Mac & Cheese with Pancetta

Fancy mac fancy mac.

This was luxury in your mouth, this recipe. Wowsers. And let's not even mention that it will feed a small family of 3 for three nights in a row. That I like.

I adapted this recipe from a ward cookbook in Salt Lake. Instead of the orecchiette pasta that it calls for, I used whole wheat elbows and then swapped in Italian- style breadcrumbs for the panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) that is calls for. Hey, a girl's gotta rotate her pantry.

Anyways, the mascarpone cheese is a wonderful and creamy component, though I must admit, if you're going to spend the extra mula, I'd personally go with cream cheese next time and save your wallet some stress. I like to use mascarpone when you can really taste it and it stands out as the main ingredient or flavor. With all the different things going on this casserole, it gets hidden under the pancetta and sharp cheddar cheese. I also added some sliced tomatoes on top for color and some nutrition.

There you have it: my two cents. It's a great dish. Toodles!

Fancy Italian Mac & Cheese

1 stick butter, divided
4 ounces pancetta, chopped
1 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups (or a little more) milk
2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1 8 ounce container mascarpone (or cream cheese) cheese
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 lb orecciette or elbow-shaped pasta


Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta, and saute until crisp. Add onion, saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the crushed red pepper and garlic, stirring for about 1 minute. Stir in 3 Tbsp butter and allow to melt. Add the flour and stir another minute. Then gradually whisk in milk and simmer until it's thick enough to coat a spoon thickly. Remove from heat and add the cheeses, whisking until melted. Add more milk by 1/4 cup-fuls until the sauce is thick but pourable. Season with salt and pepper.

Melt 4 Tbsp of butter in a large skillet and saute the breadcrumbs until lightly golden. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a glass 9 x 13 baking dish. Cook pasta in a large pot until just tender but still firm to the bite. Drain well and return pasta to pot. Add the warm cheese sauce and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer this mixture to a baking dish and sprinkle the crumb mixture all over (if you want tomatoes, place those on top of cheese mixture before the breadcrumbs). Bake the casserole for about 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown and cheese below is oozzzing.

Casserole with Sausage and Eggs

Before heading off to SLC for our winter recess, Chris, Henry and I had our own Christmas morning here in Philly with a breakfast spread, few gifts, and Christmas festivities. My husband grew up eating this dish each Christmas morning whereas it wasn't a staple in our Christmas morning household. This year however, I am converted and we have officially incoporated it into our xmas morning gaiety. It is a slam dunk casserole if you haven't yet had the pleasure of eating it.

Here you go. It'll turn even a vegan's head!

Sausage Breakfast Holiday Casserole

1 pkg pork sausage links (we used Morning Star brand- still good)
10-12 slices of white bread, cut and cubed
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
4 eggs
3/4 tsp dry mustard
3 cups milk, divided
1 can cream of mushroom soup (low fat works)

Brown and drain sausage. Cut links into chunks. Spread cubed bread into a buttered 9 x 13 glass pan. Top with sausage chunks and cover that with cheese. Mix eggs, dry mustard, 2 1/2 cups milk, and pour over the other layers. Refrigerate over night or at least ~ 3 hours. When ready to bake, mix mushroom soup and remaining 1/2 cup milk and pour over top of casserole. Cover with foil and bake it in a preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil the last 10 minutes or so.
oooohhhhh it's sooooo goood!

Fantastic Meatballs and Tuscan Marinara

Here is a confession about myself: I don't typically do classic or traditional/homestyle dishes. It sounds silly considering how much I love to be in the kitchen behind a stove, but I've never done a pot roast with gravy before. I don't make a weekly lasagna, meatloaf seldom makes it to our plates, and you won't see me attempting fried chicken any time soon.

And part of my 2010 resolutions are to learn/commit to memory some of these classic dishes that I, maybe you, perhaps all of us, grew up on.

I need to improve my gravy- it always turns out lumpy. I'd like to do the potatoes, carrots, and roast thing. And making killer jell-O concoctions is another area of desired improvement.

You get me? I'm talking old Jell-O emerald salads. Good ol' apple and banana cream pies. Awesome sloppy Joes.

So, every week from here on out, as long as I can remember to maintain it (do you ever create goals at the new year and then forget about them by March??), I'd like to attempt one, singular classic/traditional recipe a week throughout the entire year. Of course, what I perceive as a traditional dish might be completely foreign to you, thus, my whole approach will be rather subjective and taken from a personal and selfish experience... but I'll start labeling each of them under "traditional recipes" .

Meatballs and Marinara over spaghetti was my first experiment tonight! Quite happy with the results, even from all the oil splattering the unshielded sleeves of my shirt. This recipe is rich and succulent. And nearly impossible to cook quickly if you have a toddler pulling at your pant leg. Give yourself at least 90 minutes to complete this. It's a labor of love and a worthwhile outcome. Loved it.

I adapted the recipe from a Utah-based cookbook, The Gathering of Friends, Volume II (c.2009) and I'll type out the exact recipe but in () explain what I did differently. Use the spicy pork as directed and fear not the extra fat content- makes all the difference in flavor and texture!!! YUM! Use any kind of spaghetti noodle you'd like- we put it over whole wheat "thin" style spaghetti noodles, whatever that means.

Meatballs

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (I used 1 lb)
1/2 lb spicy ground pork (I used 1 lb, "Bob's" zesty-hot style ground sausage)
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp fresh basil, minced (omitted this)
1 tsp garlic powder (used 1 minced garlic clove instead)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp Italian seasonings
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced (I used flat-leaf parsley)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 1/2 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce

Fold all the ingredients together, using your hands (don't overwork it though). Form into 8 large balls (I formed mine into 20 medium sized balls). In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil and saute until meatballs are browned, turning often (I cooked them over medium heat until they were just barely cooked through all the way). Remove from heat, place on plate with paper towel.

Tuscan Marinara Sauce

1 29-oz can tomato sauce
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped (omitted this)
1/2 cup sugar (added only 1/4 cup)
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp olive oil (I omitted this)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 oz cream cheese (I used 3 oz of low fat cream cheese)

Once you've removed meatballs from pan, use the drippings (remove any meat debris) of oil to saute your onion and garlic (if you're pan is dried up, then go ahead and use the 2 tsp of olive oil called for). Stir continually, and add salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme. Continue to saute until onions are transparent. Fold in tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, and cream cheese, stirring so cheese melts. (The original recipe calls for a 1 cup water addition, but my sauce was thin enough, so I didn't add it).

Place meatballs in sauce and simmer for a 15 minutes or so (if your meatballs are NOT cooked all the way through, then let this mixture simmer at least 1/2 hour). Turn down heat.

Cook spaghetti noodles until al dente. Place noodles on plate and slather in sauce and meatballs. Garnish with freshly chopped basil (I used parsley instead).




Oh, and this makes enough to feed at least 6 people. Just in case.