Grandma's Macaroni & Cheese

 My Grandma passed away two weeks ago and today is her birthday.  She was my most loyal blog reader, and I know she loved being mentioned when I wrote about her Company Chicken recipe last year.  I had to share this recipe as well, because it is by far my very favorite of all the things she cooked for us over the years.

Grandparents are of course supposed to spoil their grandchildren.  And Grandma was the best at spoiling us with food.  I have so many memories of sitting at her kitchen table eating fishy crackers (our term for Goldfish crackers), circus cookies, and nuts and bolts.  Whenever Erin and I spent the night she made this amazing cinnamon toast for breakfast that always tasted so much better than mom’s.  Erin and I finally figured out that reason Grandma’s tasted so much better had something to do with the inch of sugar she piled on top of the toast.  We shared this valuable information with mom but she did not adjust her sugar ratio.

This macaroni and cheese recipe represents the pinnacle of just how much Grandma spoiled us.  I know this is probably going to shock quite a few of you given my love of food, but I was kind of a picky kid.  I never reached Erin’s level of extreme, debilitating pickiness, but I admit I was a little high maintenance.  Bananas are really the only modern hold-over from my long list of dislikes.  But I never had to worry about family gatherings at Grandma’s because without fail, no matter what other meal she had prepared for the masses, I could always expect a glorious pan of her homemade macaroni and cheese on the table for me. 

To be clear- this tradition is not just something that I remember fondly from my childhood.   Right before Christmas this year, my whole family gathered at Grandma and Grandpa’s to watch the Seahawks game.  I was really not expecting to have macaroni and cheese, since I knew we were having lasagna for dinner and some people might think lasagna with a side of mac n’ cheese is too much pasta.  But I was foolish to doubt her, because of course there was a huge pan full of melted cheesy goodness on the table when I walked in.  I am 27 years old, and I still got my special dinner.

While I was home two weekends ago, we had a big family gathering to celebrate Grandma’s life.  We spent hours around the table eating her favorite foods and drinking gimlets while we remembered all of the incredible times our family has had together.  Erin made this recipe and everyone said it tasted just like Grandma’s.  Even though we were all missing Grandma, this dinner reminded me of just how wonderful family dinners can be.  My love of cooking is about a whole lot more than the food that I make.  And I know I have my Grandma and the rest of my family to thank for that.

Here is the recipe.  I've provided a translation below since I realize that not all of you have my extensive experience in deciphering Grandma's handwriting.

 

GRANDMA’S MACARONI & CHEESE
serves 12 

1 pound elbow macaroni
3 cups milk
3 cups cut up cheese (half mild and half sharp cheddar)
1 cup soda cracker crumbs
½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese


Cook macaroni and put in greased 13-9 glass baking dish.  Heat milk and cheese together until the cheese is melted.  Pour mixture over the macaroni- add salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with grated cheese.  Add cracker crumbs.  Bake at 325 degrees 1 hour.

Turkey Meatballs with Penne

Nothing like the looming dread of finals to inspire me to throw myself into the kitchen... I made these meatballs in the name of “preparation” but it may have actually been “procrastination.”  We will go with the first scenario for now though.  The Food & Wine recipe makes enough for 8-10 people and I made the WHOLE batch (for just me and Addison).  I admit it was quite a production- but now we have a huge ziplock of frozen turkey meatballs in the freezer!  Meatball subs during finals anyone?  Cooking might be the most productive way to procrastinate.


TURKEY MEATBALLS WITH PENNE
serves 8-10
from Food & Wine
Click Here to print


4 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
2 cups panko
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, minced
1 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese, plus more for serving
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 pounds ground turkey
1 pound hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
Two 24-ounce jars of tomato sauce (homemade or store bought)
2 pounds dried penne

Preheat the oven to 400°. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk. Stir in the panko, garlic, oregano, 1 cup of the pecorino, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Add the red pepper, ground turkey, and turkey sausage and gently knead to combine.
Form 1 ½ inch meatballs and place them on the baking sheets.  Bake for about 40 minutes, shifting the pans halfway through baking, until the meatballs are cooked through.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water.  Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.  Toss with the tomato sauce and serve with meatballs.  Serve with additional cheese.
 

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

It’s a little funny that I chose to do a frozen food themed month right now.  In theory, these meals should all be prepared when you are not busy, so that when you are up to your eyeballs in an endless list of assignments, you don’t have to worry about making dinner.  But for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to stock my freezer during my busiest month!  I just couldn’t resist the alliteration…I toyed around with calling it March [freezer] Madness, but I’m really not into sports, and it felt a bit forced. 

So we find ourselves in February.  Freezing things.  Things like meatballs stuffed with mozzarella!  Yes, just when you thought meatballs couldn’t get any better, Thomas Keller swoops in like a genius and puts gooey cheese in the middle of them.  Of course, being the perfectionist that he is, TK recommends that you grind all of the meat yourself.  But don’t worry, the recipe I have posted below is for those of us who don’t own our own meat grinders.  I served them with papardelle and the best tomato sauce in the world. 

To freeze, let the meatballs cool and then put them in the freezer while still on the cooling rack (don't let them touch or they will all stick together).  Once they have frozen through, you can transfer them to a plastic bag. 

MOZZARELLA STUFFED MEATBALLS
serves 4-6
from Ad Hoc at Home
Click here to print


olive oil
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
4 cloves minced garlic
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
12 oz ground beef sirloin
12 oz ground beef chuck
8 oz ground pork
8 oz ground veal
¼ dried bread crumbs
3 tablespoon minced parsley
1 large egg
4 oz fresh mozzarella

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for about 20 minutes, or until vegetables are soft but not brown.  Remove from heat.  In a large bowl, add all of the ground meat and use your hands to combine.  Add the bread crumbs, egg, sautéed vegetables, and parsley and mix gently until evenly incorporated.  Divide into 12 equal balls (just less than ½ cup each).  Cut the mozzarella into 12 equal cubes.  Shape the meatballs and place a piece of cheese inside each.  Place a cooling rack on top of a foil covered cookie sheet and put the meatballs on top. This lets them brown nicely without getting mushy on the bottom.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and bake meatballs for 15 to 18 minutes.  Let rest a few minutes before serving.

Frozen February: Baked Pasta

Exciting news!  Navy Blue Kitchen is hosting its very first theme month!  For the whole month of February, I will be showcasing recipes that you can use to stock your freezer.  I have cleverly decided to call it “Frozen February.”  The plan is to make extra food so that you can enjoy a delicious dinner, and then freeze the rest for later!  If you have any amazing freezer recipes- let me know! 

Before we get started, a few tips on freezing:

1. Get a good storage system!  Plastic is fine for short term freezing but over time it can leech.  I just invested in this set that seals out air and can also go straight into the oven or microwave!

2. Get out as much air as possible to avoid freezer burn.  Freezer burn doesn’t make the food unsafe but it damages flavor and texture.

3. Let food cool completely before freezing.  Warm food will raise the temperature of other foods around it and result in uneven freezing. 

4. Put dates on your food.  Even though you can theoretically freeze food indefinitely without it going bad, flavor suffers over time.  As a general rule I try to use food between 1-2 months after freezing.  For more specifics, you can consult this chart. 

5. Only thaw foods in the microwave, fridge, or cold water.  Leaving them out on the counter to thaw encourages bacteria growth.  My favorite method is in the fridge- but this takes some forethought.  Smaller items can defrost overnight but larger items can take up to two days or more.

One ready to freeze and one ready to eat!

For my first frozen meal, I decided to do some sort of baked pasta but I didn’t want to use a red sauce because I’m making papardelle and meatballs later this week (don't worry I will blog about it!).  But when I went to Tastespotting and Food & Wine (my normal sources for recipe inspiration), I was confronted with a litany of red sauce baked pasta options!  The only recipes I found that diverged from this formula used unhealthy cream sauces.  So I ventured out on my own to come up with this one and it was delicious!

Food Notes:

•  I used chicken to add protein to the meal but you could easily leave it out or sub in more veggies instead. 
• Make sure you don’t overcook the pasta!  It should still be very al dente when you strain it- I promise it continues to cook in the oven.
• Instead of opening a quart of chicken stock that you will then be forced to go through within the week, use the smaller containers that look like juice boxes- they are the perfect size for this recipe.

BAKED RIGATONI WITH ARTICHOKES, CHICKEN, & PROSCIUTTO
makes 6 servings (3 to eat and 3 to freeze)
Click here to print

1lb tubular pasta (rigatoni or penne work well)
4 chicken cutlets, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup flour
canola oil
kosher salt
pepper
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 cups dry white wine
8 ounces chicken stock
2 cups artichoke hearts
1 cup pecorino or parmesan cheese, divided
½ cup fresh oregano, chopped, divided
½ cup panko bread crumbs

6 thin slices prosciutto, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 400.  Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente.  Strain and set aside.

Meanwhile, put the chicken in a plastic bag along with the flour and toss to coat.  In a large skillet, heat the canola oil until it is shimmering.  Using tongs, shake the excess flour from the chicken and then place in the pan.  Depending on the size of your pan you may need to do two batches- you want the chicken to be in a single layer so that it browns nicely.  Cook for about three minutes, then flip and leave over high heat until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove to a plate. 

Add about another teaspoon of oil to the pan and return to medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic, stirring until they soften up.  Return heat to high and then pour in the white wine, using your spoon to scrape up all of the browned bits from the chicken.  Bring the wine to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about five minutes.  Add the chicken stock along with the artichoke hearts and cook for an additional 3 minutes.  Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Add the pasta to the pan along with the chicken, ½ cup of cheese, and ¼ cup oregano.
Divide the pasta into two pans (one to cook now and one for the freezer).  Top with the panko, prosciutto, and the remaining oregano and cheese.  Put one pan in the oven for ten minutes, or until the cheese starts the melt.  Then put it under the broiler for about two minutes or until the panko is browned and the prosciutto is crispy. 

Let the other pan cool completely, then place in the freezer.  When you want to eat it, thaw it in the fridge overnight.  Preheat the oven to 400, and cover the pan with foil and place in oven for about 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling.  Then put it under the broiler to brown.