Southwest Chorizo Mac & Cheese

Southwest Chorizo Mac & Cheese

Mac & cheese...  Seriously, is there any dish more versatile?  Is there anyone out there who doesn't like some form of it?  I'll tell you right now, the answer to both of these questions is no. I have personally spent a lot of time struggling to figure out the secret to making a creamy and gooey baked mac & cheese, but it was not until I purchased an actual mac & cheese cookbook that I learned what I was missing.  Bechamel sauce.  If you are not familiar with bechamel, it sounds fancy, but is super easy to make and only requires 3 base ingredients -

butter, flour and milk.
Bechamel is the key to any homemade Alfredo sauce, or gooey mac & cheese and I love using it because if you want your dish extra creamy, all you need to do is make some extra!
I had been wanting to make a meal with Chorizo (Spanish pork sausage) for a while, so the last time I was at the Story City Locker, I made sure to pick some up.  After putting this together, I really couldn't be happier about how this flavorful dish turned out!

What You Need:

1 lb bulk Chorizo Sausage

2 strips thick cut bacon

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

2-3 cups cream, half & half, or milk (whole, or 2%)

salt & pepper

1/2 tsp each cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper

1 Chipotle pepper (chopped) w/ 1 tbsp Adobo sauce

3 cups shredded cheese (at least 2 types, cheddar being 1)

1 cup fire roasted corn

1/2 lb uncooked pasta (macaroni or shells are ideal)

1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

Place a large pan on the stove over medium-high heat.  Once pan is hot, add the Chorizo and break apart the sausage as it cooks.  While Chorizo is browning, start a pot of water on the stove for your pasta.  When water comes to a boil, add a generous amount of salt and the pasta.  Cook to al-dente according to package directions.  When pasta is cooked, drain the water and place the pasta in a large baking dish, cover and set aside.  Once Chorizo is fully cooked, lower heat to medium and use a slotted spoon to remove sausage from pan and place in a heat-proof bowl lined with paper towels.  Set sausage aside and place bacon in the pot pan.  Cook bacon over medium heat, turning often, until fully cooked.  Remove bacon from pan and place on paper towels - set aside.

Drain any collected sausage/bacon grease from the pan, leaving about 1 tbsp still in the pan.  Over medium heat, add the butter to the pan.  Melt the butter, mixing it in with the reserved fat.  When butter is melted, whisk in the flour.  This makes a rue - the base of your bechamel sauce.  Whisk in the milk/cream, about 1/2 cup at a time until it is all incorporated.  Add the cumin, paprika, cayenne and salt & pepper to taste.  Whisk in

chopped Chipotle pepper and Adobo sauce.  Turn off burner and add the cheeses all at once.  Stir up just enough to incorporate but not melt all of the cheese.

Chop the cooled bacon strips and add them to your pasta in the baking dish along with the Chorizo and the corn.  Pour hot cheese mixture over everything and lightly toss all ingredients together.  At this point you can either place your dish in a preheated oven, uncovered, at 375 degrees, or refrigerate for later baking.  

Bake for about 20 minutes, until cheese is hot and melty.
 Remove from oven and top mac & cheese with chopped fresh cilantro.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Rib-Eye Steaks w/ Grilled Poblano Butter

Rib-Eye Steaks w/ Grilled Poblano Butter

I'm going to let you all in on little secret...  I have not always had the best luck with cooking steaks.  However, and my husband can attest to this, I have come a long way from where I began.  That being said, I would like to tell you about the best steak I have ever eaten outside of a steakhouse.  

At my house we do a lot of grilling in the warmer seasons, so every year as the winter drags on, I begin to miss that mouth-watering grill smell more and more.  Well, last week when I saw a 34 degree day in our forecast, I gave in to my craving and headed up to the Story City Locker.  I came home that day with two freshly cut, 1.5" thick, boneless rib-eye steaks, each weighing in at 1.25 lbs.  I have to send a big "Thank You!" to Bobbi, Ty and the folks at the meat locker, because these were some seriously beautiful custom processed cuts of beef!

I was pretty excited to cook these, but honestly, I was also a little nervous due to their fantastic quality.  After a bit of debate with myself, I decided to go simple and fresh - I did next to nothing with the steaks themselves before cooking, and mixed up a fast and easy compound butter to top them after grilling.

If you are in search of a simple, yet indulgent dish to make at home, this is it...

What You Need:

2 boneless rib-eyes (1-1.25 lb each)

olive oil

freshly ground pepper & sea salt

2 large garlic cloves, peeled

1 poblano pepper

1 stick salted butter, room temperature

1 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp fresh lime juice

habañero infused sea salt (optional)

Remove steaks from the refrigerator and unwrap.  Drizzle steaks with olive oil and lightly rub oil onto both sides of each steak.  Generously sprinkle steaks with freshly ground sea salt and a little pepper.   Crush the garlic cloves and rub one on each steak.  Break each clove apart into 2-3 pieces and place them on the steaks.  Allow steaks to rest like this on your kitchen counter for 30-60 minutes.

While steaks are resting, prepare the compound butter.  Start your grill and allow it to reach about 500 degrees (with my propane grill this takes about 5-10 minutes on high heat).  When grill is hot, place the poblano pepper over medium-high flames and cook for about 15 minutes, turning every 4-5 minutes until all sides begin to char.  Remove pepper from grill and allow to cool slightly on a cutting board.  Once the poblano has cooled enough for you to handle it, peel off and discard the outer skin.  Finely chop  about 2/3 of the pepper (after removing the seeds if desired - leaving the seeds in will give your butter a bit more spice).

Whip the butter on medium-high speed in a stand mixer with paddle attachment for 3-5 minutes until soft and creamy.  Lower speed to medium-low and mix in the chopped pepper,  cilantro, paprika and a dash of habañero salt if desired.  Once all ingredients are well combined, scoop butter mixture out into a ball on a sheet of parchment paper or saran wrap.  Fold the parchment paper over the butter and form the mixture into a log-shape with your fingers on the outside of the paper.  Wrap and chill until steaks are ready to serve.

When you are ready to cook your steaks, get your grill nice and hot.  Place prepared steaks on the grill, over the flame in position for them to cook in the same amount of time.  Cover the grill and check back  4-5 minutes later.  Using tongs, turn each steak slightly to create diamond-shaped grill marks and replace grill lid.  After another 3-4 minutes, flip each steak and replace the lid.  After 4-5 minutes, repeat the diamond-shape steps from the first side.  After each side has cooked for a total of 7-10 minutes (depending on the thickness of the steak), use a meat thermometer to check the interior temperature of each steak.  A steak cooked to medium  should be about 160 degrees at it's thickest point.  If  steaks are not yet cooked to your desired temperature, flip and continue cooking for a couple more minutes on each side, then test again.

Once your steaks are cooked to your liking, use tongs to remove them from the grill and place them on a heat-proof plate.  Allow steaks to rest for 3-5 minutes before cutting.  Top each steak with 1 tbsp of  poblano butter and serve with the salad of your choice.

Enjoy!

Pot Roast Stew

Pot Roast Stew w/ Grilled Cheese

There are few meals more comforting during the cold winter (or any time of year) than hot soup and a toasty grilled cheese sandwich.  I always love a good tomato basil soup with fresh bread, or grilled cheese, but a rustic veggie beef stew is a close second favorite.  I had about 2.5 pounds of local grass fed bottom round roast from the Story City Locker that I couldn't wait to use and this meal was calling my name.

I created this stew by combining two "Philadelphia inspired" recipes from a counter top cookbook given to me by my mom.  The original recipes were for Yankee Pot Roast and Beef Stew, both of which I altered a bit as I usually do, and I thought they would be great rolled into one.  I like to start this on the stove and finish it in the oven, but you can also throw it all in a Crock Pot if that's what you prefer... Either way, it's a very rustic, Earthy dish that can easily be added to if you like things a bit spicier, or maybe want more veggies.  Enjoy!

What You Need...

For the Stew:

3-4 pound Beef Round Roast (top or bottom)

2 tbsp butter

1 small onion, chopped

5 carrots, peeled and chopped

4-6 gloves garlic, minced

fresh thyme (2-3 sprigs)

salt & pepper

2 cups beef or chicken broth

1/2 can or bottle wheat beer

32 oz crushed or diced tomatoes

8 oz tomato paste

1 large russet potato, peeled and cubed

roasted peppers, celery (optional)

For the Grilled Cheese:

cottage or sourdough bread (2 slices for each sandwich)

butter

mayonnaise

your favorite firm, but melty cheese

garlic powder

First, melt the butter in a deep, heavy pot over medium-high heat.  Once butter is hot, add chopped onion, carrots and garlic.  When onion begins to become translucent, move ingredients to the sides of the pot, creating an open space in the center.  Place the roast in the center of the pot and place thyme sprigs around the roast.

 Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  *I like to use habanero infused sea salt to add a little something extra to dishes like this.  These types of salt can be a little pricey, but they come in a variety of infused flavors and totally worth the money!
Add the broth, beer, tomatoes, paste and potatoes.  At this point you can also add any other veggies you may want.  My favorites are roasted red peppers for a little sweetness, or roasted Poblanos for a mild heat.  *Refer to my "Make Your Own... part 2" post from 3/10/14 for instructions on roasting your own peppers!
Cover the pot and reduce heat to low.  If using an oven-safe pot, you can simmer this in the oven at 250 degrees for  1-2 hours depending on the size of your roast.  If not, you can continue simmering on the stove at the lowest temperature for 1-2 hours.  Check the interior temperature of your roast using a meat thermometer to make sure you have reached at least 155-160 degrees.
When roast has reached the proper temperature, remove it from the pot and place on heat-proof cutting board.  Allow roast to sit for 5 minutes.  Now, you can either cut the roast into chunks (about 1 inch), or pull/shred it if tender enough.  Depending on the type of roast you use and how long it takes to cook, you may or may not be able to pull the meat.  Once you have all of the meat cut or shredded, mix it back into the pot with the vegetables.

To make the grilled cheese, melt 1 tbsp butter over medium heat in a pan/skillet.  Spread mayo on one side of a slice of bread.  When butter is hot, place the bread (mayo side down) in the pan.  Layer a combination of cheeses on the bread (I used smoked cheddar and Jarlsberg), sprinkle with garlic powder and top with another slice of bread.  Cover with a lid (of any size - even if it doesn't fit the pan) for 2-3 minutes to keep heat and moisture around the sandwich and help melt the cheese.  When bottom side of the sandwich is golden brown, flip it and cover for another 2 minutes until cheese is melted and both sides are browned.
Serve your grilled cheese with stew on the side - this is a delicious combination!

Braciole (Involtini)

Braciole (Involtini) - An Italian Classic

I cook a lot of Italian meals for my family, but braciole - pronounced "brajole" or "brazole" - is one of our favorites.  This dish consists of thin cuts of either beef, or pork (I always use beef) stuffed, rolled and slow cooked in a simple tomato sauce.  Braciole can be made using a variety of cuts of meat, including flank steak, bottom round, or top round.  Today I am using two different cuts in order to compare - a grass fed bottom round and a corn fed top round.

(left) bottom round roast - (right) top round roast

I stopped in to see my friends at the Story City Locker this week and picked up a 2-pound corn fed top round roast and a 3.5-pound grass fed bottom round roast.  In the past I have used both top and bottom round to make braciole, but I did not know much about the differences between grass fed vs. corn fed.  While visiting with Bobbi, co-owner of the Locker, she told me that grass fed beef is typically leaner and more flavorful. However, she also said that the corn fed would be more tender and juicy.  So we decided that I would try both and report back.

I took three slices off of each roast and wrapped the remainder of each to use later in the week.  I prepared and cooked both cuts exactly the same way. I was told that if cooked low and slow, the grass fed would still be almost as tender as the corn fed, which was my hope.  However, when you make braciole, the rolls are seared in the pan before the sauce is added and temperature is lowered.  This part of the process did cause the grass fed rolls to be a bit more chewy, but it was the consensus at my table that the grass fed did have a more noticeable nice beef flavor.  Both cuts turned out delicious, though, so here's the recipe...  When you're ready to try it, head up to Story City Locker, or your local butcher and pick up something fresh and local for your family!

What You Need:

everything you need for a delicious meal 

Top Round Roast (at least 2lbs)

Grated Parmesan, or Pecorino Romano (1/2 cup)

Fresh Parsley, chopped (about 1/4 cup)

Fresh Garlic (6 large cloves)

Salt & Pepper

Sliced or Shredded Provolone (1 slice per roll you plan to make - I made 6)

Sliced Prosciutto or Pancetta (1 slice per roll)

Baking Twine

Olive Oil

Red Wine (1/2-1 cup)

32 oz Tomato Sauce, puree, or crushed tomatoes

Fresh Basil, chopped (about 1/4 cup)                                                                                      

your favorite pasta                                                                                      

Begin by slicing your roast into 1/2-3/4 inch thick slices.  Trim any excess fat, then cut horizontally across the top of the roast, creating the largest slice possible while still keeping pieces thin.  I always make at least 1 roll per person I am feeding, so make as many as you need for your family.  Lay the slices out on your cutting board, or clean counter top.  Sprinkle each slice with Parmesan, salt and pepper.  Chop half of garlic fairly small and set the rest aside.  Evenly divide chopped garlic, parsley and about 1/3 of the basil between each slice of beef, sprinkling them around the entire slice.  Top each piece of beef with one slice of provolone and one slice of prosciutto/pancetta.
Cut your baking twine into pieces that are roughly 10-12 inches long, you will need two or three pieces of twine for each roll.  Roll each piece of beef from small end to small end - the braciole will be sort of short and fat, not long and skinny.  Tie each roll with at least 2 pieces of twine.  I tie the twine in a bow whenever possible to make them easier to untie when it is time to eat.

At this point, if you are making these ahead of time, you can wrap up your braciole and put it in fridge to cook anytime in the next 48 hours.
To cook your braciole, place a heavy pot on the stove over medium-high heat.  Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot (3-4 tablespoons).  While oil is heating, cut remaining garlic cloves into slivers.  Add garlic and beef rolls to the hot oil together.  Turn the braciole every 3-4 minutes to brown on all sides.  *If your pot is not large enough to sear all rolls at once, do a few at a time, take them out and set aside while you sear the remaining rolls.
Once each braciole is browned, return any that you removed back to the pot and add the red wine and

basil.  I like a stronger red wine flavor in my sauce, so I add roughly one cup, but if you want a milder flavor you can cut it down to 1/2 cup.  Lower heat to medium-low and allow wine to reduce and simmer for about 5 minutes.  When wine has reduced a bit, add the tomato sauce, a sprinkling of salt and pepper, and cover.  *I like to use a plain tomato sauce or crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, but if you prefer a thicker sauce, you can use a puree.
You now have two options for how you choose to finish your braciole...  I cook mine in a dutch-oven style pot, the reason for this being that I can place it in the oven for the last hour of cooking.  If you use this method, simply preheat your oven to 250 degrees and after covering your pot, place it in the center of the oven for one hour.  If you are not using an oven-safe pot, you can finish slow cooking on the stove over very low heat for one hour.

(unsliced) Braciole served with Angel Hair Pasta

Shortly before serving, cook your desired pasta in salted, boiling water until al-dente.  Drain pasta, and serve with sliced braciole, a generous spoonful or two of sauce and sliced, untied braciole.  Top with freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese.

 Enjoy!

Make Your Own... part 2

It can be easy and fun to make your own cooking products.  Here are a few goodies that anyone can make, use and enjoy.

 Whipped Cream

If you have never tasted fresh whipped cream, you have to try this, just so you can taste the difference.  All you need is heavy whipping cream and a bit of sugar.  The colder your cream is, the more easily it will whip, so keep the cream refrigerated until you are ready to mix it up.  When you're ready to whip, place one cup of heavy cream in a chilled bowl.  Using an electric mixer, beat cream on high speed until it begins to thicken.  You will notice the mixer begin to leave waves in the top of the cream.  Continue mixing for another minute or so.  Add two tablespoons of sugar and continue to beat on high speed until you have achieved the desired consistency.  Finished whipped cream should be smooth and easily hold it's shape.  Make your whipped cream even tastier by adding extra flavors like vanilla (mix in a tbsp of vanilla extract when you add the sugar), coffee (add 2 tsp of espresso powder and a bit less sugar than usual), or mint (soak 1/4 cup fresh mint in heavy cream for up to 12 hours, remove and discard mint, whip the cream as previously directed).

Roasted Peppers
This is something that I never tried until recently and now I absolutely love making them.  Practically any type of peppers can be roasted and doing this will bring out an extra sweetness in your peppers that you otherwise would not taste.  I like to roast poblanos and red bell peppers, but you can use any kind you like (I wouldn't recommend roasting anything smaller than a habanero, as the smaller the pepper, the harder it will be to peel).  If roasting in the oven, begin by preheating your oven to 400.  Place peppers to be roasted on a baking sheet lined with foil.  When oven is hot, place baking sheet on the lower rack and use tongs to turn the peppers every 10-15 minutes as they roast.  Allow peppers to roast for 40-50 minutes total, then remove baking sheet from oven.  Immediately fold foil from the baking sheet up around the peppers to form a pouch and fold edges up tight to steam the peppers as they cool.  Allow peppers to steam for 30 minutes, then open the foil pouch.  At this point, your peppers should be cool enough to handle and you will want to pull off the stem and begin to peel off the outer layer of skin from the roasted peppers, exposing the soft, thicker under layer.  Once peppers are peeled, you can slice them and remove the seeds if you like, or keep peppers whole.  You can use roasted peppers immediately, or store them in a jar with enough olive oil to keep them submerged.  To use, chop peppers and add them to chili, stew, baked beans, slow-cooker meals, stir-fry, veggie pasta dishes, fajita filling, or even use them to top a pizza!  Peppers can also be roasted on the grill over a medium flame - instructions will be the same, except you will place the peppers directly on the grill and turn ever 5 minutes, as they will only take 15-20 minutes to roast.  When finished roasting, steam and peel the same as oven roasted peppers.
Enjoy!

Make Your Own... part 1

It can be easy and fun to make your own cooking products.  Here are a few goodies that anyone can make, use and enjoy.

Bread Crumbs

If you use bread crumbs in any of your cooking, you will love this because it means never buying them again.  Anytime you have bread that you're not going to use before it goes bad (part of a homemade loaf, the heal of a store bought loaf, etc.), simply tear it up into small pieces and lay it out in any flat container, such as a baking sheet or Tupperware lid.  Let the pieces sit out, uncovered, for at least 2-3 days and try to stir them around once, or twice a day.  Once the crumbs are completely dried out and larger pieces are crumbly, transfer them to a food processor, or blender and pulse until they are ground to your desired size and consistency.  If you do not have a food processor, or blender you can crush the crumbs by hand with any hard kitchen item - I like to use the top of my butter dish turned upside down!  Once the crumbs are crushed, store them in a jar or airtight containers for use anytime.  (Add a  generous sprinkle of Italian seasoning to make Italian bread crumbs!)

 Infused Olive Oil

This is so easy and so useful...  People pay a lot of money for flavored olive oil, but you can make your own with practically no effort.  Gather your olive oil (any type you want to use is fine), your herbs (preferably dried) and a jar/bottle (you can use the bottle the oil came in if you want).  Using dry herbs instead of fresh will prevent bacteria from growing in your oil and the oil will stay good for a longer amount of time.  The tastiest infused olive oil I've sampled was jalapeno garlic mixed with orange - it was amazing!  You shouldn't use more than two flavors in one bottle, but you can always combine different infused oils later.  A few great flavors I would recommend are chili oil (cut the tops off of some dried Thai chilies, or any other small spicy peppers), garlic-basil (dry out some fresh, whole basil leaves and use fresh, peeled garlic cloves) and citrus (remove the peel from two oranges, or lemons).  To infuse the olive oil, simply add your flavoring items to your bottle of oil and seal up tight for 24-48 hours.  If using peppers, add the whole thing; if using orange, or lemon, use the peel.  When your oil is done, remove the flavoring items by passing oil through a strainer, or sifter and return oil to the bottle to store for use.

Fresh Flavors

There are many things that you can do to add extra flavor to a dish, but few things make the kind of difference that these fresh ingredients do...

Basil
Fresh basil is such a fantastic herb.  You can buy if fresh from most grocery stores, or you can easily grow your own.  I usually buy it as I need it and always look for bright green leaves.   Fresh basil has such a sweet, delicious smell - I absolutely love it!  
Add a ton of extra flavor to your pizza by tearing up a few fresh basil leaves and spreading them on top of the cheese.  Fresh basil is also a great addition to Thai food such as spicy curries and stir-fry dishes.  Basil goes well with strawberries, so I definitely recommend adding a couple of fresh leaves to your next strawberry lemonade.  Next time you are looking for a new cocktail to order/make, try a Basil Gimlet, or a Gin Basil Smash - I just discovered these drinks in the last year and they are my new favorites!  Adding fresh basil to a drink will give it a great light flavor.


Pineapple
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love pineapple.  It's good cold, it's good warm, it's good with spice, it's good with any meal of the day, or alone as a snack.  Always buy fresh pineapple.  Once you know the sweet goodness that is fresh pineapple, you will never buy the canned stuff again.  Cutting apart a fresh pineapple is surprisingly easy, but if you don't want to deal with the carving, many grocery stores sell fresh pineapple that is already cut up in disposable containers with the other fresh produce.
Next time you're grilling burgers, slice up some fresh pineapple and throw it on the grill for a few minutes, then use it to top off your burger along with some lettuce and tomato.  If you ever make spicy stir-fry, or fried rice, cut up some chunks of fresh pineapple and mix them in with your meat and veggies.  Crush some pineapple in a bowl, or ziplock bag and add it to hot dogs or pizza.  Add some cilantro and minced spicy peppers (such as habanero, or chilies) to make an incredibly flavorful and fresh sweet and spicy salsa for fish, chicken, or any other dish.

Lemon & Lime
In my opinion, lemon and lime are two of the freshest scents/flavors out there.  You can, of course, purchase those little bottles of lemon and lime juice, but it never compares to the fresh stuff.  When you pick out fresh lemons and limes, look for brightly colored fruit that is not too hard, or too soft.  They will last for quite a while once you bring them home, so you don't have to be in a hurry to use them.
I love to add fresh lemon juice and zest to light dishes, like angel hair pasta with seafood or chicken.  You can make a simple, flavorful sauce to toss with your pasta, using only a few ingredients, such as white wine, olive oil, a bit of flour and fresh lemon.  Keep limes around to add fresh zest and juice to fruit salad.  This will not only add extra flavor, but the juice will help your fruit last longer.  Lime goes well with cilantro (another great fresh flavor) and both are common ingredients in Thai and Hispanic dishes.  If you are going to be cooking meat for one of these types of meals, marinate the meat in lime juice for a bit before before cooking it - for dishes like tacos, I like to mix up lime juice, cilantro, a bit of tequila and any type of minced, spicy peppers to marinate my chicken, shrimp, or whatever protein I happen to be using.  When your dish is complete, top it off with a squirt of fresh lime juice.