As many recipes as I've tried for macaroni and cheese, I finally decided that the only one that I ever want to make is the one I first made with my mom. No baking, no crumbs, no fancy cheeses...and no trying to make it better for you! Just good, classic mac & cheese.
Macaroni & Cheese
1 lb. elbow macaroni (other short pastas work also, but I've tried them all, and macaroni is the best!)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
pinch cayenne (optional)
pinch or two salt
pinch white pepper or black pepper
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (In a pinch, when I've had only mild cheddar, I subbed out some of the cheddar for parmesan or swiss.)
Set a big pot of water on to boil. Enlist an assistant to grate the cheese while you measure the other ingredients. In making the sauce, it really helps to have the milk warm, or even hot, but at least room temperature. I usually stick it in the microwave for that.
Okay, once the water has boiled, throw in a big tablespoon of salt and the macaroni, stirring so that they don't stick to each other or the bottom of the pot. Set a timer for however long the package says so you can pay attention to the sauce. Do stir it occasionally, though, to make sure they're not sticking.
Right. Now that the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and stir to incorporate the two, smoothing out any lumps. Before the roux (butter/flour mixture) has a chance to get brown, drizzle in the warm milk, stirring constantly, giving the roux a chance to absorb the milk as you add it. As soon as all the milk has been added, dump (or sprinkle, whichever you like better) in your seasonings. Simmer until it thickens a bit. Turn off the burner and add the cheese, stirring to melt. I've made my sauce a little grainy sometimes, I think by either cooking the roux too much or accidentally letting the cheese boil in the sauce or maybe from using too much cheese. I don't really know. You probably won't have this problem.
Meanwhile, your macaroni's probably done by now. Drain it and dump it back in the pot. If you drain it by putting the lid on so that there's a space for water, but not noodles, to escape, then you can skip this step. Scrape the sauce over the macaroni and stir to coat. At this point, my family considers it perfect mac and cheese. Divide evenly between bowls, counting the number of noodles so that no one gets less than anyone else.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Linguine alla Carbonara
I'd never heard of carbonara until I cracked open jamie's italy when I received it last Christmas, but it immediately appealed to me. Eggs and pasta...what's not to love? In the ten months between the initial inspiration and finally making an opportunity to whip it up, I had a couple of chances to try some other renditions of pasta alla carbonara. I was not impressed. But I was confident that Jamie and I could turn out a more appetizing product than the bland, sticky versions that didn't do much to recommend themselves.
That said...I didn't follow Jamie's instructions to the letter. In fact, I drastically, and accidentally, altered the sauce/pasta ratio by failing to notice, when doubling the recipe to serve eight, that the original called for a whole pound of pasta rather than the eight ounces that I assumed would feed four people. But really, this was not too much sauce and I seriously wonder why anyone would make it with less. In addition to the inadvertent reduction of linguine, I ended up making a few substitutions due to not having shopped with this dish in mind, most notably, using bacon instead of pancetta and a mixture of half and half and milk instead of heavy cream.
Overall, I found the changes wholly successful and would make this again without any curiosity as to how it is supposed to turn out...with one final tweak: I would completely omit the lemon zest. You may like the bright citrus zing, (as my mom does) in which case, you should definitely leave it in, but my tongue considers the addition of lemon in savory dishes out of place. I would compare it to finding a banana in a box of books.
Linguine alla Carbonara
adapted from Jamie Oliver's linguine alla carbonara di salsiccia
serves 4-8, depending on how much you like pasta, how hungry you are, and whether the moon is waxing or waning (not really on the moon bit)
4 Italian sausages
8 slices of bacon, sliced
salt and pepper
1 lb. linguine
8 large egg yolks
1 cup half and half
7 oz. freshly grated parmesan, divided
zest of 1 lemon (like I said, not a fan. middle sister and little brother agree)
a sprig of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (I admit it. I didn't want to go out in the rain to harvest a sprig of parsley, so I left it out. No one noticed, but it would certainly bring a fresh scent, especially if you decide to forego the lemon)
Strip the sausages from their casings and, with wet hands, shape them into marble-sized meatballs. Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Heat a large frying pan and cook the bacon until most of the fat has rendered out and the bacon is at the pleasantly chewy stage. Scoop it out and set it aside, leaving enough fat in the pan to fry the meatballs, and draining the rest. Gently fry the meatballs in a single layer, in batches if necessary, removing cooked meatballs to be set aside with the bacon. If subsequent batches start sticking, you can add a little olive oil. Add the linguine to the boiling water and cook according to package directions.
In a large bowl, whip up the egg yolks, half and half, half the parmesan, lemon zest, and parsley. At this point I scooped out some of the pasta water and drizzled into the egg mixture, whisking it as I poured, the idea being to slightly temper the eggs and lessen the chance of scrambling the eggs when they get tossed with the pasta. Not sure if it did anything. You can skip that if you want. When the pasta is cooked, drain it in a colander, reserving a little of the cooking water, and immediately toss it quickly with the egg mixture back in the pasta pot. Add the hot sausage meatballs and toss everything together. The egg will cook delicately from the heat of the linguine, just enough for it to thicken and not scramble. The sauce should be smooth and silky. If the pasta becomes a little sticky add a few spoonfuls of the reserved cooking water to loosen it slightly. Sprinkle over the rest of the parmesan, season if necessary, and eat immediately! Plates optional.
That said...I didn't follow Jamie's instructions to the letter. In fact, I drastically, and accidentally, altered the sauce/pasta ratio by failing to notice, when doubling the recipe to serve eight, that the original called for a whole pound of pasta rather than the eight ounces that I assumed would feed four people. But really, this was not too much sauce and I seriously wonder why anyone would make it with less. In addition to the inadvertent reduction of linguine, I ended up making a few substitutions due to not having shopped with this dish in mind, most notably, using bacon instead of pancetta and a mixture of half and half and milk instead of heavy cream.
Overall, I found the changes wholly successful and would make this again without any curiosity as to how it is supposed to turn out...with one final tweak: I would completely omit the lemon zest. You may like the bright citrus zing, (as my mom does) in which case, you should definitely leave it in, but my tongue considers the addition of lemon in savory dishes out of place. I would compare it to finding a banana in a box of books.
Linguine alla Carbonara
adapted from Jamie Oliver's linguine alla carbonara di salsiccia
serves 4-8, depending on how much you like pasta, how hungry you are, and whether the moon is waxing or waning (not really on the moon bit)
4 Italian sausages
8 slices of bacon, sliced
salt and pepper
1 lb. linguine
8 large egg yolks
1 cup half and half
7 oz. freshly grated parmesan, divided
zest of 1 lemon (like I said, not a fan. middle sister and little brother agree)
a sprig of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (I admit it. I didn't want to go out in the rain to harvest a sprig of parsley, so I left it out. No one noticed, but it would certainly bring a fresh scent, especially if you decide to forego the lemon)
Strip the sausages from their casings and, with wet hands, shape them into marble-sized meatballs. Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Heat a large frying pan and cook the bacon until most of the fat has rendered out and the bacon is at the pleasantly chewy stage. Scoop it out and set it aside, leaving enough fat in the pan to fry the meatballs, and draining the rest. Gently fry the meatballs in a single layer, in batches if necessary, removing cooked meatballs to be set aside with the bacon. If subsequent batches start sticking, you can add a little olive oil. Add the linguine to the boiling water and cook according to package directions.
In a large bowl, whip up the egg yolks, half and half, half the parmesan, lemon zest, and parsley. At this point I scooped out some of the pasta water and drizzled into the egg mixture, whisking it as I poured, the idea being to slightly temper the eggs and lessen the chance of scrambling the eggs when they get tossed with the pasta. Not sure if it did anything. You can skip that if you want. When the pasta is cooked, drain it in a colander, reserving a little of the cooking water, and immediately toss it quickly with the egg mixture back in the pasta pot. Add the hot sausage meatballs and toss everything together. The egg will cook delicately from the heat of the linguine, just enough for it to thicken and not scramble. The sauce should be smooth and silky. If the pasta becomes a little sticky add a few spoonfuls of the reserved cooking water to loosen it slightly. Sprinkle over the rest of the parmesan, season if necessary, and eat immediately! Plates optional.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Banana Coconut Bread
"Can you make banana bread?"
"Sure, but not till we get the secret ingredient."
"What's the secret ingredient?"
"Coconut."
"But, I don't like coconut."
This exchange that I had with my little sister a few weeks ago can be partially explained by mentioning that our mother isn't a great fan of coconut and the number of times in my lifetime that I remember her buying it is exactly two: the first, I have no memory of what we used it for, and the second, I tossed it in the cart specifically to make this bread. I first made this recipe for Vanessa from a recipe she had gotten from Mrs. Nutter...while I polished off the end of the previous loaf. Toasted. With butter. I'd never eaten banana bread at home before (another of Mom's aversions), but I just knew that it was because she hadn't been introduced to this perfect pairing. Knowing that the worst thing that could happen would be my eating the whole loaf, I set out to change their minds. I think it worked; I only got to eat half of it.
Banana Coconut Bread
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar (I've also used evaporated cane juice crystals with equal success)
1 1/2 cup coconut
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. canola oil
3/4 cup milk
1 cup mashed banana
1 egg
Preheat the oven to 350. Stir together the first five ingredients (flour through salt). In a separate bowl (or your measuring pitcher, if it's big enough), blend together the last four ingredients (oil through egg). Combine wet and dry together, making sure the dry gets well-hydrated, but taking care not to over-stir. Scrape into a greased 9"x5" loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes.
"Sure, but not till we get the secret ingredient."
"What's the secret ingredient?"
"Coconut."
"But, I don't like coconut."
This exchange that I had with my little sister a few weeks ago can be partially explained by mentioning that our mother isn't a great fan of coconut and the number of times in my lifetime that I remember her buying it is exactly two: the first, I have no memory of what we used it for, and the second, I tossed it in the cart specifically to make this bread. I first made this recipe for Vanessa from a recipe she had gotten from Mrs. Nutter...while I polished off the end of the previous loaf. Toasted. With butter. I'd never eaten banana bread at home before (another of Mom's aversions), but I just knew that it was because she hadn't been introduced to this perfect pairing. Knowing that the worst thing that could happen would be my eating the whole loaf, I set out to change their minds. I think it worked; I only got to eat half of it.
Banana Coconut Bread
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar (I've also used evaporated cane juice crystals with equal success)
1 1/2 cup coconut
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. canola oil
3/4 cup milk
1 cup mashed banana
1 egg
Preheat the oven to 350. Stir together the first five ingredients (flour through salt). In a separate bowl (or your measuring pitcher, if it's big enough), blend together the last four ingredients (oil through egg). Combine wet and dry together, making sure the dry gets well-hydrated, but taking care not to over-stir. Scrape into a greased 9"x5" loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes.
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