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Dinner, Pasta, Recipes, Side Dishes, Veggies

Mac & Cheese with Butternut Squash & Bacon

April 27, 2014

Everyone I know loves mac & cheese. That’s a fact! I prefer to have a selection of recipes to choose from rather than always turning to one old standby. On occasion I will make Martha’s decadent, rich, mac & cheese or broccoli mac & cheese if I’m craving nutritional veggies in the mix. This rendition of mac & cheese is tops on my list. The sweet, roasted, butternut squash along with the smoky bacon makes this dish special. For the life of me I can’t remember where I found this recipe. If you search the internet there are many recipes for mac & cheese with butternut squash. Some puree the squash and combine it into the sauce, others mix the butternut squash with the pasta. I love this version where the roasted squash is scattered on top of the mac & cheese along with panko bread crumbs that produce a crispy topping.

Cut the butternut squash into 1 inch cubes. That may seem quite large but keep in mind they will shrink once roasted.

Turn the butternut squash with a spatula once during roasting so that you’ll have nicely browned pieces.

Bacon. Crispy, smoky, delicious.

Panko flakes are a handy item to have. It keeps well in the refrigerator and can be used as a topping for mac & cheese or other casseroles and even tempura. They are a wonderful substitute for bread crumbs.

Dinner is ready.

Mac & Cheese with Butternut Squash & Bacon

Serves 8

Ingredients

8 pieces cooked, crumbled bacon

3 cups cubed butternut squash (1 inch cubes)

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary

1 pound penne or elbow macaroni

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

2 small garlic cloves, minced

4 tablespoons butter, divided

5 tablespoons flour

5 cups milk

5 cups coarsely grated extra sharp cheddar (I used Cabot Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar)

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup panko

Preparation

Lightly butter a 9 x 12 inch baking dish and set aside.

Cook bacon, crumble into fairly large pieces and set aside (always make an extra piece to snack on).

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Toss butternut squash with a bit of olive oil, rosemary, and kosher salt and pepper. Roast on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes, turning pieces once, until just tender and nicely browned. Set aside. Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees.

While the squash is roasting cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. I like to under cook my pasta by a minute or two since it will further cook as it bakes in the oven for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and set aside. In a large sauté pan (I use a 12-inch straight sided pan) over medium heat, sauté onion in 1 tablespoon olive oil for about 5 minutes until softened but not browned. Add cayenne and garlic and sauté for another minute. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, whisk in the flour and stir for a minute to combine with butter. Gradually add the milk and simmer for about 8 minutes, stirring constantly until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, fold in the cheddar cheese. Stir in salt and a few grinds of pepper then stir in the crumbled bacon. Add cooked pasta and toss to combine ingredients. Transfer to your buttered baking dish and top with butternut squash. Sprinkle panko evenly over the top and drizzle with the 2 tablespoons melted butter. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes until golden brown on top. Let mac & cheese rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Dinner, Italian, Pasta, Recipes

Tagliatelle with Sausage & Swiss Chard

August 12, 2013

Here’s a simple recipe that you can put together in a pinch. Though I love tagilatelle, any pasta shape, short or long, wide or narrow, will work fine. Isn’t Swiss chard gorgeous? So very colorful and it happens to be one of the healthiest of vegetables (its nutritional benefits include vitamins K, A and C, magnesium, potassium and iron).

Swiss chard is delicious briefly sauteed in a bit of olive oil with a sprinkling of fresh garlic. In this recipe we cook it a little longer with onions and garlic then chop, chop, chop, before adding it to the pasta.

I’ve used both roasted garlic & herb sausage and Italian sausage and either are delicious in this recipe.

Tagliatell with Sausage & Swiss Chard

2 generous servings

Ingredients

1 14.5 ounce chicken broth

2 garlic and herb or Italian sausages, casings removed and crumbled (about 6 ounces)

1 bunch Swiss chard, washed well and chopped

1/2 medium onion, sliced thin

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

red chili flakes (optional)

6 ounces tagliatelle or other pasta of your choice

1 tablespoon butter

crumbled feta cheese

salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation

In a medium saucepan, boil the chicken broth over medium high heat until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 6 minutes.

Remove the casings from the sausage. Crumble the sausage into bite sized pieces and lightly brown for a few minutes over medium-high heat. The sausage I used was fully cooked. If you buy uncooked sausage follow the cooking directions on the package.

Cut off and discard a small portion of the ends of the Swiss chard ribs. Remove the thick portion of the ribs and slice into 1/2 inch pieces. Roughly chop the leaves and keep separate from the ribs. Thinly slice the onion and mince the garlic cloves.

In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the Swiss chard ribs and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until just tender (do not brown). Add the onion and garlic and a dash of red chili flakes if using. Sauté on medium heat for about 6 minutes or until the onion has softened. Fold in the chopped Swiss chard and season with salt and pepper. Cook covered, for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then until the vegetables are very tender.

Meanwhile, cook your pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Remove the vegetables to a cutting board and chop into very fine pieces. Place the saucepan back on the stove on medium-high heat and add the reduced chicken broth and butter. Add the pasta, give it a stir then add the chard and sausage. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve right away with a sprinkling of feta cheese.

Dinner, Pasta, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian

Mac & Cheese with Broccoli & Mushrooms

June 10, 2013

If you mention mac & cheese, you’ll capture everyone’s attention. It’s that popular. With its creamy, rich sauce and tender pasta occasionally dotted with bits of bacon or pancetta, it’s one of the most beloved dishes ever. Here is a mac & cheese recipe that won’t make you feel guilty.

Broccoli, mushrooms and onions add a wonderful flavor to the mac & cheese.

Using low-fat milk instead of full fat milk or cream decreases the calories considerably yet the mac & cheese still seems rich and flavorful thanks to using extra sharp cheddar and authentic Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Mac & Cheese with Broccoli and Mushrooms

Adapted from Real Food Has Curves

Serves 6 as a side dish

Ingredients

4 ounces grated extra sharp cheddar

2 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 tablespoon butter

1 small onion, chopped

6 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms, sliced

4 cups broccoli florets

3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

3 cups low-fat milk

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons minced tarragon leaves or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces dried pasta shells (or whole wheat)

Preparation

Mix the cheddar and Parmigiano-Reggiano in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. You can add the broccoli florets to the pasta during the last-minute of cooking, then drain with the pasta in a colander.

If you prefer to cook the broccoli separately, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add broccoli florets and cook for 1 minute. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large, high-sided skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid. Simmer until the liquid is reduced, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables in the skillet. Stir well to coat.

Whisk in the milk in a steady, thin stream until creamy. Then whisk in the mustard, tarragon, salt and pepper. Continue whisking until the mixture starts to bubble and the liquid thickens, about 3 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in three-quarters of the mixed cheeses until smooth. Then stir in the cooked pasta and broccoli. Transfer to a buttered baking dish.

Preheat the broiler after setting the rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source. Meanwhile, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the mac & cheese. Broil until lightly browned and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes before dishing up.

***The original recipe uses an oven-safe skillet for the entire recipe. I transferred the mac & cheese to a buttered baking dish then set it under the broiler.

Dinner, Japanese, Pasta, Recipes, Salad, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies

Soba Salad with Cucumber, Carrot, Snow Peas & Edamame

May 16, 2013

Here’s a refreshing noodle salad that is especially delicious on a warm summer day. The salad can be made in advance and refrigerated until you’re ready to serve it. In fact, you can make it a day in advance and it will be in perfect condition the following day.

Soba noodles can be served hot or cold with toppings such as tempura, fish cake, nori, mushrooms, egg, vegetables, and fish. I love all preparations but my first choice is the cold version with a refreshing dressing drizzled over noodles topped with delicately sliced vegetables.I have only tried fresh soba noodles once, on a visit to Honolulu. They were delicious. But in the absence of fresh noodles, the dried variety works fine.

I like to use carrot, cucumber, snow peas and edamame. You can use almost any vegetable. The important thing to remember is to julienne your vegetables so they are similar in size to the soba noodles. This creates a pretty tangle of colorful vegetables combined with the noodles.

Soba Noodle Salad with Cucumber, Carrot, Snow Peas & Edamame

Serves 2

Ingredients

Dressing

1/4 cup rice vinegar (unseasoned)

1 tablespoon sweet mirin

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds

freshly ground pepper

Salad

2 bundles soba noodles (about 6 ounces)

2 ounces snow peas (about 16)

1/2 small carrot, julienned

1/2 Japanese or English cucumber, julienned

1/4 cup boiled edamame

fresh cilantro (optional)

Preparation

Place all of the dressing ingredients in a small jar and shake to combine or whisk together in a small bowl.

Cook soba noodles as directed on the package (check the noodles 1 minute prior to the total cooking time to test for doneness). Rinse noodles under cold water and drain well. Divide noodles into two wide bowls or large salad plates.

Blanch the snow peas in boiling water for 25 seconds. Place in an ice water bath to stop the cooking. Drain well on paper towels. Thinly slice blanched peas on the diagonal.

Julienne the carrot and cucumber. You can remove the skin of the cucumber or leave it on. I prefer to remove strips of the skin so that some of the bright green color remains.

Layer the snow peas, carrot and cucumber on the noodles. Scatter the edamame on and around the noodles. If you enjoy cilantro, add chopped cilantro over the soba salad.

Drizzle sesame dressing over the salad and serve.

Dinner, Pasta, Recipes, Side Dishes

Simple Macaroni Salad

March 10, 2013

Here in Hawaii macaroni salad is a staple found in almost every “plate lunch” in town (the classic noon time island meal). Most versions are very simple: elbow macaroni cooked quite soft (never al dente) mixed with lots of mayonnaise, seasoned with salt and a bit of pepper and occasionally with thin shreds of carrot or minced onion. That’s it. I like to include green peas, chopped eggs and a little minced parsley to give the salad a refreshing taste and some color.

Macaroni Salad

Serves 6 as a side dish

Ingredients

3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

mayonnaise (Best Foods or Hellmans)

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons minced carrot

2 tablespoons finely chopped celery

2 teaspoons finely minced onion

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup green peas

3 boiled eggs, finely chopped

Preparation

Boil the pasta until fully cooked. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water. Drain again and spread pasta on paper towels to absorb excess water. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Remove pasta from refrigerator and mix in mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in carrot, celery, onion and parsley. Fold in green peas and chopped eggs. Check seasoning adding more salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Beef, Dinner, Italian, Pasta, Recipes

Meatballs & Spaghetti ~ Mike Maroni Style

November 25, 2012

There’s something to be said for a good meatball. You start with ground beef which by itself is nothing special, until you transform it with flavorful ingredients. Though meatballs take a bit more time than say a hamburger patty, you will be rewarded in the end. I was watching a Bobby Flay Throwdown episode one afternoon and the challenge of the day was meatballs and spaghetti one of my favorite dishes. So I dropped whatever chore I was doing and plopped down on my big comfy chair and watched the entire show.

Mike Maroni was Bobby’s opponent. Maroni is noted for his grandma’s famous meatball recipe. Bobby makes some terrific food and typically wins the Throwdown but in this case, Mike defeated Bobby. I had to have that recipe. The original recipe calls for ground chuck and a lot more cheese, twice as much cheese! I adapted the recipe and used ground sirloin which is leaner, and less cheese but go ahead and use ground chuck and all of the cheese if you desire.

With 3 ounces of cheese, 3 eggs and breadcrumbs the meat mixture is quite rich and makes for a very tender meatball.

Maroni bakes his meatballs on a sheet pan rather than browning in a skillet which is more time consuming. I line a 16 3/4 x 12 inch jelly roll pan with heavy duty foil for easy clean up.

Maroni’s Meatballs (my variation)

About 18 meatballs

Ingredients

1 pound ground sirloin or ground chuck

1/2 cup + breadcrumbs

1/4 c milk

3 large eggs

2 ounces finely grated Pecorino Romano (about 1/2 cup)

1 ounce finely grated Parmigiano Regianno (about 1/4 cup)

1/2 c finely minced onion

3 medium garlic cloves

4 tablespoons finely chopped basil

4 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a large baking pan with heavy duty foil.

In a large bowl gently break apart the ground sirloin with a fork. Add all other ingredients and mix lightly (I use disposable gloves) just until combined. You may add more breadcrumbs if you feel the mixture is too soft however it should not be too firm or the meatballs will be dense and dry. Very gently (do not pack) form into 18 meatballs, approximately the size of a golf ball. Place meatballs on prepared baking pan so they do not touch one another. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

Heat your favorite tomato sauce and add meatballs to the pan and simmer for about 15 minutes. Serve on spaghetti noodles with extra cheese.

If I’m not feeding a crowd, I freeze the leftover meatballs in plastic containers with waxed paper between each layer. Defrost in the refrigerator the morning you plan to have them for dinner then simmer the meatballs in tomato sauce to warm up.

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Pasta

Mac & Cheese with Butternut Squash & Bacon

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Tagliatelle with Sausage & Swiss Chard

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Mac & Cheese with Broccoli & Mushrooms

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Soba Salad with Cucumber, Carrot, Snow Peas & Edamame

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Simple Macaroni Salad

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Meatballs & Spaghetti ~ Mike Maroni Style

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