Stovetop Lobster Mac and Cheese

Yum. I feel like I don't even need to write commentary for this dish because the recipe title should be more than enough to lure you in. Lobster. Macaroni and cheese. Together. Yes. Now in my traditional Italian home, seafood and cheese rarely crossed paths, but this is certainly one time to make an exception!

This is a recipe that we have been trying to perfect for about a year or so. It always comes out great... but not perfect. Fast forward to Father's Day 2012 in Connecticut - Andy and I treated my dad to a meal of grass-fed rib eye steak and sirloin steak tips, tomato salad (his favorite summer salad), and a side of this lobster mac and cheese. I hate to admit it, but I think this side dish stole the show! I had to write it down quickly before I forgot what we did :o)

This would be perfectly delicious without the lobster, but if you can manage to add it, please do! The Mac and cheese base and technique would stay the same regardless of what add-ins you chose to use, so get a little crazy if you want.

Stovetop Lobster Mac and Cheese

Makes 6 typical side servings (or 4 "Andy-sized" side servings)

Ingredients

Meat from 1 lobster (if you cook and pick your own, only cook the lobster for 6 minutes or so, otherwise it will overcook later and get chewy. Ew.)

1 pound small pasta (I highly recommend fresh or refrigerated pasta if you can get it, but dried pasta would be ok in a pinch)

2 tbsp. flour

2 tbsp. butter

2 cups milk or cream

1/2 cup mild or sharp cheddar, grated (don't use the pre-shredded cheese as the powdery coating it has on it will not yield a velvety smooth sauce)

1/2 cup creamy fontina cheese, shredded

8 oz creme fraiche

1 tbsp. dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

pinch of nutmeg

salt and pepper, to taste

1 tsp. olive oil

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (if you are cooking your own lobster, you get bonus points for cooking your pasta in the used lobster cooking water! It might sound icky, but we do it every time and it's a win-win). Cook the pasta to al dente, then drain and set aside.

In a medium sized pot over medium heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour to form a roux. Once a smooth paste has been formed, whisk in the milk (the sauce should coat the back of a spoon, but not be too thick). Continue to cook the milk mixture, stirring constantly, until it begins to thicken and steam, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and whisk in all of the cheese, creme fraiche, mustard, garlic powder, and nutmeg. Add in the lobster meat and pasta and stir to combine. (It might look like too much sauce at this point, but that's a good thing as the pasta will soak up some of the sauce as it sits.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small saute pan, heat the oil and toast the panko breadcrumbs until they are golden brown. Sprinkle over the mac and cheese and serve.

Enjoy!

Truffled Celery Root Puree

Tired of the typical starchy side of mashed potato? Try mixing it up with celery root puree! Celery root (sometimes called celeriac) is an unattractive brown tuber that looks similar to a turnip or potato, but it tastes of a very mild celery flavor. Apparently it is not the root of the celery stalks that we are used to eating, but rather a close relative... who knew?? This puree is silky and tasty, and it is a perfect bed for a heavy meat such as braised short ribs or pot roast, as well as alongside lighter chicken or fish. Try it! :o)

Truffled Celery Root Puree

Makes 4 sides

Ingredients

1 celery root (approx 1 lb), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup stock (chicken, veg, beef) or water

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp. chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

1/4-1/2 cup milk

1 tbsp. truffle oil

1 tbsp. parmesan cheese

1 tbsp. butter

In a medium saucepan, combine the celery root, stock/water, salt, onion, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered until the celery root is very tender, approximately 20 minutes. Add a little more liquid and cook longer as needed until the celery root is tender.

In a blender, put the celery root with any remaining cooking liquid (there shouldn't be more than a few tbsps. at this point), and all the remaining ingredients. Puree until smooth. Adjust the amount of milk as needed to get desired consistency.

Pork Carnitas

Delcious Carnitas!

Carnitas literally means "little meats" and it is usually pork or beef which has been simmered or braised for hours. I think of it as pulled pork, Mexican style. This version is for pork carnitas which ends up being a very versatile ingredient in many recipes. Use for tacos, burritos, a topping for nachos, quesadillas, huevos rancheros... the list goes on and on!

In this version, most of the work is done in a slow cooker. It starts with an inexpensive cut of meat seared in a hot pan, then finished for a few hours in the slow cooker. You can sear the meat the night before, then put it in the slow cooker the next morning. Easy and delicious... enjoy! :o)

Pork Carnitas

Serves 4-6 when used in an entree

Ingredients

1 (4 lb.) pork butt or pork shoulder - remove any excess fat

2 tbsp. oil

spice rub (below)

1 cup chicken stock

1 bay leaf

Spice Rub
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
pinch of ground cinnamon

Directions

Mix together all ingredients for spice rub. Set aside.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Sear the pork for 2-3 minutes on each side until slightly browned, then remove to a plate. Put the bay leaf in the bottom of the slow cooker. Rub the spice blend on all sides of the pork and add to the slow cooker then pour the chicken stock around the pork being careful not to wash off the spice rub. Cook on high heat for 3-4 hours or low heat for 8-10 hours until the pork is tender and pulls apart easily. Remove from the slow cooker and shred the meat using two forks or your fingers (let it cool for a few minutes first). Enjoy!

Panzanella

So I've started running. No, I haven't gone crazy! I'm going to try to run the St. Patrick's day 5k in Southie this year :o) To keep up my energy, I need to increase my carb intake a bit, so I decided to make this salad to go along side some roasted chicken the other night. It came out great and we couldn't stop picking at the salad before dinner! Panzanella is basically a salad loaded with veggies and bread in large cubes, much like big croutons. It is best with bread that is a few days old so that it doesn't get too mushy. I used up some whole wheat ciabatta that we had from a few nights earlier, and it was amazing! I'm sure this salad would be even better in Summer when there are super-fresh local veggies available, but a hothouse heirloom tomato worked wonderfully and was so flavorful. The beauty of this recipe is that you can add or take away any of the veggies to suit your own taste. We had some avocado lying around so we cubed it up and added it to the top of each portion and it was delicious. Have fun with it :o) This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten's.  Enjoy

Panzanella 

makes 2-4 servings 

Ingredients

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 cups day-old bread, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 tomato, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeds scooped out, and cut into 1/2 inch slices

10 basil leaves torn into large pieces

1/4 red onion, halved and cut into 1/2 inch slices

1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half

Vinaigrette
1/2 tsp. finely minced garlic
1/4 tsp. dijon mustard
1 1/2 tbsp. white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt (kosher)
1/8 tsp. black pepper

In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the vinaigrette. Add the sliced onion and allow to sit while you prepare the other ingredients.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add bread cubes and toast for 5 minutes or so until all sides are browned. Keep an eye on them and toss frequently so they don't burn! Add the toasted bread to the bowl with the vinaigrette.

Add all other ingredients to the bowl and toss to coat with the dressing. It is best to let the panzanella sit for 30 minutes or so to let all of the flavors meld together. Yum!

Swiss Chard Gratin

This recipe started off with good intentions. Swiss chard is a dark, leafy green vegetable that is absolutely packed with vitamins and nutrients. While in the store one day, I walked past a very beautiful bunch of rainbow Swiss chard with bright orange and red stalks that caught my eye, and I decided I would get it and figure out something delicious to make. Well, I somehow managed to transform this extremely healthy veggie into a cheesy, delicious side dish. I'm not complaining. A gratin is simply any dish with a crusty top, usually created by breadcrumbs or cheese. Clearly, I use both! Once finished, this dish tastes very similar to a cheesy spinach casserole, only milder. This will now become a staple at holiday dinners, if I have anything to do with it. Enjoy! (Picture to follow after Thanksgiving dinner!)

Ingredients

1 bunch Swiss chard, leaves removed from stalks and cut into 1-2 inch pieces

2 tbsp. butter

1 small red or yellow onion, chopped

2 tsbp. flour

3/4 c. milk

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I highly recommend staying away from the can with the green lid for this dish)

pinch of cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

breadcrumbs and extra Parmesan cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray or grease an 8x8" casserole dish. In a large pot, bring 1 inch of salted water to a boil. Add the Swiss chard and cover. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the Swiss chard is wilted. Allow to cool slightly, and drain very thoroughly using a clean kitchen towel to wring out extra moisture.

In the meantime, make the cheese sauce. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook over medium low heat for 5 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent. Whisk in the flour to form a smooth paste. Whisk in the milk and raise heat to bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, approximately 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the cheese, nutmeg, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Add the drained Swiss chard to the cheese sauce and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to the casserole dish. Top with breadcrumbs and additional Parmesan cheese to taste. Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes until the top of the gratin is browned and bubbly. Enjoy!

Crusty Garlic Bread

There is a plethera of garlic bread recipes out there in the world, but this is my personal take on the delicious dippable side. The garlic butter spread can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, and it keeps for a decent amount of time in an airtight container. I like mine nice and garlicky, but feel free modify the proportions to your taste. Oh, and remember that two garlic breaths cancel each other out :o)

2 small cloves garlic (or 1 large clove), minced fine

1 tsp. dried italian seasoning

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. butter, softened

1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

crusty bread, such as Ciabatta, Italian, or French bread

additional freshly grated Parmesan for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together first five ingredients in a small bowl. Cut bread into 3/4 in. slices and lay flat on a baking sheet. Distribute garlic butter evenly among the bread slices, and spread to an even layer. Sprinkle over additional cheese (the more the merrier, in my opinion!). Bake at 375 for 8 minutes, then turn the broiler on high and broil 2-3 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. Enjoy!