry Cream.  I liked the basic idea of that recipe, but I wanted a richer mushroom flavor and a somewhat more seasoned sauce, so I made a few changes to produce the recipe below.

The bold mushroom flavor is what really stands out in this dish.  The creamy sauce is mild, but it doesn't lack for flavor, and transferring the almost-done farfalle into the skillet with the sauce results in the pasta being not just coated with the sauce, but actually taking some flavor into the pasta.  Topped with tender slices of chicken, this makes for a really nice, satisfying meal.

Chicken and Farfalle with Creamy Sherry-Mushroom Sauce

yield = 6 servings

1 1/2           teaspoons table salt
1/3              cup all-purpose flour
1/2              teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/4              teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1 1/2           pounds chicken breast, sliced lengthwise into
                     strips
3                 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1                 large onion, sliced crosswise to form rings
8                 ounces crimini (baby portabello) mushrooms, sliced
8                 ounces white (button) mushrooms, sliced
3                 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2              teaspoon dried thyme
12               ounces farfalle
3/4              cup sherry
3/4              cup low-sodium chicken broth
3                 tablespoons heavy cream
3                 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Add four quarts of water and 1 teaspoon of table salt to a large pot and bring the water to a boil. 

Meanwhile, combine the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper and paprika in a shallow dish or bowl.  Add 1/3 of the chicken pieces, stir/turn to cover the chicken on all sides, shake off excess flour and transfer the coated chicken pieces to a plate.  Continue with the remainder of the chicken pieces, then set aside.

Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  When the oil is shimmering, add half of the chicken pieces and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides (about 6 minutes total).  Transfer the cooked chicken pieces to a plate lined with paper towels.  Repeat with the rest of the chicken, then set aside.  Pour off the oil and wipe the pan clean.

Add the final tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and heat it to shimmering, then add the onion and saute until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. 

Add the mushrooms and continue cooking, stirring often.  Cook until the mushrooms have given up their liquid and started to brown, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and thyme and cook 1 minute. 

Meanwhile, add the farfalle to the boiling water and cook it about one minute less than suggested by package directions.

Add the sherry and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer, then.  Cook, turning the chicken often, until the pan liquid is starting to thicken and coat the chicken pieces.  Again transfer the chicken to a plate. 

Stir the cream and parsely into the sauce and cook 2-3 minutes.  Taste, season with additional salt and pepper if desired, then add the farfalle to the pan.  Cook, stirring often, until the sauce is thick and the farfalle is tender and fully-cooked.

Transfer portions of the sauce-coated farfalle to plates and top with portions of the chicken pieces.  Serve.

Sesame Shrimp with Asparagus and Basil

Today's recipe is one I came up with by deciding to toss together several of my favorite foods and flavors - shrimp, asparagus, pasta, basil, sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce, lime juice and rice wine - in one dish.  It isn't really an Asian dish, despite the presence of a variety of typically Asian seasonings and ingredients.  It isn't even representative enough of any specific cuisines to really qualify as a fusion dish.  It really is just a hodge-podge.   It's still darn good, though.

Technique-wise, this recipe is pretty basic.   Cook some pasta, heat up some oil, fry the asparagus and shrimp in the oil, add some aromatic seasonings, stir in some liquid ingredients to make a sauce, stir the pasta and some basil in after the sauce thickens, then add a garnish and serve.  It comes together quickly - everything else can be prepared and made in the time it takes to get the water boiling and cook the pasta - and the whole dish requires only two pans, so clean-up is also easy. 

So, if you are looking for a quick, easy recipe that delivers tender-crisp asparagus, perfectly-cooked shrimp and noodles, all brought together with a savory sauce, this one might be just what you're looking for.  Give it a try.

Sesame Shrimp with Asparagus and Basil

yield = 4 servings

12            ounces thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta
3/4           cup low-sodium chicken broth
2              tablespoons soy sauce
2              tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
1              tablespoon mirin (rice wine)
1              tablespoon soy sauce
3              teaspoons sesame oil
1              tablespoon peanut oil
1 1/2        pounds asparagus spears, trimmed and cut
                  into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2        pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1              tablespoon fresh, peeled and grated ginger
2              teaspoons minced garlic
1/4           teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4           cup fresh basil, thinly-sliced
1              tablespoon black (or ordinary) sesame seeds

Add four quarts water and 1 teaspoon table salt to a large pot.  Bring to a boil, add pasta, cook per package directions then drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, add chicken broth, soy sauce, lime juice, mirin, corn starch and 1 teaspoon sesame oil to a small bowl.  Stir together to combine, then set aside.

Add the peanut oil and two teaspoons sesame oil to a large skillet over medium heat.  When the oil is shimmering, add the asparagus pieces and stir-fry, stirring often, 3-4 minutes. 

Add the shrimp, cook on one side for about 2 minutes, then turn the shrimp and cook another minute. 

Clear a spot in the middle of the skillet and add the ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes. 

Cook about 45 seconds, then stir in the chicken broth mixture and cook until the sauce thickens (about 1 minute).  Stir in the cooked pasta.   Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the basil and sesame seeds.   Serve.

Note:
When I made this recipe, I didn't have any Thai basil handy, but if you have some, using Thai basil in place of ordinary, sweet basil would give the dish a more distinctly Asian flavor.