Bacon and Beer Macaroni & Cheese

On blustery winter days like today, there is nothing like a hot dinner filled with comfort foods.  For me, the ultimate comfort food is homemade macaroni and cheese.  There isn't any of the yellow boxed stuff served at our house; rather noodles are mixed with a rich sauce comprised of whichever cheeses I have on hand.  Bake it in the oven for a half hour or so and you end up with a rich and creamy cheesy goodness that hits the spot.

This recipe was inspired by one I found on the From Away food blog. Originally made with brown ale and cheddar cheese, I adapted the recipe based on the ingredients I had on hand.  Korce e Ze, a local dark beer was substituted for the recommended brown ale and not being able to find real cheddar cheese in Albania I used a mixture of provolone, Gouda, and Swiss.  The original recipe called for 4 full cups of half and half cream. Again, not being able to find half and half I used whole milk and still received the creamy results I desired.  In the future, I'd like to try this with cheddar and pepper jack combination.  I think this would create a complex and rich dish.  Even without these ingredients the consensus was that this version of mac and cheese was pretty darn tasty.

BACON AND BEER MACARONI & CHEESE

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided plus more for the dish

4 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 pound bacon

4 cups whole milk

12 ounces dark beer

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 small can chopped jalapenos

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

4 cups cheese of your choice, shredded and divided

1 cup penne, ziti or similar sized pasta

1)  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Butter a 3 quart casserole dish; set aside.

2)  Place the bread in a medium bowl.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons

     butter.  Pour the butter into the bowl with the bread and toss.  Set the breadcrumbs aside.

3)  Dice the raw bacon and add to a large fry pan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the

     bacon is brown and crisp.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked bacon to paper towels to drain.

     Drain all but 1-2 tablespoons of bacon grease from the pan, leaving all of the brown crispy bits.

4)  Heat the milk and beer in a separate saucepan over medium heat.

5)  Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to the rendered bacon fat and allow to melt.  When the

      butter bubbles, whisk in the flour, scraping the bottom of the pan to release the brown crispy bits

      and stir until combined with no lumps remaining, approximately 1 minute.

6)  While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk and beer mixture.  Continue cooking, whisking

      constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.  Remove the pan from the heat.  Stir in the

      salt, nutmeg, black pepper, jalapenos, 3 1/2 cups cheese, and cooked bacon.  Set cheese sauce

      aside.

7)  Fill a large saucepan with water; bring to a boil.  Add the pasta and cook 2 to 3 minutes less than the

     manufacturer's directions, until the outside of the pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone.  

8)  Transfer the past to a colander, rinse under cold running water and drain well.

9)  Stir the pasta into the reserved cheese sauce.  Pour the mixture into the prepared dish.  Sprinkle with

     remaining 1/2 cup of cheese, bread crumbs, and paprika.

10)  Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.  Serve

       hot.

Beef and Red Wine Stew

Beef stew is the ultimate cold weather comfort food.  This recipe comes together quickly.  I often start a batch in the early afternoon and let it simmer all day until dinnertime.  It tastes even better when reheated the next day.

BEEF AND RED WINE STEW

1 tablespoon oil oil

2 pounds stew beef

2 large onions, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups cubed baby red potatoes, scrubbed with peels still intact

1 1/2 cups cubed sweet potatoes

1 1/2 cups chopped carrots

32 ounces low sodium beef broth

1 cup dry red wine

2 tablespoons dried thyme

2 dried bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1)  Place the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat.  When the oil shimmers add the

     beef and sear on all sides until evenly browned.  Add the onions and garlic and cook until softened,

     5-7 minutes.

Beef, onions, and garlic cooking

2)   Add the red potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, herbs, salt and pepper to the meat mixture.  Mix to
       combine.

Vegetables and spices ready for the pot

3)  Add all of the beef broth and the red wine.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and cover.

"Stewing"

4)  Continue to cook over low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours stirring occasionally.  Taste and add more salt
      and pepper if needed.

Potato Pancakes With Rosemary Infused Pears

The most memorable meal during our recent trip to Bavaria was an impromptu lunch eaten on the top of the Zugspitze.  We had taken shelter from the snow squall in a glass walled cafe and ordered off of a poorly translated menu.  Much to my delight this is what the waitress brought to our table:

My inspiration eaten at the top of the Zugspitze

The potato pancake was light and crispy and smothered in melted Gruyere cheese.  The sauteed pears that accompanied the pancake had been infused with fresh rosemary.  I immediately began to think about how I could recreated this dish at home.  Although it isn't exactly the same, my resulting dish was just as tasty.  To appease my meat loving family I served this with some leftover spiral cut ham that I fried in a bit of olive oil.  I also reheated the previous night's Swiss cheese fondue and served a dollop of the melted cheese on top of the pancakes.  Served with a sparkling white wine, the resulting meal was a perfect light dinner.

POTATO PANCAKES WITH ROSEMARY INFUSED PEARS

For the pears:

4 large ripe (but not too soft) pears
3 large sprigs fresh rosemary
3 or more tablespoons apple or pear juice, or water
Pinch of salt
Pinch of nutmeg

1)  Peel, core, and slice the pears.

2)  Place in a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan
     with two tablespoons of juice or water.  Add
     the rosemary and salt.

3)  Cover the pot and cook over medium heat
      until the pears are fork tender --or cooked to
      your likeness.  Watch the pot carefully, adding more liquid as necessary to

      keep the fruit moist.

4)  When done, remove the rosemary sprigs from the pan.  Sprinkle with the nutmeg.


For the latkes:

1 lb potatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1)  Using the largest holes of a box grater, shred the potatoes
      into a large bowl.

2)  Add the salt and pepper, toss to combine, and let the
     potatoes sit for 5 minutes.

3)  Using your hands, squeeze all of the liquid from the
      potatoes.

4)  Heat the oil in a large non-stick or cast iron skillet.

5)  Once the oil is shimmering, drip the potato mixture by large
      handfuls into the oil.  Quickly spread the potato mixture to
      form a flat pancake.

6)  Cook for 10-12 minutes or until the potatoes are crisp and
      brown.  Adjust the heat to make sure the potatoes don't cook too quickly.   Using a spatula,
      flip the pancakes over and continue to cook for an additional 6-8 minutes.

Side two is cooking

7)  Remove from the pan and place on a wire rack in a 250 degree oven until all of the pancakes have
      been cooked.

My version

Italian Meatballs

Meatballs

To finally fulfill my Christmas promise to Sidney I cooked up a batch of meatballs this past weekend.  Not being able to find any ground meat that I liked in the local stores, I purchased whole portions of veal and pork and ground my own.  Yes, I finally broke out the Kitchen Aid meat grinder attachment Glenn gave me for my first birthday in Albania (isn't he romantic?!?) and made my own ground meat. I don't know why I waited so long.  Not only was it easy but the quality of the meat was so much higher.  It looks like the meat grinder will be getting a workout in 2013.

ITALIAN STYLE MEATBALLS

1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/4 cup whole milk

1/2 lb ground veal

1/2 lb ground pork

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1 small onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1 pinch ground cloves

1 tsp dried marjoram leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil as needed for frying

1)  Combine bread crumbs and milk in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Breaking out the meat grinder for the first time

2)  In a large bowl combine veal, pork, egg, Parmesan cheese, onion, garlic, and spices.  Add the bread

      and milk mixture.  Season with salt and pepper.

Everything goes into the bowl

3)  Using your hands, knead the mixture until all of the ingredients are well combined.

Some therapeutic mixing going on

4)  Using your hands, form 1-inch sized balls.  Place on a tray or baking sheet until ready to fry.

Ready to cook

5)   Heat 1/4 inch of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  

6)  Once the oil is shimmering add the meatballs, in batches, to the oil.  After 2-3 minutes, turn the

      meatballs over so that they brown on all sides.

Frying to a golden brown

7)  Remove the meatballs from the oil and drain on paper towel lined plates.  

8)  Continue frying the meatballs until they have all been browned.

9)  Preheat an oven to 375 degrees.  

10)  Place the meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minute until hot and cooked through.

Yields:  50 1-inch meatballs

The meatballs can be served with a tomato sauce over pasta, with ketchup (Sidney's preferred method) or as is.

Because one can not survive on meatballs alone, I served
these with risotto and steamed spinach