Yes, you read that right. Swiss Mac and Cheese. A little background to wet your appetite.
About 17 years ago, my husband, my mother and I traveled to Zurich, Switzerland. It was a work trip for my husband and a pleasure trip for my mother and I. During the day, my mom and I would drive to other towns and countries to take in as much as we possibly could in the short week we were there. We drove most of Switzerland, Lichtenstein and Germany. We tried to go to Italy, but there was an avalanche that closed the tunnels on the day we were headed that direction, so we changed our plans and spent most of our time Lucerne instead.
One day, driving back to Zurich from Lichtenstein, we stopped at a rest area (they are very different there than here - I like theirs better) for fuel, and found that they have cafes and permanent food stands as well. The fuel stations are at ground level, and there is a tunnel underground that houses a food court and such. So, we decided to have lunch there as we hadn't found a place yet to pull over to eat. I don't even recall what my mom chose to eat, because my lunch was so great, it was all I could think about or even remember now.
There was a food stand that offered made to order pasta. Or Swiss Mac and Cheese. You could choose what went in it. I asked him to fix his favorite for me. He added chunks of Ham and shavings of Hazelnut. The sauce of course, was made with white, Swiss cheeses. With a grinding of nutmeg, salt and pepper. Absolutely perfect! This was so exciting to me because I had something new to try and recreate upon returning home. I was a little worried because neither of my children (2 boys) would eat Mac and Cheese. (I know, weird, right?)
They ate it the first attempt! I've changed up the cheeses I use since, according to what I find available here and every time, it's a winner. And the flavor is always so similar to what I remember, that I don't feel the need to stick with a particular blend of cheese... so long as the overall flavor is that nutty, salty, Swiss-y-ness I fell in love with. Here's the basic recipe I developed. Please adjust it to your liking.
Box of Macaroni Noodles
Pot of boiling water
Salt and Oil
*Add the Salt and Oil to the boiling water before adding the noodles. Cook the noodles 6-8 minutes, until just al dente. Drain and set aside while you make the cheese sauce.
3 T. Butter
3 T. Flour
2 c. Milk, heated - keep warm until ready to use
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg
3 - 4 c. Grated Cheese (Depends on desired cheesiness)
I like to make sure that Asiago or Parmesan is one of the cheeses I use. I try to use 1 c. of a soft cheese, 1 c. of a medium hard cheese and then the Asiago or Parmesan. If I have more than 3 kinds in my fridge, I'll use more than 3.
*Melt the butter, add the flour and while stirring with a whisk, cook the flour/butter for at least 2 minutes to get rid of that flour taste. Then add in the hot milk, continuing to whisk. Once everything is incorporated well, begin adding the cheeses, about a cup at a time to allow melting time without decreasing the overall temperature too quickly. Once all the cheese is melted, add in your seasonings and optional items (below). Then, add in the pasta and stir to evenly and thoroughly coat all of the macaroni with this cheesy goodness. At this point, it's ready to eat. However, you could put it in a baking dish and top with more cheese, crumbled potato chips or sliced tomatoes, or any other topping that sounds good to you and bake it (at 350 for 20-30 minutes) before serving. Just depends on how long you can hold out before eating it.
Options:
Ham or other meat
Grated Onion (I grate it so as not to have bites of onion in the cheesy goodness)
Minced Garlic
Other Seasonings
Chili Peppers (we like chilis, and it's no exception when making Mac n Cheese)
Have fun with it and enjoy!
My take on cooking, baking and eating. Join me on a culinary journey through my pantry, fridge, oven, range and more. From the mundane to the exotic, we'll taste our way through whatever recipes I find or create. Ready?
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Unplanned Apple Cobbler
Yesterday afternoon, my husband picked up some fruit: apples, oranges and grapefruit. While putting the groceries away, I took the bag of apples out of the grocery bag and was greeted with stickiness. Yuck.
Upon investigation, we realized that all but one apple in the bag was bruised. Well, you know how it goes, bruised apples rot quickly, so we couldn't just put them in the fruit bowl to be consumed throughout the week. We had to use them up... somehow.
Hence the unplanned Apple Cobbler.
Melt 1 stick of butter. Pour it into a 9x13 baking pan.
Mix together (I use the same bowl that I mixed the apples in)
1 c. Flour
1 c. Sugar
2 t. Baking Powder
1/4 t. Salt
1 t. Cinnamon
1/2 t. Nutmeg
2/3 c. Milk (room temperature is better, but not required)
1 T. Drambouie (liquor, again optional)
1 t. Vanilla
1 Egg
*Pour (or spoon) this mixture over the melted butter).
Mix together:
7 apples, peeled and sliced (to your desired thickness)
1 c. Sugar
1 t. Cinnamon (I like Cinnamon)
1 t. Nutmeg (I like Nutmeg so I always add a little more)
1 t. Vanilla
1 T. Drambouie (liquor, and yes, it's optional)
Upon investigation, we realized that all but one apple in the bag was bruised. Well, you know how it goes, bruised apples rot quickly, so we couldn't just put them in the fruit bowl to be consumed throughout the week. We had to use them up... somehow.
Hence the unplanned Apple Cobbler.
Melt 1 stick of butter. Pour it into a 9x13 baking pan.
Mix together (I use the same bowl that I mixed the apples in)
1 c. Flour
1 c. Sugar
2 t. Baking Powder
1/4 t. Salt
1 t. Cinnamon
1/2 t. Nutmeg
2/3 c. Milk (room temperature is better, but not required)
1 T. Drambouie (liquor, again optional)
1 t. Vanilla
1 Egg
*Pour (or spoon) this mixture over the melted butter).
Mix together:
7 apples, peeled and sliced (to your desired thickness)
1 c. Sugar
1 t. Cinnamon (I like Cinnamon)
1 t. Nutmeg (I like Nutmeg so I always add a little more)
1 t. Vanilla
1 T. Drambouie (liquor, and yes, it's optional)
*Gently spoon this mixture over the batter and butter. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until top is golden brown. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before eating.
You can do this recipe with any fruit/berry mixture. Just use about 56 oz. of fruit. Seriously, it's not a problem if you use a little more or a little less fruit. As I always say, have fun with it and enjoy the "fruits" of your labors and experiments!
This was dessert after a dinner of Swiss Mac and Cheese, Seasoned Turnip Greens and sauteed Mushrooms and Onion. Absolutely delicious meal from start to finish.
Oh, you want to know about the Swiss Mac and Cheese? Check out my next post. Happy cooking!
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Pork Roast
No, Pork Roast itself isn't a leftover or a pantry item. It is delicious if treated and seasoned well.
Why do we cook roasts? Because they are easy, forget-it kinds of meals that taste really good. We put a hunk of meat with some cut up vegetables in a crock-pot, add some seasoning and liquid (wine or juice is my favorite), plug it in, turn it on and forget about it until supper time. Oh yeah, yummy stuff. Or do the same thing but instead of a crock-pot, we put it all in a roasting pan and in the oven. Leave it in for less time, but similar result.
Well, yesterday I cooked a roast. I did not add vegetables. I seasoned it and added Apple Juice to the pan. Roasted it in the oven, covered, for about 90 minutes, uncovered it and allowed it to cook for an additional 15 minutes just to crisp on the fat a little more.
Then I reserved all the broth in a jar, wrapped the roast and put them in the fridge overnight. Why? Because the roast that I had wasn't large enough for a meal for a large family/group. Now, I'll tell you the fun part.
Today, I chopped up the entire roast into bite-sized pieces. I returned half of them to the fridge and used half in a stir-fry for lunch. A little meat, some onion, garlic and sweet peppers (choose your favorite veg), a little Asian seasoning, soy sauce, fish sauce and a touch of teriyaki and pepper and viola - a delicious, quick lunch!
Immediately following lunch, I pulled out a large kettle and began on supper - it was still quick and easy. Here's how.
Chopped an onion and minced some garlic. Chopped a few potatoes and carrots. Opened a can each of green beans, hominy and tomato sauce. Began the saute on the onion and garlic. After a couple of minutes, added in the remaining prepped ingredients. Added a box of chicken broth (or a quart of homemade if you have it on hand), a few splashes of hot sauce (simple Tobasco works well), some ground New Mexico Chiles, Salt and Pepper about a quart of water and brought it to a boil before turning the heat down to let the soup stay on a slow simmer for the rest of the afternoon. A few minutes before serving, I checked for seasoning, made some biscuits to eat with the soup and let me tell you: my family was surprised at how delicious it was!
Just enough chiles to get the flavor without much heat, the hot sauce just enhanced all the other flavors without adding heat and the flavor of the roasted pork was amazing. You could notice the flavor of each vegetable used, but not a single flavor overpowered any other flavor and the combination of flavors produced perfection in a soup.
I will definitely be using this method again. Probably with leftover from a roast meal, but if I find small roasts on sale... this will be what I buy them for. Enjoy!
Why do we cook roasts? Because they are easy, forget-it kinds of meals that taste really good. We put a hunk of meat with some cut up vegetables in a crock-pot, add some seasoning and liquid (wine or juice is my favorite), plug it in, turn it on and forget about it until supper time. Oh yeah, yummy stuff. Or do the same thing but instead of a crock-pot, we put it all in a roasting pan and in the oven. Leave it in for less time, but similar result.
Well, yesterday I cooked a roast. I did not add vegetables. I seasoned it and added Apple Juice to the pan. Roasted it in the oven, covered, for about 90 minutes, uncovered it and allowed it to cook for an additional 15 minutes just to crisp on the fat a little more.
Then I reserved all the broth in a jar, wrapped the roast and put them in the fridge overnight. Why? Because the roast that I had wasn't large enough for a meal for a large family/group. Now, I'll tell you the fun part.
Today, I chopped up the entire roast into bite-sized pieces. I returned half of them to the fridge and used half in a stir-fry for lunch. A little meat, some onion, garlic and sweet peppers (choose your favorite veg), a little Asian seasoning, soy sauce, fish sauce and a touch of teriyaki and pepper and viola - a delicious, quick lunch!
Immediately following lunch, I pulled out a large kettle and began on supper - it was still quick and easy. Here's how.
Chopped an onion and minced some garlic. Chopped a few potatoes and carrots. Opened a can each of green beans, hominy and tomato sauce. Began the saute on the onion and garlic. After a couple of minutes, added in the remaining prepped ingredients. Added a box of chicken broth (or a quart of homemade if you have it on hand), a few splashes of hot sauce (simple Tobasco works well), some ground New Mexico Chiles, Salt and Pepper about a quart of water and brought it to a boil before turning the heat down to let the soup stay on a slow simmer for the rest of the afternoon. A few minutes before serving, I checked for seasoning, made some biscuits to eat with the soup and let me tell you: my family was surprised at how delicious it was!
Just enough chiles to get the flavor without much heat, the hot sauce just enhanced all the other flavors without adding heat and the flavor of the roasted pork was amazing. You could notice the flavor of each vegetable used, but not a single flavor overpowered any other flavor and the combination of flavors produced perfection in a soup.
I will definitely be using this method again. Probably with leftover from a roast meal, but if I find small roasts on sale... this will be what I buy them for. Enjoy!
Seafood Stew
Sunday, April 20th was Easter and we had a terrific celebration of Our Risen Jesus Christ! One of the many traditions we have in our family is a huge seafood feast with dear friends from the East Coast. We cook some veg, fish and seafood and enjoy the tasty delights. Then we plays some games and enjoy fun fellowship until evening, when they return home for a little family time and rest and we rest up from the day as well.
This year was no exception. After church, we hurried home and started cooking. We had done prep on Saturday, so there wasn't a lot of work to do to get the meal ready, but here is our menu:
Vegetable Roast - Green Beans, Onion, Tomato and Mushrooms
Grilled Vegetables - Asparagus and Corn on the Cob
Tossed Salad with choice of dressing
Shrimp Cocktail
Grilled Tuna Steaks
Smoked Salmon (my husband has a smoker and we do this ourselves)
Pan-fried Polluck
Stuffed Clams
Steamed Mussels
Steamed and Pan-seared Calamari
Herbed Cheesy Biscuits
Yum!
Now comes Monday. We had our colored eggs, so I made Egg Salad for lunch. We had some of the Polluck and Tuna leftover with some of the veggies and Calamari, so I made a Seafood Stew similar to a Cioppino. Below is the recipe:
2 T. Olive Oil
1 med. Onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
2 T. Italian Seasoning
1 T. Red Pepper Flakes (more or less to taste)
2 c. Leftover Vegetables (estimated)
1 1/2 c. Leftover Fish/Seafood (estimated after chopped to bite sized pieces)
4-6 c. Liquid (I used 3 c. Chicken Broth and 3 c. water)
1 can Diced Tomatoes
1 can Tomato Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste
On Med heat, saute onion and garlic in the olive oil briefly (about 2 minutes) just to soften. Then add in all remaining ingredients and allow to simmer for up to an hour. Serve hot.
*Note: Calamari will get tough if cooked too long, but will get softer again when simmered in liquid.
Once it's heated through it's technically ready to eat. However, you can thicken the soup with tomato paste if you prefer a thicker broth or you could add more water if you want to add and cook in some pasta or rice to the soup.
As always, make it to your own taste. Add hot sauce or pasta/rice, or italian sausage or andouille sausage. Whatever you think would be good, add it in. Cook accordingly and enjoy!
This year was no exception. After church, we hurried home and started cooking. We had done prep on Saturday, so there wasn't a lot of work to do to get the meal ready, but here is our menu:
Vegetable Roast - Green Beans, Onion, Tomato and Mushrooms
Grilled Vegetables - Asparagus and Corn on the Cob
Tossed Salad with choice of dressing
Shrimp Cocktail
Grilled Tuna Steaks
Smoked Salmon (my husband has a smoker and we do this ourselves)
Pan-fried Polluck
Stuffed Clams
Steamed Mussels
Steamed and Pan-seared Calamari
Herbed Cheesy Biscuits
Yum!
Now comes Monday. We had our colored eggs, so I made Egg Salad for lunch. We had some of the Polluck and Tuna leftover with some of the veggies and Calamari, so I made a Seafood Stew similar to a Cioppino. Below is the recipe:
2 T. Olive Oil
1 med. Onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
2 T. Italian Seasoning
1 T. Red Pepper Flakes (more or less to taste)
2 c. Leftover Vegetables (estimated)
1 1/2 c. Leftover Fish/Seafood (estimated after chopped to bite sized pieces)
4-6 c. Liquid (I used 3 c. Chicken Broth and 3 c. water)
1 can Diced Tomatoes
1 can Tomato Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste
On Med heat, saute onion and garlic in the olive oil briefly (about 2 minutes) just to soften. Then add in all remaining ingredients and allow to simmer for up to an hour. Serve hot.
*Note: Calamari will get tough if cooked too long, but will get softer again when simmered in liquid.
Once it's heated through it's technically ready to eat. However, you can thicken the soup with tomato paste if you prefer a thicker broth or you could add more water if you want to add and cook in some pasta or rice to the soup.
As always, make it to your own taste. Add hot sauce or pasta/rice, or italian sausage or andouille sausage. Whatever you think would be good, add it in. Cook accordingly and enjoy!
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