Mac and Cheese

Okay, okay, okay. Super fattening, I know. But there's something about being in a blizzard that makes you want pasta and cheese and a warm oven. This Christmas, my family (well, me and my parents) cooked a mean mac and cheese. A very anti-Southern California holiday feast of swordfish, corn souffle, and steamed broccoli (which happened to be the delight for this Christmas eve), mac and cheese = joy. So why not on Christmas?

While waiting for my dad to shovel the way to the cabin door, I looked up some recipes. The one from Gourmet magazine looked simple and relatively fast, without a ton of ingredients (which gave it 20 extra points considering I'd have to lug it up the icy driveway later that night). We ended up eating it at 9:30 and immediately fell asleep. It was a cheese coma.

So here's the recipe. It has a great crust on top that's light and buttery, with just the right blend of parmesan and cheddar. And just so you know...it doesn't really serve 20. We finished it off after 8 servings. Ha!

Macaroni and Cheese
From Gourmet Magazine
serves "20", depending on how much you eat

For topping
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
2 cups panko (coarse Japanese bread crumbs) or 3 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (from 6 slices firm white sandwich bread)
1/4 lb coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

For macaroni and sauce
1 stick unsalted butter
6 Tb all-purpose flour
5 cups whole milk
1 lb coarsely grated extra-sharp cheddar (about 6 cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 lb elbow macaroni

Making the topping:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.
2. Melt butter, then stir together with the bread crumbs and topping cheeses in a bowl until combined.

Making the sauce:
1. Melt butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat and stir in flour.
2. Cook and stir for 3 minutes, then whisk in milk.
3. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking constantly, then simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes.
4. Stir in cheeses, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until smooth.
5. Remove from heat and cover surface of sauce with wax paper.

Making Macaroni:
1. Cook pasta in a pot of boiling water until al dente. (You can reserve 1 cup cooking water when you drain the macaroni, but I didn't need it. If you want it, feel free to stir it in during the next step.)
2. Stir together macaroni and sauce in a large bowl or one of the pots you've been using. Transfer to 2 buttered 2-quart shallow baking dishes. Keep in mind that this will bubble in the oven, so make sure the dish has at least 1/2" or more at the top.
3. Sprinkle the topping evenly over macaroni and bake until golden and bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.

So Easy! Tortilla Soup

It's pretty cold up at the family cabin, and with a mom that twisted her knee while sledding tonight is about simple eating. So...the famous tortilla soup from our good friend Carmen. In total, it takes about 2 hours to make but probably only 20 minutes worth of work. Niiice.

Tortilla Soup
serves 6

3 chicken breasts with bones
1/2 onion, chopped
water
1 can corn
1 small can of chipotle peppers in juice
handful of rice (optional)
3 chopped zucchini (optional)
salt and pepper
corn tortillas - approx. 1 tortilla per person, cut into 1/2" wide strips
olive or vegetable oil
cilantro, chopped
sour cream
avocado

1. In a large Dutch oven, cover the chicken and onion with water (possibly half an inch about the top breast). Cook over high heat until boiling, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.
2. Remove cooked chicken and shred the meat (easiest way to do it: take two forks and use the one on the right to shred/pull at the meat while the left hand keeps the bird in place).
3. Stir in 3+ teaspoons of the chipotle juice. (Feel free to add more if you like some spice.) Add corn and rice and zucchini and whatever you like in your soup. Keep it simple.
4. Put the shredded chicken back in the pot and simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. With about 5 minutes until the soup is ready to serve, heat a large skillet with about a tablespoon of oil and put the tortilla strips in. Flip once they are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Cook on the other side until crispy. Place on a paper towel to drain off the extra oil.
6. Serve up the soup with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of cilantro, and a good amount of sliced avocado. Throw a handful of tortilla strips on top and enjoy.