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Deluxe Mac and Cheese!

The quintessential comfort dish of mac and cheese gets trendy. Combining cheddar cheese with Monterey Jack, leeks, prosciutto and peas elevates this mac and cheese into a sophisticated dish.

Mac and cheese might be the most comforting comfort food ever devised. It has all the attributes of feel-good food: cheesy, creamy and familiar. And it never seems to go out of style.

Many restaurants are making upscale versions adding lobster, truffles or other exotic ingredients. At a new restaurant in downtown Los Angeles called Mac and Cheeza, diners can add sausage, tomatoes, olives or nuts to their dish. And for those who don't eat dairy, the restaurant will whip up mac and soy cheese.

Mac and Cheeza would do well to add the following recipe to its repertoire. Combining Cheddar cheese with peppery Monterey Jack and a touch of Parmesan makes this mac and cheese sophisticated — a far cry from the "blue box" variety. Because I often make pasta with pesto, peas and prosciutto, I added those ingredients as well. The caramelized leeks elevate the dish to a new level, along with the crispy cheese and breadcrumb topping.


Tips

Advance preparation: This may be made up to two days ahead, covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before reheating in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes. You may need to cover with foil so it does not burn.

•  Use Italian penne or fusilli instead of elbow macaroni.
•  Substitute blue cheese for the Pepper Jack cheese.
•  Substitute mortadella or speck for the prosciutto.

Three-cheese macaroni with leeks, prosciutto and peas

Prep: 35 minutes 

Cook: 1 hour 

Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

•  3 tablespoons olive oil
•  6 leeks, light green and white parts, cleaned, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
•  Freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 pound dried elbow macaroni
•  1 cup frozen baby peas
• 1/4 pound sliced prosciutto, finely chopped
•  Sauce:
•  3 tablespoons each: unsalted butter, flour
•  3 cups milk, warmed
•  2 cups shredded each: Pepper Jack cheese, sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
•  1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon each: salt, white pepper

Topping:

• 1/2 cup panko or other bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
•  2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces

Steps:

1. 1 Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in large non-aluminum skillet on medium-high heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring often, until caramelized, about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, heat a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Stir in the macaroni; cook until slightly soft to the bite, 7 minutes. Drain. Place in bowl with leeks; toss. Add peas and prosciutto; toss.
2. 2 For sauce, melt the 3 tablespoons butter in the large skillet over medium-low heat. Sprinkle the flour over the butter; whisk to mix well. Cook, stirring, until the flour is absorbed and the mixture is bubbling, about 2 minutes. Stir in the milk gradually; heat to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until the white sauce is smooth and thickened, 3-4 minutes. Add the cheeses. Remove from the heat; whisk constantly until the cheese is completely melted. Stir in the mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over the macaroni leek mixture; mix to combine.
3. 3 Place a greased 8-inch-square baking pan on a baking sheet. Transfer the macaroni mixture to the pan. For the topping, combine the breadcrumbs and Parmesan in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the macaroni. Dot with the butter; bake uncovered, until the top browns and begins to form a crust, 35-40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition information: Per serving: 908 calories, 48% of calories from fat, 49 g fat, 26 g saturated fat, 130 mg cholesterol, 75 g carbohydrates, 43 g protein, 1,491 mg sodium, 6 g fiber.

Tokyo-Style Beef Sukiyaki

When a popular dish costs $500, it may be time to try it at home.


Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Servings: 6

Note: Broiled tofu and itokonnyaku noodles are available at speciality or Japanese markets. Sliced rib-eye is generally available at Japanese and Korean markets; you can also have your butcher slice it.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds boneless rib-eye, sliced 1/8-inch thick, trimmed, fat reserved
3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups sake or white wine
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 package (14 ounces) firm tofu or yakitofu (broiled tofu), cut into 12 pieces
1 package (7 ounces) Japanese itokonnyaku noodles, rinsed, cut in half
1 bunch green onions, cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 pound nappa cabbage or bok choy, sliced diagonally into 2-inch pieces
4 ounces (about 8) shiitake mushrooms, stemmed
2 cups watercress, stemmed

Heat a large skillet over medium heat; add beef fat. Cook, stirring it around to grease the pan, until hot. Add the sugar; cook until it begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Carefully add the sake and soy sauce (it will sputter).

Place in arranged mounds the tofu, noodles, green onions, onion, cabbage and mushrooms, leaving some room for the beef. Heat to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to simmer.

Add the beef in a mound. Cook just until the vegetables are tender and the meat is cooked to the desired consistency, about 8 minutes, pressing the ingredients into the broth so that they cook evenly.

Place the watercress in the center on top of the other ingredients; simmer just until the leaves wilt, about 1 minute.

Nutrition information:
Per serving: 487 calories, 28% of calories from fat, 15 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 52 mg cholesterol, 35 g carbohydrates, 31 g protein, 267 mg sodium, 3 g fiber.

Grilled Mayonnaise Black pepper Chicken

This recipe courtesy of My Kitchen Snippets                      

When I saw this recipe at my friend Shereen's blog I know I have to try it out. Shereen used chicken pieces for this but since I am a big fan of wings I used that instead. The wings turn out really yummy! The wings were full of flavor; just melt in your mouth, fall of the bones and finger liking good.

Ingredients:
8 – 10 pcs chicken wings
1 tsp black pepper
4 cm fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp sweet soy sauce/kicap manis
2 ½ tbsp of mayonnais
salt to taste

1. Clean and wash chicken wings and pat it dry.
2. Put the rest of the ingredients into a blender and blend into a paste.
3. Marinate the wings with the paste for at least 4 hours or overnight.
4. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degree F. Line a sheet pan with some aluminum foil. Drizzle it with some olive oil. Spread wings over the base.
5. Roast for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Turn the wings half way through the baking. Serve warm or at room temperature.