Comfort food for election night: $10 dinner
UPDATE: I cooked this recipe last night and made some changes.
PREVIOUSLY: I really hope my candidate wins. But I've been badly disappointed before so I plan to cook comfort food - in the form of mac-n-cheese - tonight night while watching the election returns come in. If you have your fingers crossed, too, you might want to make a batch. Here's my mom's recipe.
Ingredients:
2 c uncooked macaroni noodles, cooked separately according to directions on package
3 T butter
3 T flour
1 3/4 c milk
1 c grated cheddar cheese (you can also mix in...
...Swiss cheese or other strong cheese)
1/2 c grated gruyere cheese
5-10 drops Tobasco sauce (more if you like it spicy)
Dash of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1 c bread crumbs
1/8 c grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Heat oven to 350. Melt butter then add flour. Stir vigorously over medium heat for three minutes, making sure mixture does not burn (though it will brown slightly.) Add 1 cup of the milk slowly and stir continuously until smooth. Add cheese and sit until melted. Add a few drops of tobasco sauce, a dash of nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Add the rest of the milk.
Pour cooked macaroni noodles into the cheese sauce. Pour into 8 x 11 pan or smaller pan if you want it deeper. Sprinkle with bread crumbs, toss the grated Parmesan cheese on top and put it in the oven for 25 minutes, until top is crispy.
Note, 5-10 drops of Tobasco does not make the dish spicy, but gives it a good flavor. Without it, the mac -n- cheese will taste bland. Serve with a green salad. Thanks, Mom!
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Your mom's recipe sounds a lot like mine. I haven't made it with hot sauce before, but will try it next time I make mac and cheese.
Tonight, as it's chilly and windy outside, I'm going to make Swiss steak, which I haven't made for a long time. I'll brown the round steak in an oven-proof skillet in a thin coating of home-prepared garlic oil, along with some sliced onions, a pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Before putting in a 350 degree oven, I'll add some liquid, combining water, a bit of dry red wine, some ketchup, a little Worcestershire and some A-1. Pour over the steak (which I forgot to mention I'd previously cut into serving size pieces), cover, and bake for an hour at 350, then for 30-45 minutes more at 325. The meat should be very tender by then. If desired, make a roux base of water and flour to add to the pan liquids and make a gravy. Serve with your favorite potatoes, some carrots (which can be cooked with the steak during the last 30-45 minutes), or steamed broccoli. Serve with a side of sliced tomatoes. Yummmmmmmmm!!!
Hope you were happy with the election results! Your mac n' cheese recipe sounds delicious, I love the idea of adding nutmeg. We're having a comfort food recipe contest at http://marxfood.com - check it out for a chance to win a $250 gift certificate to http://marxfoods.com
Thanks to Emily for the info on the contest. I looked at the site, and think I might enter.
BTW ~ Nutmeg, especially freshly ground, is great with most any noodle/pasta dish, and any other dish that has a white sauce as its basis. Just a tiny bit, though, as it's a very potent spice. I found whole nutmeg and a small "nutmeg cage" at World Market a long time ago, and I imagine it's still available there.