Giada runny mac & cheese

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_31017,00.html


This was pretty terrible and flavorless. I am also blaming the poor cheese quality from Costco. I'm going back to Fresh Fields. Also there is a typo in the recipe. Errors I read in the reviews, after I made this, show that the flour, milk, and cream ratios are off. Thanks FoodNetwork.

Butter, for greasing dish
12 ounces wide egg noodles
2 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta water
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups (packed) grated Fontina
3/4 cup (packed) finely grated Parmesan
3/4 cup (packed) grated mozzarella
4 ounces cooked ham, diced, optional
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leavesPreheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Butter a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Drain well, but do not rinse.
Whisk the cream, milk, flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in large bowl to blend. Stir in 1 cup Fontina, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, ham, if using, and parsley. Add the noodles and toss to coat. Transfer the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Toss the remaining 1 cup Fontina, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup mozzarella in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the noodle mixture. Bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese melts and begins to brown on top, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Stuffed shells with artichokes

Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce by Giada

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_36324,00.html

I made this because after watching about 3 Every day Italian shows by Giada, I decided to try out this "frozen friendly" recipe. I was cooking for one today and it was so much food that I made 2 frozen batches of shells. Economical, fattening. "Jumbo" barilla shells are quite tiny, so a lot of time was made stuffing tiny shells. When cooked it looks like any Joe Schmo baked pasta dish.

Changes: No frozen artichokes at the store. Used canned hearts. Used white and red onions, leftovers from taco night. Did not use fresh parsley, because it's a waste of greenery.

Verdict - Not super fantastic that I would make again, due to the stuffing of a thousand shells and I know I will be eating frozen shells for weeks.

1 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells (recommended: Barilla)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1 (8 to 10-ounce) package frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
5 cups Arrabbiata Sauce, recipe follows
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella (about 5 ounces)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is slightly golden and cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

To stuff the shells, cover the bottom of a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 cup of Arrabbiata sauce. Take a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey mixture, about 2 tablespoons. Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full, about 24 shells. Drizzle the remaining Arrabbiata Sauce over the shells, top with the grated mozzarella. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 day and up to 1 month.

To bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 60 minutes (20 minutes if shells are unfrozen.)

Arrabbiata Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups jarred or fresh marinara sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add the marinara sauce and red pepper flakes and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool until ready to use.

Turkey Meatball soup

Artichoke and Meatball Soup
http://www.whatwereeating.com/recipes/milf-meatball-id-like-to-fork

SPY Comments: Pretty tasty and easy to make. 7/10
Mike wasn't sure about the Basil.

For the Meatballs:
1 1/4 lbs ground turkey, (not lean)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 lg clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 egg
8 dashes worcestershire sauce

The Rest:
3 tbsp canola oil
3 fresh artichokes
juice from one lemon
1 medium onion, sliced
15 shitake mushrooms, stems trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes
3 cups beef stock
8 pieces fresh okra, whole
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put all of the ingredients for the meatballs into a large bowl. Gently mix all the ingredients into the ground turkey until just combined. Try not to over-work the meat, too much mixing and fooling around with will lead to tougher meatballs. Place about and 1/8 of a cup of the seasoned meat into your hand. Rolling the meat between both your hands, form into a meatball. Set aside and repeat this process until all of the meat has be formed into meat balls.

Fill a large bowl half way full with water. Add the juice from one lemon to the water. Trim and peel the stem and base of an artichoke. Remove all of the leaves and the choke (the white hairlike inedible part of the inside of the flower), leaving only the artichoke heart. Cut the heart into quarters and place in the lemon water immediately. Repeat this process with the other two artichokes, working individually. The flesh of artichokes will oxidize (turn brown) rapidly unless they are in an acidic environment, so work quickly and keep them immersed in the lemon water until ready to use.

Preheat a dutch oven or other oven-safe pot over medium-high heat. Add the canola oil to the pot. Once the oil and pan have heated, brown the meatballs on all sides, working in batches so you don’t over-crowd the pan. Remove browned meatballs from the pan. Set aside and reserve.

Reduce the heat beneath the pot to medium. Add the sliced onions to the pot. Saute the onions for five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the mushroom halves to the pot and stir. Saute the mushrooms and onions for another five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the minced garlic, oregano, basil, and thyme to the pot. Stir and saute for 1 minute longer.

Deglaze the pot with the balsamic vinegar, making sure to scrape up all the little pieces on the bottom of the pot.

Add the stewed tomatoes and beef stock to the pot. Stir. Raise the heat to high. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Drain the artichoke hearts. Add the reserved meatballs and drained artichoke hearts to the pot. Allow the ingredients to just come to a boil.

Once the pot has reached a boil add the whole okra. Cover the pot with the lid and place the pot into a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake the meatballs and artichokes at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until the artichokes are tender when pierced with a fork and easily slide off. Remove the pot from the oven. Taste the broth and adjust seasonings as necessary with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Serve hot in a bowl with some crusty artisan bread to sop up all the glorious juices. Enjoy!

Wild Mushroom Macaroni and Three Cheeses with Truffle Oil

Whoa. This recipe is pretentious. Other than the initial cost of the oil and fresh herbs pretty standard costs for mac and cheese. Wonderful deep flavors. Maybe too intense for a BBQ? NO need to mix cheese with the panko. It's cheesy enough.

1 1/2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms
1 1/2 cups sliced shitake mushrooms
2 tbsp oil or bacon fat
1 1/2 tbsp sherry vinegar
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
2 2/3 cup whole milk
4 oz herb chevre, crumbled
4 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
4 oz parmigiano reggiano, separated in 2 2oz piles
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp fresh sage, minced
2-3 tbsp white truffle oil, depending on how strong you like it (yes,
this is some rich mac-n-cheese)
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup panko
10 oz elbow pasta
kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a large pot of water over high heat
and cover. Place a large saute pan with 2 tbsp oil or lard over medium
heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms to the pan and saute for
7-10 minutes or until the mushrooms are fully cooked and slightly
caramelized. Toss or stir occasionally. Season with a pinch of kosher
salt and black pepper then deglaze the pan with sherry vinegar. Allow
all of the vinegar to cook out, then remove the mushrooms from the pan
and set aside.

Begin the cheese sauce. Add 4 tbsp butter to a medium-sized sauce pan
and place the pan on the stove over medium heat. Once all the butter
is melted and hot, whisk in 4 tbsp flour. Cook the flour, whisking,
for about 30 seconds , just long enough to get rid of the raw flour
taste, but not long enough for the flour to start caramelizing. Add
the thyme, rosemary, sage, and red pepper flakes. Continue stirring
and allow the herbs to saute for about another 30 secpnds. Slowly pour
in the milk while whisking continuously, so the roux and milk
incorporate smoothly and there are no lumps. Allow the bechamel to
come to a simmer (it won't gain it's full thickness until it does),
stirring occassionally.

While waiting for the sauce to come to a simmer start the pasta.
Liberally salt the pot of boiling water, almost to the point it tastes
like sea water. This may take a few handfuls of salt . Add the pasta
to the water and cook the pasta for a minute or two less than the
suggested time on the box.

Once the bechamel has reached a simmer, stir in the chevre, cheddar,
2oz of parmigiano, and truffle oil until all the cheese has melted.
Turn off the heat and and taste the sauce for seasoning levels. Season
with salt and pepper as necessary. In small mixing bowl, mix together
the panko and remaining 2oz of parmigiano reggiano.

Strain the pasta immediately once finished cooking. In a mixing bowl,
toss the pasta, cheese sauce, and mushrooms together. Pour the
macaroni and cheese into a deep glass or ceramic loaf pan and sprinkle
the panko/parmigiano mixture evenly across the top. Bake the
mac-n-cheese in the upper part of the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes
or until the topping is golden and the cheese sauce is bubbly. Serve
hot. Enjoy!

*if you're lucky enough to have a real truffle, feel free to
substitute shaved truffle for the truffle oil!

http://www.whatwereeating.com/recipes/orgasmic-mac-n-cheese/