CHEESE MONGER'S MAC & CHEESE

This recipe comes from Bon Appetit 2007.  So I've had it for 7 years without trying it.  Hmm.  I suspect that's partly because I like my usual recipe so much.  But I kept it for a reason, right?  So I thought I'd try it and see if it is better or even just different from our usual version.  One thing you can see right away is that it's divided into individual portions right away, which is actually kind of handy.  I did cook all of them, but then when they cooled, I double wrapped some of them for freezing, and single wrapped the remainder for lunches, which worked quite well.  So I may borrow that idea if nothing else.  The cheese used are a little sophisticated for my grandson, and he's often the one I'm thinking of when I make this.  I've taken to puree-ing carrots and spinach and hiding it in the cheese sauce (luckily he's not able to detect the unusual color yet).  But, for a grown-up, this is a nice take on an old favorite.

Cheese Monger's Mac & Cheese

1 1/2 cups coarsely grated Gruyere cheese
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 6 ounces)
1 1/2 cups diced rindless Brie (freeze for about 20 minutes before you cube it)
5 Tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 cup AP flour
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4 cups whole milk
Salt and pepper

1 3/4 cups fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless French bread

1 pound penne pasta

Mix all cheeses.

Set aside 1 cup for topping; cover and chill.

Cook pasta until it is al dente in a dutch oven or large pasta pot.  Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.

Shred french bread in food processor to about this size crumb:

Melt 1 Tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add breadcrumbs; toss.  Stir until golden, about 2-4 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl.

In the dutch oven, melt 4 Tablespoons butter over medium heat.  Add flour and stir until mixture turns golden brown, about 4 minutes.

Add thyme and nutmeg.

Gradually whisk in milk.

Simmer until thickened and smooth, stirring often, about 4 minutes.  Add cheeses from large bowl.

Stir until melted and smooth.

Pour pasta into cheese sauce

and toss to coat evenly.

Divide among eight 1 1/4-cup custard cups.  Sprinkle with 1 cup reserved cheese.  Place cups on rimmed baking sheet.

Sprinkle breadcrumbs over pasta.

Bake pasta until beginning to bubble and tops are golden, about 20 minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

LEBANESE LAMB CHOPS WITH LEMONY LETTUCE

I tried this a few weeks ago, and it was such a hit with the diners that I decided to make it again when we had guests on Sunday.  This is an excellent dish when you have company, because there is really very little prep time and you can pull it together very quickly at the end.  We served a squash and apple bisque for a first course, and I even got to join the guests to eat it!  While they were enjoying their wine, I spent about 20 minutes doing the actually grilling, and was back to join them again.  Plus, the spice mix on the lamb chips is very nice, with mild heat but a lot of flavor.  So, give these a try.

Lebanese Lamb Chops with Lemony Lettuce

2 large lemons (I like Meyer lemons for this)
1 teaspoon sugar
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided (the best one you have)
2 garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon baharat
     1 teaspoon whole cloves
     1 teaspoon cumin seeds
     1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
     3-inch cinnamon stick, broken in half
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 3/4-inch thick rib lamb chops (2 pounds)
2 heads Bibb (also called Boston) lettuce, torn into large pieces
1 1/2 cups mint leaves

Grate 2 teaspoons zest from 1 lemon into the bowl you will use for the spice rub.  Trim the ends of both lemons, then stand lemons on a cut side and cut peel, including white pith, from lemons with a sharp paring knife (discard peel).

Cut segments free from membranes, then cut segments crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces.

Toss lemon segments gently with sugar in a bowl and stir in 2 Tablespoons oil.  Let stand at room temperature for at least 10 minutes or up to 2 hours for flavors to develop.  The second time I made this, I mixed the dressing in the bottom of the salad bowl...one less bowl to wash.

Grind the four spices for the baharat in a coffee mill or spice grinder.  I keep one coffee mill exclusively for grinding spices, mainly because it seems likely that a mild spice flavor would linger and flavor the coffee.  Sometimes that might be good, but mostly not so much.

Grind until a fine powder.

Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt, then stir together with baharat, grated zest, remaining Tablespoon olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Rub all over lamb chops.  When we had guests I put them in a glass baking pan, covered it with plastic wrap and popped them back into the refrigerator.  About an hour before cooking, I brought them back out and removed the plastic wrap so they could get back up to room temperature.

Toss lettuce and mint with lemon mixture.

I have this wonderful Scanpan grill that fits over two burners and is virtually nonstick.  I let it heat up for about 20 minutes, so that the heat is evenly distributed.  If grilling outdoors, you can put the chops directly on the grill.  On an indoor grill, you may need to brush the grill with a little canola oil first.

Grill chops, turning once, about 6 minutes for medium-rare.  This is where cutting them evenly really helps.  There is always a fat chop at the end, and you can either cut it to the same size as the others and cook it longer or cut a separate little cutlet.  It also really helps to use a meat thermometer.  Your goal is 145 degrees F, and lamb is really best kept medium rare, as it gets tougher the longer you cook it.

Transfer to a plate and let rest, loosely covered, 5 minutes.

Serve chops with salad.

Serves 4.

What We're Eating Jan 22-28

I did a little better staying with the program this week, right up until Tuesday, when I switched to leftovers.  Too many good things were piling up, although I froze some to take to Matt when we go to Pittsburgh for a visit.  So here's the projected next week:

Wednesday:  Shrimp and Andouille Jambalaya with rice
Thursday:  Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwiches
Friday:  Caramelized Chicken with Ginger
Saturday: out
Sunday:  (Company coming for dinner) Squash soup, Lebanese Lamb Chops with Lettuce Salad, Olive bread, Brownies
Monday:  Coq au vin, biscuits
Tuesday:  Beef Stroganoff

The one recipe that I tried out last week that was less than successful was the Roast Salmon with Couscous crust.  It lacked flavor and was not very satisfying, so I won't bother you with details.

SHRIMP TOMATILLO SOUP

I had a pound of shrimp to use up, and it has been bitter cold lately, so soup sounded like a good solution.  I browsed my cookbook collection, and finally found Simply Shrimp by James Peterson.  I've never made this soup before, but it sounded simple and tasty.  The idea came from the Enchilada Suissa, an enchilada popular in Southern California restaurants made with Monterey Jack cheese and tomatillo sauce, and if you put lots of cheese and tortilla chips in it, it does taste a lot like an enchilada.  Thumbs up from both of the diners, as well.

Shrimp Tomatillo Soup

1 medium white or yellow onion, chopped fine, optional

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 dried chipotle chile, soaked for 30 minutes in warm water and drained, or 1 canned chipotle chile in    adobo sauce, or 2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded and chopped fine (I used the canned chipotle)

2 fresh poblano chiles, charred, peeled, seeded, and chopped fine

2 pounds fresh tomatillos, sheaths removed, and cut in half

2 cups shrimp broth, water, or chicken broth

18 to 24 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:

Tortilla chips

1/2 pound mild cheese such as Monterey Jack or mild cheddar, grated coarse

Sour cream (optional)

In a pot large enough to hold the soup, cook the onion and garlic in the oil over medium heat.  Stir every minute or so and adjust the heat so the onions turn shiny but don't brown, about 10 minutes.  Add the chiles and tomatillos.

Add the broth or water,

cover the pot, and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 15 minutes.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender or regular blender.  I chose the immersion blender because the prospect of pouring the boiling hot liquid into the blender was too daunting.  The challenge with the immersion blender is that you have to be sure it stays under the surface of the liquid or it will spray all over the place.

Bring the soup back to a simmer and add the shrimp.  Simmer for about 3 minutes and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Garnish and serve.

6 servings

EGGPLANT AND BEEF STIR-FRY

This is another very easy, very quick dinner idea from Bon Appetit.  I've had the recipe for 3 years, and have no idea why I haven't tried it before.  We'd been having a lot of spicy food, so I toned it down a little by using an anaheim chile rather than Thai (which are really hot!).  It still had a lot of flavor and the diners loved it, too.

Eggplant and Beef Stir-Fry

4 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint, divided
3 Tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 fresh red or green Thai chiles, thinly sliced crosswise, divided
1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled, cut into matchstick-size pieces
1 Tablespoon fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
1/4 teaspoon sugar
5 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 pound baby or Asian eggplant, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1/2 pound beef (I used tenderloin tips), cut into thin strips

Whisk 2 Tbsp. mint, soy sauce, 1 chile, half of ginger, fish sauce, lime juice, 1 tsp garlic, sugar and 2 Tbsp. water in a medium bowl.

Set dressing aside.

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. (I used my aeturnum pan I mentioned in an earlier blog because I knew I wanted to get a good sear on the beef later on.  It also created nice caramelization on the eggplant slices.)  Working in two batches, and adding 2 Tbsp. oil between batches, cook eggplant until golden brown, 2-3 minutes peers side.

Transfer eggplant slices to a medium bowl.  Pour half of dressing over eggplant and toss to coat evenly.

Set remaining dressing aside.

Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in same skillet over medium-high heat.  Add remaining chile, ginger, 1 tsp. garlic, and beef and cook, turning once,

until nicely seared and medium-rare, about 3 minutes total.  Add eggplant mixture (with liquid) to skillet

and toss to mix well.

Serve over rice or noodles.   Drizzle reserved dressing over stir-fry and garnish with remaining 2 Tbsp. chopped mint.

Serves 4

What we're eating Jan 15-21

Ah, best laid plans.  I had planned to make the eggplant and beef stir fry Saturday night, but when I went to the refrigerator in the garage to get the beef, it was still frozen solid.  The weather has been mighty cold this past week, and I think the ambient temperature was right around freezing.  I guess the refrigerator couldn't really insulate the food all that well from the cold.  Anyway, I quickly pivoted to a dish I had planned for next week and had all of the ingredients for, Bucatini with butter roasted tomato sauce.  Then everything else got scrambled.  Eggplant and beef Sunday, Lamb chops on Monday, Adobo chicken with bacon and bay leaves on Tuesday, and on Wednesday everyone had something different for dinner from the leftovers:  Mom had Stir-fry Pork with Eggplant, Steve had Bucatini with Roasted Tomato Sauce and I had Adobo Chicken.

Here's my best guess for the week

Wednesday:  Leftovers
Thursday:  Leftovers, besides Steve's eating out
Friday: Tomatillo soup with shrimp
Saturday:  Cheesemongers mac & cheese
Sunday:  Short rib lasagna
Monday: Roasted salmon with couscous crust
Tuesday: Crab and Andouille Jambalaya

BUCATINI WITH BUTTER ROASTED TOMATO SAUCE

This recipe appeared in Bon Apetit in the November 2013 issue.  It was a lifesaver when the beef for the eggplant and beef stir fry failed to defrost, because I had all of the ingredients in hand, and it only takes an hour, start to finish.  A few words here about pasta.  The quality of pasta does make a difference.  Of course, if we were in Italy or had nothing but time on our hands, we'd make our own.  Second best would be purchasing freshly made pasta from a shop.  We had an excellent one for a number of years, where they would cut the pasta to order from sheets, and it was fresh and sublime.  I'm not that crazy about the local pasta maker, so now I order from

http://www.almagourmet.com/store

They carry a number of brands, but my two favorites are Pasta di Gragnano for dried pasta, especially the spaghettis and pennes, and Carlo Tortora for fresh pasta, like orchiette and cavatelli.  The flavor is distinctly different from the mass produced pastas in the supermarket, probably both because of the wheat, which is a different strain in most of Europe, and the manner of production.  If you have a chance to purchase good imported pasta, it's definitely worth it!

Bucatini with Butter Roasted Tomato Sauce

1 28-oz. can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
8 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
2 anchovy fillets packed in oil
1/4 cup (2 oz.) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes plus more for serving
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 oz. bucatini or spaghetti
Finely grated Parmesan (for serving)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Combine tomatoes (crushing them with your hands), garlic, anchovies, butter, and 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes in a 13x9-inch baking dish; season with salt and black pepper.

Roast, tossing halfway through, until garlic is very soft and mixture is jammy, 35-40 minutes.  Using a potato masher or fork, mash to break up garlic and tomatoes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente.  Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid.

Return pasta to pot and add tomato sauce and pasta cooking liquid.

Cook over medium-high heat, tossing until sauce coats pasta, about 3 minutes.

Serve topped with Parmesan and more red pepper flakes.

SLOW-ROASTED SALMON WITH FENNEL, CITRUS, AND CHILES

This is an excellent way to prepare salmon, in part because it is so easy, but more because the result is tender and moist.  This is yet another recipe from Bon Appetit, from the January 2014 issue.  I didn't have blood oranges, but substituted Clementines.

Slow-roasted Salmon with Fennel, Citrus, and Chiles

1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 blood or navel orange, very thinly sliced, seeds removed
1 Meyer or regular lemon, very thinly sliced, seeds removed
1 red Fresno chile or jalapeño, with seeds, thinly sliced
4 sprigs dill, plus more for serving
Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper
1 2-lb skinless salmon fillet, preferably center cut (I had individual fillets which worked fine)
3/4 cup olive oil
Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.

Toss fennel, orange slices, lemon slices, chile, and 4 dill sprigs in a shallow 3-quart baking dish; season with kosher salt and pepper.  Season salmon with kosher salt and place on top of fennel mixture.  Pour oil over.

Roast until salmon is just cooked through (the tip of a knife will slide through easily and flesh will be slightly opaque), 30-40 minutes for medium-rare.

Transfer salmon to a platter, breaking it into large pieces as you go.  Spoon fennel mixture and oil from baking dish over; discard dill sprigs.  Season with sea salt and pepper and top with fresh dill sprigs.

Serves 6.

GOAT CHEESE RAVIOLI WITH BELL PEPPERS AND BROWN BUTTER

Part of the plan for 2014 is to have more meatless entrees.  The diners haven't been entirely onboard (witness the black and wild rice salad), so I'm easing them into it with dishes that include cheese.  This recipe, from Bon Apetit September 2007, has been hanging around in my recipe box since then. It seems fairly straightforward when you read the recipe, but there were significant challenges in the execution at the end.  In the end it looked okay and tasted great.

Goat Cheese Ravioli with Bell Peppers and Brown Butter

Bell Peppers:

2 small red bell peppers
2 small yellow bell peppers
1 small green pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (omitted here)
1/2 cup diced seeded tomatoes
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Ravioli:

Cornmeal for sprinkling
8 ounces soft fresh goat cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for sprinkling
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped assorted fresh herbs (such as basil, chives, mint, and tarragon)
18 won ton wrappers

4 Tablespoons (2 oz) unsalted butter
Toasted pine nuts
Thinly sliced pitted nicoise olives

For bell peppers:

Char all peppers over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides.

Place in paper bag; seal and let stand at room temperature 15 minutes.

 Peel and seed peppers; chop.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and tomatoes and cook until onion begins to brown, about 4 minutes.  Reduce heat to low; cook until vegetables are very soft and onion is brown, stirring often, about 15 minutes.  Add chopped peppers and vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper.

DO AHEAD:  Can be made 1 day ahead.  Cover; chill.

For ravioli:

Lightly sprinkle rimmed baking sheet with cornmeal.  Mix 8 ounces goat cheese, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, mascarpone and herbs in medium bowl.  Arrange 6 wonton wrappers on work surface.  Place 1 Tablespoon cheese filling in center of each wrapper.

Using a wetted fingertip, dampen edges of wrappers with water.  Fold all 4 corners up to meet in center, forming a pyramid shape; seal all 4 edges tightly.  Pinch top to seal.

Place on prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

Here's where things got dicey.  I think they were too soft, and that in future I would actually freeze them for about an hour before cooking.  I did chill them for an hour in the refrigerator, and the first batch did okay, but then they got all soggy and difficult to work with.  I think they'll hold their shape better frozen.

DO AHEAD:  Can be made 8 hours ahead.  Cover and chill (really, freeze them).

Cook butter in large skillet over medium heat until beginning to brown, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes.  (Note:  I got tremendous splatter doing this, which only got worse when I put the slightly wet ravioli in...which necessitated getting out the Swiffer wet after dinner).

Cook ravioli in pot of gently boiling salted water until tender, about 4 minutes (or even  less).  Transfer ravioli to skillet with browned butter.  Toss over medium heat.  (At this point mine looked more like wonton soup dumplings than the pointy things you see above.)

Meanwhile, rewarm bell pepper mixture; divide among 6 plates.  Using slotted spoon, top peppers on each plate with 3 ravioli.  Drizzle with any remaining brown butter.  Sprinkle with Parmesan, toasted pine nuts and olives.

Serves 6.