The Ultimate Macaroni & Cheese!

Now we all love macaroni and cheese, and I've done a recipe or two on macaroni and cheese in the past, but this has to be, by far, my favorite recipe for homemade macaroni and cheese. I've been making it for years, and it's always a crowd pleaser!

I made this special treat for my birthday, since it fell on Good Friday this year, and being the good Catholic boy that I am, was barred from eating meat that day. I also added a special addition to this version, just for my birthday!

This is a dish that will appeal more towards the adult crowd, but kids should love it just as well, and the leftovers are even better!


Ingredients:


8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter plus more for dish
6 slices good white bread crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
4 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 18 ounces)(I used a mix of Vermont White, and extra sharp cheddar cheese)
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces)
1 pound elbow macaroni
8 oz cooked lobster meat (imitation lobster meat is perfectly fine too!), torn into chunks (optional)


Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish (or two 1.5-quart casserole dishes); set aside. Place bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set breadcrumbs aside.


In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat.

When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups of the cheddar cheeses, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere.

Set cheese sauce aside while you prepare the macaroni.

Fill a large saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. Transfer macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well.

Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce, and if using, gently fold in the lobster chunks. Because I would be serving this to my mother, as well, who suffers from a severe seafood allergy, I divided the macaroni and cheese in two halves, and only added the lobster to one half of the macaroni and cheese.

Pour mixture into prepared dish. I'm using two 1-1/2 qt baking dishes since I divided in half. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheeses, 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and breadcrumbs over top.

Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes.

Serve hot as a delicious lunch, first or main course or just whenever you're craving the ultimate in comfort food!

The leftovers are just as good and if you're looking for a unique twist on leftover macaroni and cheese, why not fry it!

Leftover macaroni and cheese, refrigerated at least overnight.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 egg beaten with 2 ounces water
1 cup panko bread crumbs
Oil for deep frying, preheated to 375 degrees

Cut refrigerated macaroni and cheese into slices or bite size pieces.
Season the flour with salt, pepper and cayenne.

Dredge each piece through the flour and gently tap off excess.

Dip in the egg wash and then coat with the bread crumbs.

Allow them to rest for 5 minutes so the crust can set. Very carefully drop into the oil and fry until golden brown.

Remove to a baking sheet fitted with a rack and rest for 2 minutes before serving.

Layered Pizza Pasta Salad

Find yourself looking for another uniquely different dish? Want something out of the ordinary to take to the summer BBQ/Pot-Luck? Here's a pasta salad that's a twist on take-out and everyone is going to enjoy!

Layered Pizza Pasta Salad
1 box (16 oz) rotini pasta (I like using the tri-color rotini)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
2 Roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 package (3.5 oz) sliced pepperoni
1 container (8 oz) fresh mozzarella ciliegini (cheese balls), drained and halved
3 green onions, with tops, sliced
1/2 cup sliced pimento-stuffed green olives
1 cup zesty Italian dressing
1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook and drain pasta as according to package instructions. Rinse with cold water to cool; drain.

In a 3 or 4 qt clear bowl (unfortunately, mine is not so clear, but it's all I had), layer 4 cups pasta, 1/2 teaspoon Italian season, then in order red bell pepper, tomatoes, green bell pepper, remaining pasta, remaining 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, the pepperoni, mozzarella, green onions and olives.

Pour dressing over salad; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and refrigerate 2 hours.

Stir just before serving!

Radish Pasta

Here's another quick & easy summer time meal that's light and delicious! This recipe utilizes all the wonderful "French Breakfast Radishes" I grew in my garden this year. Makes a great lunch or light dinner. This dish also uses the radishes greens which are very good for you. If you can't find radishes with their greens attached, you can substitute a few handfuls of baby spinach.

All you need to put this together is:

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 pound of linguine or other long pasta
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 large bunch of radishes, thinly sliced, greens rinsed well and roughly chopped.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot. Add 2 Tablespoons butter and toss until butter is melted; keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 1 Tablespoon butter over medium-high. Add garlic and radishes and cook, stirring occasionally, until radishes are crisp-tender, 3 minutes.

Add radish greens and cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

Add to the pasta and stir to combine. Add enough of the reserved pasta water to create a light sauce that coats pasta. Now, if you'd really like to make this a meal, in that same skillet, melt another Tablespoon of butter and toss in 1 pound of peeled and deveined shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until opaque throughout, 4 minutes. Add shrimp to the pasta and toss.

To serve along with this, I sliced up a baguette into "crostini", toasted them, quickly, rubbed them with a cut clove of garlic, sprinkled some shredded smoked mozzarella cheese on them, put them back under a broiler just to melt the cheese.

Serve this along with the pasta and enjoy!

Is it too early to think about Spring Picnics?

I certainly don't think it's too early to think about Spring, especially when it's only 18 degrees outside.
The thing I love the most about picnics are the many different "picnic salads" there are. I enjoy those more so than the main fare.

Today I felt like making one of my favorite picnic salads, which is a creamy pasta salad with tuna. Just love the combination of flavors as well as textures and since shell pasta is used, the best part is when you bite into a shell and it's filled with a pea and a bit of tuna. It's like a little tasty surprise!

1. Start out by cooking 1lb of small or medium shell pasta in 4 quarts of boiling water, about 8-10 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water and drain again. Allow pasta to cool.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the pasta, 2 cups of frozen peas (thawed), a can of tuna that has been drained and flaked up (Canned, chunk chicken breast may be used in place of tuna), 4-6 ribs of finely sliced celery, a small yellow or red onion, finely diced and 1 cup of regular or light mayonnaise. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix thoroughly. Cover and chill! This also makes a nice main course for lunch.

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and Arugula.

Here's another "Dinner 1-2-3" from the January/February, 2010 issue of Everyday Food Magazine.
Not only is this dish comforting on these cold winter nights, it's also delicious and healthy too! This dish takes about 30 minutes, from start to finish!

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place 2 pints of grape tomatoes, 4 unpeeled cloves of garlic, 3 shallots that have been cut into eighths. 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss with 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and season with coarse salt and pepper.
Roast until tomatoes burst, shallots are browned, and garlic is soft, 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook 1 lb of rigatoni until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.

3. Peel roasted garlic and mash with the flat side of a chef's knife. Add to pasta pot, along with vegetables, 1/3 cup of pitted olives (such as Nicoise), coarsely chopped, and pasta water. Cook over medium-high heat until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Let cool slightly, then toss with arugula.

To give this healthy recipe an extra boost of fiber, use whole-wheat pasta!

Dinner Idea For Some Of That Leftover Holiday Ham!

Need a quick and easy way to use up some of that holiday ham? Try this delicious dinner dish: Bow-Ties with Peas & Ham

The entire meal takes 20 minutes, from start to finish! All you need is an onion, some frozen peas, cream, a box of bow-tie pasta and some left over ham cut into strips!

Like all pasta dishes, get that water boiling and start cooking that pasta! You'll want it al dente! When cooked, drain and return to pot.
Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan, melt 3 tbls. of unsalted butter over medium heat and cook your onions until soft, about 3-4 minutes.

Next add the peas and cream, stir and simmer until it's slightly thickened, another 3-4 minutes.

Now, toss in your cooked ham strips, and simmer just til the ham is heated through, about 1-2 minutes.

Mix that sauce with the pasta and serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese on top!

Spaghetti Carbonara -Super Quick Meal In Minutes!

Spaghetti carbonara is an Italian pasta dish based on eggs, parmesan or pecorino romano cheese, guanciale, and black pepper. The dish was created in the middle of the 20th century.

The recipes vary, though all agree that cheese (parmesan, pecorino, or a combination), egg yolks (or whole eggs), cured fatty pork, and black pepper are basic. Guanciale is the most traditional meat, but pancetta is also used. In the US, it is often made with American bacon. I used bacon in this recipe.

The first thing you want to do is get that pot of salted water boiling and cook your spaghetti.

In a large skillet cook the bacon until just crispy. Remove from the heat and drain off some of the fat.

When the pasta is ready, drain and add to the skillet with the bacon. Whisk together eggs, cheese and freshly ground black pepper in a bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the pasta and combine thoroughly. The residual heat from the pasta will cook the eggs.

Serve immediately with extra grated cheese.

This is another fantastic recipe from "Mad Hungry - Feeding Men & Boys" by Lucinda Scala-Quinn

Spaghetti Bolognese - A Manly Meat Sauce

A great weekend meal, this hearty sauce has it all! Your meat, veggies and dairy, served atop spaghetti, or any pasta of your choice, and you have something from all 4 food groups!
This recipe comes from my new favorite cookbook, "Mad Hungry-Feeding Men & Boys"
The sauce is made up of ground beef or a combination of ground beef & pork, pancetta, carrots, celery, onion, red wine, cream, tomatoes & spices!

Start by heating olive oil in a pan and adding the onion, carrot and celery (commonly known in French cooking as a Mirepoix) to saute'.

Then you add the beef and pancetta and cook until browned.

Next comes the wine, then the rest of the ingredients! Gently simmer for about 40 minutes until the sauce has thickened!

About 10 minutes before the sauce is done, cook your spaghetti.

Right when the sauce is finished, stir in a little butter and serve the sauce over pasta with some freshly grated parmesan cheese!

More Comfort Food For Thought!!!

As a child, growing up, my mother used to make the best tuna cassarole; well in my opinion it is!
From my understanding, most tuna cassaroles start out with a Bechamel or white sauce, then some type of cream soup is added along with tuna and seasonings, combined with noodles, topped with bread crumbs or crushed potato chips and baked off in the oven. Mom made hers, a little "unorthodoxed" in a way, completely on the stove top, no topping, no baking! One pot, ready in minutes, and so comforting!

Try making this version of this "potluck pleaser", it's so simple! You can also leave the tuna out altogether for a great vegetarian version.

First thing is to get a large pot of boiling salted water going, and cook a pound of egg noodles, drain and return to thier pot.

Now on to making a Bechamel Sauce! This basic sauce takes about 5 minutes to make, and is then ready for the addition of flavors or enrichments.

In a sauce pan melt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter over low heat. Blend in 6 tablespoons of flour, and cook slowly, stirring, until the butter and flour froth together for 2 minutes without coloring. This is now a white roux.

Remove roux from heat. As soon as roux has stopped bubbling, pour in 4 cups of milk, that's been heated to just below a boil, with a 1/4 teaspoon of salt added to it, all at once. Immediately beat vigorously with a whip to blend the liquid and roux, gathering in all the bits of roux from the inside edges of the pan.

Set saucepan over moderately high heat and stir with a whip until the sauce comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring.

Remove from heat and beat in salt & pepper to taste.

The finished sauce should coat the back of a spoon and leave a "line" when you draw your finger across the back of the spoon.

To the Bechamel, you add one can of cream of mushroom soup, stirring to incorporate the soup completely.

Add one can of tuna (or canned white meat chicken for those with seafood allergies) that's been drained well. Adjust seasonings. I also like to sometimes add sliced fresh mushrooms and a cup of frozen peas, thawed.

Combine the sauce with the egg noodles and you're done! Dish it out and enjoy!!