Macaroni a la Fondue and some grilled stuff

The Food:
Tonight we had a very simple dinner that was much like the ones we used to eat when we all lived at home. The only twist is that this was the culinary adventurous version because me and my brothers can't seem to get enough of cooking. Instead of Annie's, we made homemade macaroni that was inspired by the classic ingredients of Swiss Fondue. In lieu of steaming, we grilled the asparagus to ensure a nice caramelization on the outside. For the flat iron steak, we stayed simple. I am always a no-frills person when it comes to meat. Rob brushed it with a bit olive oil , and then sprinkled it with a red pepper blend. It was absolutely delicious!
The fondue macaroni was something I improvised on the spot, loosely based on a couple of recipes from the food network website. It ended up being very good, something I would definitely do again. Here is the recipe, in case you want to try it.
1) Cook whatever shape pasta you want (I used elbow) according to the package directions. I used a full pound box - I was feeling hungry and you can't beat macaroni leftovers.
2) While the pasta cooks, heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan, over medium heat. When it is nice and warm, I put in about a handful of flour to form a roux. At this stage, constant whisking is imperative! Stir the roux around to allow the taste of the flour to mellow out while keeping it from burning. I did this for about 2 minutes.
3) Start stirring in little bits of milk at a time. I used whole, raw milk, but I suppose that other types would do the trick. To get the richness that made the dish so good, I would hesitate to use a milk that wasn't at least 2% milk fat. I didn't do any measuring, but I thinned it out until it was about the consistency of cake batter. To this I added a half a cup of chardonnay.

4) Into this went the grated cheese. I did about 6 ounces of Gruyere, 4 ounces of sharp cheddar, and 2 ounces of freshly grated Parmesan. Stir until melted, adding more liquid if it seems too thick. Then season with nutmeg (freshly ground if possible), lemon zest, white pepper, salt and ground mustard. I didn't measure, so go forth and experiment to taste!
5) When the pasta is done, drain it and put it into a greased casserole dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and mix it in well. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top (we had the bottom of a bag of potato chips left so those also got crumbled and put on top - it added a nice saltiness) and then drizzle with a bit of melted butter.
6) Put under the broiler and cook until the top is crispy and browned.

The Creatures that wished they ate it:
Marley, Misty, and in front, Ziggy!

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful

The Circumstance:
Today was (in the word montage style preferred by Ms. Weisbuch):
blizzardy
blustery
bone-cold
bundle up
brrrrrrrrrrrrr
fuzzy hoods, falling snow, freeze fest, frigid......
I wanted, no needed, something satisfying and warm for dinner. I had grand plans to make a lasagna, and then brownies from scratch for my dancers at tonight's rehearsal. But, of course, life had to intervene. Its midterm season, and those plans would have been suicidal - yes delicious - but suicidal nonetheless.

The Food:
Avi and I decided that meatball subs would meet the above criteria of hearty, delicious, and most importantly, fast! We divided and conquered. I made meatballs using beef from Four Mile River Farm. I prepped the meat with salt, pepper, herbs de provence, an egg, and some grated Parmesan. Meanwhile, Avi whipped up a fresh sauce using diced tomatoes and green pepper. Once this was done, we assembled (sauce, meatballs, mozzarella cheese, and more sauce on top of a halved baguette) and broiled for a tasty dinner.


The Method/The People that Employed Said Method:
Avi took the classic sandwich eating approach...open wide, bite down, and repeat. Sure it may be messy, but it gets the job done. Favored by speed racers, superheros, and competitive food eaters, this approach had Avi taking his last bite a good 5 minutes before I did.



I took the civilized approach, using a knife and fork to tackle my prize. This is a technique favored by the seasoned procrastinator, it will guarantee that dinner takes up a nice, big block of time (especially if you decide to make a post about it afterward!)

Short rib technique

Tonight we had short ribs braised in coffee and mulled wine with dried chilies and horseradish cream (horseradish, yogurt, and heavy cream). The sides were roasted green beans and polenta with spinach, toasted hazelnuts, and cheese.

I've braised a lot of short ribs by now, and this is what I've decided:

-cook it in the oven, not on the stove. I did it on the stove this time, because Mark Bittman did it, but it's just not a good idea. It didn't cook evenly enough and the meat was less tender than it would have been if I put it in the oven.

(Sarah: "If Mark Bittman jumped off a bridge, would you?"

Becca: "Probably." )

-if it's in the oven (and it better be), cover the pot with tinfoil, then put the cover on. That will keep the braise from evaporating.

-Three hours minimum. Ideally, I like it 1 hour past the time it takes for the meat to fall off the bone.

My favorite part about short ribs is the fat. I got an extra fatty one that had a half-inch layer of fat wrapped around the meat and it was divine. I wouldn't eat fat by itself, but I like fat and meat together so much that I would have a hard time choosing between perfectly marbled meat and a million dollars.

Midnight snack

Food:
Like Becca mentioned in her blog post, I stress cook. The actual soup was pretty simple (I put a short rib with two leeks, an onion, three cloves of garlic, half a can of corn, half a cup of brown rice, a dollop of reserved beef fat from the last time I made short ribs, spices, salt and pepper, and a bunch of water. That part took 10 minutes. After three hours, I chopped the beef into small chunks and mixed it back in), but there's an art to stress-cooking. Briefly, these are the rules:

1. Make something delicious that you wouldn't feel guilty eating, because you're probably feeling guilty already about cooking instead of working.
2. Only use what you have in your house already, because leaving the house will cross the threshold between benevolent procrastination (much-needed break) and harmful procrastination (waste time and cause you more stress later).
3. The recipe should be low-maintenance (for example, risotto is not a good stress cooking project because it requires too much attention)
4. The recipe should be fool-proof. Soup is good because you can add anything you want to it and it will always be delicious (case-in-point: rock soup), so it's stress-free to make. That is not the case with souffles.

and The People Who Ate It: