Macaroni & Cheese

Who doesn't like Mac & Cheese?  In fact, as I am typing this I am warming myself with left-over smoked gouda and macaroni from the Club.  My grandmother would throw cooked macaroni, butter, milk, grated cheese, salt & pepper in a casserole dish and bake - no recipe, just stir periodically, then let get golden brown on top.  It was always yummy.  Next time I cook it, I will try to remember and write down quantities and add a recipe.  In the meantime, the following recipes I took from Gourmet Magazine and Bon Appetit.  Enjoy!

 

Creamy Macaroni with Sage - Gourmet, January 1999

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 1 1/2 ounces)

Fill a 4-quart kettle three fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil for macaroni. Cook macaroni in boiling water until al dente and drain in a colander.

While macaroni is cooking, in non-stick skillet heat butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and add bread crumbs, sage, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook bread crumb mixture, stirring, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. In a large bowl stir together mascarpone and Parmesan. Add macaroni and salt and pepper to taste, tossing to combine.

Divide macaroni between 2 bowls and sprinkle with seasoned bread crumbs.

Serves 2.

 

 

 

Macaroni & Cheese with Prosciutto - Bon Appétit, March 2001

 

8 ounces small elbow macaroni (2 cups)

1½ cups (packed) grated Gruyère cheese (about 6 oz)
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 400°F. Butter 11x7-inch glass baking dish. Cook macaroni in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain well.

 

Whisk 1/2 cup Gruyère, cream, milk, prosciutto, Parmesan and nutmeg in large bowl to blend. Add macaroni and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup Gruyère over. Bake until cheese melts and macaroni and cheese sets, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.                  

 

Serves 6.

 

 

Mom's Lasagna

        1 batch    Spaghetti Sauce with Spicy Italian Sausage

  1 large box    Lasagna Sheets

             1 lb.    Grated Mozzarella

           24 oz.    Cottage Cheese (Stacey likes to use Ricotta also)

          ½ cup    Dried Parsley

 

In a large pot cook the pasta sheets and remove from the water carefully. Rinse to cool.

Thoroughly mix the cheeses and parsley in a bowl

Coat a large casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread a small amount of the sauce on the bottom of the dish. Place an over-lapping layer of pasta sheets over the sauce, followed by a layer of the cheese mixture, then sauce. Repeat the layering process until the dish is full with the last layer being sauce.

 

Bake the lasagna at 375* until the edges begin to bubble. Remove from the oven and let it rest 10 minutes to “set up” before cutting into it

 

                                                                                                    Serves 6-8

Baked Ziti with Meatballs

The original recipe I acquired one summer in Denver from Angela.  It was one of my favorite dishes she prepared.  This recipe was her family’s recipe, the Colletti’s.  Over the years I have added more ingredients, but the core recipe… and most certainly the meatballs are all theirs.

Sauce
                      1     Onion, chopped
           2 cloves     Garlic, minced
                 2 Tb     Olive Oil
           1 lg can     Tomato Puree (29oz)
        1+  lg can     Water
          1 sm can     Tomato Paste
                2 tsp     Basil
                2 tsp     Oregano
                             Salt & Pepper to taste

Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent.  Add tomato puree, paste, water, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.  Bring to a simmer.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

                                         

Meatballs

           1 pound     Ground Beef
                      1     Egg
                1 tsp     salt
                1 tsp     pepper
                 5 Tb     parmesan cheese
                1 tsp     garlic
         2-3 slices     bread

Mix all ingredients.  Tightly roll mixture into meatballs.  Place in sauce and heat until cooked.

Baked Ziti

               1 box     Ziti Pasta (or Penne)
           1 pound     Mozzarella, grated
               16 oz     Ricotta

Cook pasta according to instructions on box or bag.  In a large casserole dish, add cooked pasta, mozzarella, ricotta and sauce (reserve some sauce and the meatballs for service).  Mix well.  Bake at 350° until the cheese has melted.

To serve scoop a healthy portion of baked ziti onto a plate, place meatballs to one side and top with a little more sauce.

Porcini Mushroom Cannelloni with Parmesan Gratin & Italian Parsley Cognac Sauce

This recipe was featured on Trilogy's Restaurant by Jim

Pasta:

        1#   All Purpose Flour

       5-6   Eggs

    pinch   Salt

               Water if needed

 

Filling:

     2 lb.   Porcini Mushrooms (fresh, frozen, or dried)

           1   Diced Shallots

4   Garlic Cloves

    4 oz.   White Wine

    8 oz.   Demi-Glace

    ¼ lb.   Unsalted Butter

               Salt & Pepper to taste

 

Italian Parsley Cognac Sauce:

    8 oz.   Porcini Mushrooms

           1   Diced Shallots

    3 oz.   Cognac

   3 cups   Demi-Glace

     ¼ lb   Unsalted Butter

  2 cups   Heavy C ream

    pinch   Italian Parsley

  ¼ cup   Grated Parmesan Cheese

 

Pasta Technique:

v  Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until crumbly.  Form into ball and let the dough rest until soft.

v  Roll out with pasta machine.

 

Filling Technique:

v  Sauté: half of the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic. 

v  Deglaze with white wine and reduce completely; add demi-glace and reduce completely. Season with salt & pepper.  Chill overnight.

Sauce Technique:

v  Sauté the rest of the mushrooms with garlic and shallots.

v  Deglaze with cognac and reduce completely; add the demi-glace and reduce by half; add cream and reduce by half. 

v  Season with salt, pepper, chopped parsley, and a splash of cognac.

 

Assembly:

v  Cut pasta into rectangles, blanch for 3 minutes in salted boiling water.

v  Lay them flat and roll mushroom filling inside.

v  Place in buttered baking dish with the sauce on top and cover with freshly grated parmesan.

v  Bake at 350^o for 10 minutes.

v  Garnish with more parsley and enjoy

Fettuccine Alfredo

This is my favorite easy recipe - I developed it after watching a cook prepare an order while I dined at the counter.  I prefer a little more garlic and to add an unexpected herb or flavor to the mix... some of my favorites: cilantro, sage, red chile, adobo, and cajun spice.

 

         1 packages     fettuccine pasta

         1-2 cloves     garlic, minced
                       1     shallot  minced
              2 cups     mushrooms, diced (optional)
                1 cup     diced chicken breast or shrimp (optional)
                 2 Tb     olive oil
               splash     white wine (optional)
           1-2 cups     heavy cream
                1 cup     fresh parmesan cheese, grated
                             salt & pepper to taste
                             fresh basil or oregano, minced (optional).
 

Cook enough fettucine for 2 people, according to directions on package.  Strain and set aside.

In a large non-stick skillet or pan, heat olive oil and sauté garlic & shallots (and any optional item) until tender (chicken & shrimp are cooked).  Add white wine

 

Add fettuccine to pan and stir, add heavy cream until it covers the bottom of the pan, stir.  As the mixture heats slowly add salt & pepper, and parmesan cheese, stiffing often.  Reduce heat, sauce should begin to thicken.  When sauce reaches desired thickness remove from heat.  If sauce is too thick add more cream.  Serve garnished with fresh herbs.

Fettuccine, Pumpkin, Shiitake & Mascarpone

Chef Jim Strausbaugh, while at Trilogy Resaturant - recipe

 

Pasta Ingredients:

           1#   All Purpose Flour

          5-6   Eggs

       pinch   Salt

                  Water if needed

 

Ingredients:

     4 cups   ½” pieces seeded, peeled, fresh sugar Pumpkin

       1½ T   Olive Oil

  4½ cups   Chicken Stock

       1 cup   Mascarpone Cheese

      ½ tsp   Ground Cinnamon

     ¼ cup   Butter

       12 oz   Shiitake Mushrooms, stemmed, thinly sliced

         1 pd   Fettuccine

    ²/₃ cup   Shelled Pumpkin Seeds, toasted

                  Grated Parmesan Cheese

 

Pasta Technique:

Ñ Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until crumbly.  Form into ball and let the dough rest until soft.  Roll out with pasta machine.

 

Technique:

Ñ Preheat oven to 450^oF.  Toss pumpkin with olive oil in large bowl to coat.  Transfer pumpkin to baking sheet. Bake until pumpkin is tender and beginning to brown, stirring once, about 30 minutes.

Ñ Transfer pumpkin to processor.  Add 2½ cups chicken stock.  Puree until smooth.  Add mascarpone cheese and ground cinnamon.  Process to blend.  Season with salt & pepper.

Ñ Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms and sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add remaining 2 cups chicken stock.  Boil until stock is reduced by half.

Ñ Reduce heat to low.  Stir in pumpkin mixture.  Season with salt & pepper.  (Can be prepared day ahead.  Cover & refrigerate.  Re-warm over medium heat before continuing.)

Ñ Cook fettuccine in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite.  Drain.  Transfer fettuccine to large bowl.  Add sauce and toasted pumpkin seeds; toss to coat.  Season with salt & pepper.  Serve, passing Parmesan cheese separately.

 

Yield: 8 servings

Spaghetti Pie

This recipe was given to me by Zig's mom, Roseann... many, many moons ago

 

                     6 oz.     spaghetti

                      2     eggs beaten

              ¼ cup     grated parmesan cheese

                 2 Tb     butter

              ¹/₃ cup     chopped onion

                   1-2     cloves of minced garlic

                1 cup     sour cream

            1 pound     Italian sausage

                1 can     tomato paste (6oz.)

                1 cup     water

                4 oz.     Mozzarella cheese, sliced

 

Break spaghetti in half.  Cook in boiling water until done.  Drain.  While still warm, combine spaghetti with eggs and parmesan cheese.  Pour into a well greased 10” pie plate and pat mixture up and around sides with a spoon.

Melt butter; add onions and garlic and sauté until limp.  Stir in sour cream and then spoon mixture over spaghetti.

Remove sausage from casing, crumble and cook in skillet until done.  Drain grease.  Add tomato paste and water.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Spoon sausage over sour cream mixture. 

Bake at 350◦ for 25 minutes.  Arrange mozzarella on top and return to the oven until cheese melts.

Serves 6

Note: freezes well before baking so make two at a time.

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce

         2 packages     spicy Italian sausage

                       1     onion, diced

               1 to 2     bell peppers, diced

            3 cloves     garlic, minced

              2 cups     mushrooms, sliced (optional)

       1 28 oz can     tomato puree

         1 6 oz can     tomato paste

              2 cups     water (or more)

                  1 Tb     basil

                  1 Tb     oregano

                  1 Tb     rosemary

                             salt & pepper to taste

 

Remove and discard sausage casing.  In large stock pot over high heat, crumble and brown sausage.  Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic.  Cook till onions are translucent.  Strain & discard grease from pot.

Return pot to heat, add tomato paste, puree and water.  Stir well, add more water if needed.  Add mushrooms and generous portions of basil, oregano, rosemary, salt  and pepper.

Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and slowly simmer until it thickens to the desired consistency.

 

Anitpasto Pasta Salad

Stacey's favorite spur of the moment "bring something" and clear the refrigerator door of all those small bottles of pickled/marinated jars...

               4 cups     Pasta (macaroni, penne, fusilli…), cooked and cooled

              ½ cup     Salami, chopped

              ½ cup     Pepperoni, chopped

                  2-3     Pepperocinnis, chopped

              ½ cup     Marinated Mushrooms

                  2-4     Pickled Garlic, chopped

              ½ cup     Marinated Artichoke Hearts

              ½ cup     Oven Roasted or Fresh Tomatoes, diced

              ½ cup     Italian Dressing

              ½ cup     Feta Cheese

 

Mix all ingredients in bowl (except Feta).

Before serving add Feta and additional dressing if needed. 

Creamy Macaroni with Sage

Found this recipe many years ago in January 1999 issue of Gourmet Magazine.  I love to add some sauteed garlic and onions to the recipe.  Warm and perfect flavor for a Fall side dish!

 

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 1 1/2 ounces)

 

Fill a 4-quart kettle three fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil for macaroni. Cook macaroni in boiling water until al dente and drain in a colander.

 While macaroni is cooking, in a non-stick skillet heat butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and add bread crumbs, sage, (onions & garlic) and salt and pepper to taste. Cook bread crumb mixture, stirring, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. In a large bowl stir together mascarpone and Parmesan. Add macaroni and salt and pepper to taste, tossing to combine.

 Divide macaroni between 2 bowls and sprinkle with seasoned bread crumbs.

Serves 2.