Mac & Cheese Revisited

Everyone needs a little comfort food now and then, but we're going to leave behind the images of gooey cheddar and white pasta for a moment and think differently about macaroni and cheese. You may think that the cheddar-like substance and that white elbow mac is what makes it so good but when I saw this recipe I had to try it.

Three-Cheese Mac&Cheese

Olive Oil, 1tsp
Medium onion, chopped
Bell Peppers, chopped 2
flour, 2 tbs
garlic clove, minced
low-fat milk, 1 1/2 cups
bay leaf
Gorgonzola, crumbled 1/2 cup
Parmesan, grated 3/4 cups
salt
elbow macaroni, uncooked 2 cups (I used whole wheat.)
Mozzarella cheese
Panko breadcrumbs (aka Japanese breadcrumbs. Look in the Asian isle of your grocery store. If you don't have an Asian isle...........how are things in Iowa, anyway?)

Cook onions and peppers with oil until they are tender. Add the garlic and flour, stirring constantly. (Yes, the flour will burn if you don't keep stirring it.) Stir in milk and bay leaf. (To get bay leaf, go through your entire spice cabinet, cursing and muttering about how you should organize it because you just found two unopened bottles of cumin.) Cook milk for two minutes or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add the Gorgonzola (Yes, it is supposed to smell like that) and 1/2 cup of the parm cheese. Stir with a whisk until the cheeses melt. Fish out the bay leaf.

Preheat the oven to 375. Cook the macaroni until it's almost tender. Drain it and mix it together with the cheese. Don't worry, it will taste better than it looks. Put half of the mix into a casserole dish. (I used a 2 qt., I think). Sprinkle some of the mozzarella on the pasta and then add the rest of the mix on top of it. Add a little more mozzarella, because it can't hurt. Sprinkle the panko bread crumbs and parm cheese over the top. Cook for about 30 minutes or until the dish is bubbly and the top is toasted.

The Gorgonzola is not as overwhelming as you might think. The three cheeses come together very nicely. It's like a grown-up version of mac & cheese. Go ahead and try it.

When in Doubt, Make Some Chili

The cooks and photographer have had quite the adventure lately. We don't often get sentimental here at NGCCOT, but I am happy to report that all is well and we will be cooking as a group very soon. (Maybe this is God's way of telling Dom he needs a bigger kitchen.)

As we went our separate ways to wait out the storm, I needed a dish that could feed several people for at least three or four meals. The answer? Chili.

Ike Chili

Beans:Red Kidney Beans - 2 cans
Black Beans - 2 cans
Ranch Style Beans - 2 cans
Ro*tel Diced Tomatoes - 2 cans
Diced Tomatoes, Plain - 1 big can
2 cups broth
Meat (hamburger, turkey, venison, whatever) - 1 lb
Cayenne Pepper, pepper, salt - to taste

Put all of the beans and diced tomatoes in a pot.
Cook the meat
Put the meat in the pot
Let it simmer for a while
Test it to make sure you have the amount of seasoning that you want


I know that there is a big debate in the chili world of beans vs. no beans. Well, this chili has beans, so deal with it. It was pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Unholy or Delicious? You Decide.

While listening to an episode of Prairie Home Companion, I was shocked to learn that the Minnesota State Fair serves strange, unhealthy food. Of course, I had to have some. Along with Lingonberry ice cream and any kind of meat on a stick, you can purchase chocolate covered bacon. That's right. Bacon covered in chocolate. I consulted some reliable Minnesotans (is there any other kind?) and, yes, it is true. I think you know what happened next.





Some tricks that I learned.

1) Russian beer, preferably Baltika, helps. Seven or higher is recommended.



2) Also recommended - learning how to pour a pitcher. (Geez, Regan, it's like you never went to college or something.)



3) Cook the bacon until crispy

4) It's actually a little difficult to get the chocolate onto the bacon without a vat of chocolate for a true "dip".

5) It's really not that bad.

If you would like some bacon related items, please go here.

For a little Southern flavor, we also fried some pickle slices. Dom made the batter with flour, a few eggs, too much red pepper, salt and Baltika 7.




Because of my taunts regarding his baking skills, Dom decided to shame me by making a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. The recipe is a basic Betty Crocker creation. At first, it looks a little bit like Strawberry Celery Pie:




In the end, though, it came out very well. Good job, Dom!



Now I'm off to unclog my arteries.

Hatched

Every year at about this time chili enthusiasts flock to a small, dusty town in New Mexico called Hatch. (The peppers are much more interesting than the town, trust me.) If you aren't lucky enough to to go to Hatch, they ship tons of the chilies to overpriced gourmet grocery stores all over the country. We love those grocery stores. We decided to take advantage of the large shipment of these chilies and hatch it up!

Although not as big as the Serrano pepper, a decent sized hatch chili can be stuffed. Dom found some nutria taco meat in a box.



Add some pine nuts, cook it, and stuff it in the pepper. After some time on the grill, they were done. How about some sauce?



Hatch Chili Sauce:

Roasted Hatch Chilies, 2 Cups
Chicken or Vegetable Broth, 2 Cups
One Onion, chopped
Garlic, chopped
Salt
Pepper
Flour

For the love of God, remove the seeds from the peppers and then chop them. Saute chopped onion in olive oil until translucent. Add a tablespoon or so of the flour and stir. Add the hatch chilies and broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the sauce thickens. Add salt an pepper to taste.

Hatch chilies are not mild. Even the mild ones are not mild. This sauce is probably best enjoyed on something like plain chicken breast.






We tried a very dry French Colombard that's made by Dry Comal Creek wineries in New Braunfels, TX. It was just the right wine to put out the fires in our mouths.

We're Back!!

Product Review: Annie Chun's Sushi Kit

It looked so good sitting on the shelf that I had to try it. The kit is small but it comes with everything you need - the seaweed wrap and the rice. You provide the innards and you have yourself some sushi!

Pro: It was cheap ($3.89 a box)
Con: The rolls are very small and you can't stuff much in them.
Pro: We had Polish Cherry Vodka for dessert.

It's been quiet here at NGCCOT, but we are back! You can look forward to, or dread, future posts. In the meantime, please enjoy some wonderful food photography from Sunday.

Steak:



Nice Rack:



Sausage:



Salad:



Green Beans:

Happy New Year, etc...

As I child I never realized that the custom of eating black eyed peas on New Years Day was a Southern tradition. Having parents who were very un-Southern, I assumed this was how the whole country operated. My husband tells me, however, that this is not the case. At least for Polish families from Chicago. Here is the real info on this tradition:

The traditional meal also features Collard greens, Mustard Greens or Cabbage. This is supposed to bring good luck and financial enrichment. The peas stand for good luck, the greens symbolize paper money. Cornbread also often accompanies this meal.

These "good luck" traditions date back to the U.S. Civil War. Union troops, especially in areas targeted by General William Tecumseh Sherman, would typically strip the countryside of all stored food, crops, and livestock and destroy whatever they couldn't carry away. At that time, Northerners considered "field peas" and corn suitable only for animal fodder, and as a result didn't steal or destroy these humble foods. Many Southerners survived as a result of this mistake.

Well, there you have it. If Wikipedia says it, it must be true. We welcomed 2008 with friends and here is the good luck stew I made for the good fortune of everyone:

Black Eyed Pea Stew

2 cups dried black eyed peas
1 tbs peanut oil
3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
8 oz turkey kielbasa, cut lengthwise
4 oz Vegetable broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp ground back pepper
1 tbs cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
28 oz diced tomatoes
10 oz mustard greens

Cook onion until slightly transparent, then add the sausage. Cook until sausage is browned. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Add peas. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until peas become tender. Uncover and cook another 15 minutes so that the sauce will thicken. Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer another 10 minutes or until the peas are completely tender.

Kate's Variations

Olive Oil instead of peanut
One whole onion
Chili powder to taste instead of crushed red pepper

Yes, you can find mustard greens at your local supermarket. You just never eat them so they seem exotic, but really they are a very common cold weather crop. They are also very good for you, but don't let that discourage you from adding them to the recipe. This dish is also best served with corn bread. Of course, what doesn't taste good with cornbread?