Cheesy Chili Mac

Lately I've developed a keen interest in all things Cook's Country. If you're not familiar with this show, it's the sister show to America's Test Kitchen on PBS (they also publish a magazine with recipes). It's filmed at a farmhouse in Vermont, and the show focuses on down-home American food. John discovered that you can rent out the farmhouse where the show is filmed, so guess who is taking a Vermont vacation next month? John and I and a few of our friends are headed up to the lovely Green Mountains to enjoy a week of relaxing, cooking, eating, hiking, and more eating! The house is stocked with pantry items, cookbooks, and all kinds of kitchen equipment (as you might expect), and we plan to take full advantage of it! It's a food blogger's wet dream, really.

In the meantime, I've been recording the show and keeping an eye out for tasty-looking Cook's Country recipes, like this one for cheesy chili mac. This one caught my eye because it looked easy enough to make on a weeknight (it was), it only required one skillet, and it's full of cheese. John and I liked this so much that there was only a tiny bit leftover for lunch the next day (and it was delicious reheated).


Cheesy Chili Mac
Adapted from Cook's Country, as seen on Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 pound ground turkey
2 cups water
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
8 oz (about 2 cups) elbow macaroni
1 1/2 -2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

Directions:
Set a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Heat until shimmering. Add the onion, chili powder, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion has softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and brown sugar and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ground turkey and cook until it is no longer pink.

Stir the water and tomato sauce into the ground turkey mixture in the pan. Add the pasta and stir to combine. Cover the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook until the pasta is al dente, stirring frequently to prevent the pasta from sticking. Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a vigorous simmer.

Turn off the heat under the pan and add 1 cup of the cheese. Stir to incorporate/melt then season the dish to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle remaining cheese (1/2 - 1 cup depending on how cheesy you want your dish) over the top and cover the pan again. Let stand for about 2 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
 
Makes 4 servings

mmm... melty

 Download a printable recipe.

Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta with Roasted Asparagus

I had a subscription to Everyday Food several years ago, and this is the one recipe that I've saved and made over and over again. Whenever spring rolls around and I start seeing asparagus on sale at the grocery store, I immediately think of this recipe. It's a snap to make... you combine the goat cheese and a little butter with hot pasta cooking water to make a creamy, no-cook sauce. Then toss it with your pasta and roasted asparagus. Easy peasy.

I usually leave out the chive garnish, just to make this that much easier. John, however, prefers to add crumbled bacon. Do what you will, but please don't make the same mistake I did the first time I cooked this: the recipe says to reserve 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water, but then instructs you to only put 1/2 cup in the sauce (and add the rest incrementally, if needed). Since I often fail at reading directions, I dumped in the entire cup and half of water. The sauce was a little thin, to say the least. 


Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta with Roasted Asparagus
from Everyday Food

Ingredients:

2 bunches asparagus (2 pounds total), tough ends removed
4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
12 ounces cavatappi or other short pasta
1 small log soft goat cheese (5 ounces), crumbled
2 to 3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives, for garnish

Directions:
 
1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta. Place asparagus on a large rimmed baking sheet; dot with 1 tablespoon butter, and season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, tossing occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes; cut into 2-inch lengths.

2.While asparagus is roasting, generously salt boiling water. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Set aside 1 1/2 cups pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.

3.In a medium bowl, combine goat cheese, remaining 3 tablespoons butter, and 1/2 cup pasta water. Season with salt and pepper, and whisk until smooth. Add goat-cheese mixture and asparagus to pasta; toss to combine, adding more pasta water if necessary for sauce to coat pasta. Serve pasta garnished with chives.

Serves 4

Download a printable recipe.

Skillet Carbonara Casserole

We decided to take a snow day today, even though we really didn't get more than 6 inches. I mean, who wants to wake up and shovel snow at 7am? So after Bec made me some delicious pancakes (another future blog post), I decided to stop being lazy with this blog and put up some delicious recipes we've made recently.  My parents came over for a weeknight meal a few weeks ago, and this Skillet Carbonara Casserole from Cooks Country was a hit!  It has all the delicious flavors of a spaghetti carbonara but it's a heck of a lot easier to make all in one skillet.  We served it with my tasty Balls of Meat and a salad, and it made for a hearty meal. This recipe will definitely be in regular rotation.

Ingredients:
8 slices  bacon , chopped fine
2 slices  hearty white sandwich bread , torn into pieces
1 1/4 cups  grated Pecorino Romano  
Salt and pepper
2 large  eggs
1 cup  evaporated milk
5 1/4 cups  water
3 garlic cloves , minced
1 cup  white wine
1 pound  penne pasta


Directions:
1. FRY BACON Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate. Pour off fat from pan, reserving 3 tablespoons.

2. PREPARE TOPPING Pulse bread, ¼ cup cheese, ½ teaspoon pepper, one-quarter of crisp bacon, and 2 tablespoons reserved bacon fat in food processor until coarsely ground. Whisk eggs, milk, remaining cheese, and ¾ cup water in medium bowl.

3. SIMMER PASTA Heat remaining bacon fat in empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add garlic and 1 teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine and cook until reduced to ¼ cup, about 3 minutes. Stir in remaining water, penne, and ¾ teaspoon salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is absorbed and pasta is al dente, 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat broiler.

4. ADD SAUCE Off heat, add egg mixture and remaining crisp bacon to pan and toss to combine. Top with bread-crumb mixture and broil until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Serve.

Download a printable recipe here!
.

Pasta with Tomato and Almond Pesto (Pesto alla Trapanese)

Can I interest you in a fresh-tasting pasta sauce that requires no more effort than throwing a bunch of stuff in your food processor? I made a double batch of the pesto and froze half of it, which I would definitely recommend doing-it doesn't require any extra work, and you'll be glad you have it sitting in your freezer for the next time you need an easy dinner.

Pasta with Tomato and Almond Pesto
adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients:
1/4     cup slivered almonds, toasted
12     ounces cherry or grape tomatoes (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/2     cup packed fresh basil leaves
1     medium garlic clove , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
1/2     teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/4     teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3     cup extra-virgin olive oil
1     pound pasta , preferably linguine or spaghetti
1     ounce Parmesan cheese , grated (about 1/2 cup), plus extra for serving

Instructions:

1. Process almonds, tomatoes, basil, garlic, red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, slowly drizzle in oil, about 30 seconds.

2. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water; drain pasta and transfer back to cooking pot.

3. Add pesto and ½ cup Parmesan to cooked pasta, adjusting consistency with reserved pasta cooking water so that pesto coats pasta. Serve immediately, passing Parmesan separately.

Serves 4

Download a printable recipe. 
.

30 Minute Tortellini Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Arugula, and Pine Nuts

I don't know about you,  but I have no desire to eat a bowl of hot pasta when it's almost 100 degrees outside. I do, however, have no issue with scarfing down a bowl of cold pasta. This tortellini salad is a great meal for those summer nights when you can't bear to eat anything hot.  This is quick and easy to throw together, and it's got two of my favorite summer foods: tomatoes and basil. You could easily play around with this recipe to suit your tastes. Don't like arugula? Use baby spinach. Can't bear to have a meal without meat? Add some grilled chicken. And may I suggest some feta in place of the Parmesan?

It's supposed to be scorching hot all week, so give this one a try.

30 Minute Tortellini Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Arugula, and Pine Nuts
from The Best 30 Minute Recipe

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, shredded
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and ground black pepper
2 (9 oz) packages fresh cheese tortellini
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 cups baby arugula
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Directions:
1. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot.

2. Meanwhile, whisk olive oil, lemon juice, basil, shallot, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a bowl large enough to hold the entire pasta salad. Halve the cherry tomatoes, set aside.

3. Add the tortellini and 1 tablespoon salt to the boiling water and cook according to package directions, until tender. Drain, shaking off excess water.

4. Add tortellini and tomatoes to bowl with the dressing and toss. Cover and refrigerate until cooled, at least 15 minutes (15 minutes will give you lukewarm pasta; go longer if you want it cold).

5. Before serving, stir in arugula, Parmesan, and pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 to 6


Download a printable recipe.
.

Bucatini with Mushrooms

If you've never tried Bucatini or Perciatelli pasta before, run out and buy some right now.  It's such a fun noodle to eat!  At first glance it looks like a thick spaghetti, but upon closer inspection, you'll notice a tiny hole running right through the center of the pasta.  I don't know what it is about that hole, but it makes the pasta have such a wonderful texture.  This is the first time I've eaten this pasta, and I can tell you for sure that this will always be stocked in the AboveAnItalianRestaurant.com pantry! 

This recipe is from Cooking Light once again, and when Bec showed it to me, I was all about it.  I've been wanting to eat more mushrooms and learn a few staple mushroom recipes, and this is definitely going to be a staple. We got the mushrooms from the farmer's market, a crimini & oyster blend, which is where I got my new love / interest in mushrooms.  We got some portobellas last weekend and made delicious portobella burgers with avocado and swiss cheese.  Recipe to come, and oh yeah, they were delicious.

Anyway, this dish was great, wonderful mushroom flavor and the pecorino-romano cheese to top it off is a perfect accent on this meal.  The recipe calls for Bucatini, but we couldn't find any, so we got Perciatelli made by DeCecco.  It's the same pasta, as far as i know, just a different name.  The hole in these pastas must allow for more sauce and deliciousness to get into the pasta itself, because each strand was so flavorful, I couldn't get enough.  So without further ado, I give you the recipe for my new favorite pasta and mushroom dish...



Bucatini w/ Mushrooms
adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1/2 cup  dried porcini mushrooms (about 1/2 ounce)
2/3 cup  boiling water
8 oz uncooked bucatini
3 1/2 tsp salt, divided
1 Tbs butter
1/4 cup  finely chopped shallots
2 (4-oz) packages exotic mushroom blend, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs dry sherry
2 oz  Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
1/4 cup  heavy whipping cream
1 tsp finely chopped fresh sage
1/2 tsp  cracked black pepper
1 tsp truffle oil
Sage sprigs (optional)


Directions:
1. Rinse porcini thoroughly. Combine porcini and 2/3 cup boiling water in a bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes. Drain in a sieve over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup soaking liquid. Chop porcini.

2. Cook pasta with 1 tablespoon salt in boiling water 10 minutes or until al dente; drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.

3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots, mushroom blend, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in porcini, sherry, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 1 minute or until liquid evaporates.

4. Finely grate 1 ounce cheese; crumble remaining cheese. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in pasta, 1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid, 1/4 cup reserved porcini soaking liquid, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup grated cheese, cream, chopped sage, and pepper; toss well to combine. Drizzle with truffle oil; toss. Place about 1 1/4 cups pasta mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with about 1 tablespoon crumbled cheese. Garnish with sage sprigs, if desired.  Serves 4. (or 2 really hungry people)

Download a printable recipe here!
.