Means of Seeing what the eye brings

Here during the height of the American Summer, this Canadian has been craving Macaroni & Cheese. Is it really some Canadian thing? Perhaps not, but I crave, nonetheless. Of course, if you’re going to give into a craving, I subscribe to the school of “Go Big or Go Home”. You could use any variety of cheeses; I chose one mellow, one smooth, and one a little sharp.

• 1 lb of study pasta (I chose my fave: cavatappi)
• 4 oz Gruyere cheese, diced
• 4 ox Fontina cheese, diced
• 4 oz St. Jorge cheese, diced
• 1/4 lb pancetta, diced
• 1/4 medium sweet white onion, small diced
• 20 oz vegetable stock
• 3 tbs all-purpose flour
• 2 tbs truffle-infused olive oil
• a few drops of lemon juice
• 1/4 cup home-made toasted breadcrumbs
• salt & pepper

Dice the cheeses while cold, then allow to come to room temperature in a bowl. Over medium heat, fry the pancetta; when it has been mostly rendered, add the onions, lower the heat, and allow everything to get greasy and translucent. Start boiling the pasta in a pot of salted water.

Prepare a roux of the oil and flour, seasoning with a little salt and pepper. Bring the stock to a simmer, then add to the roux (thus creating a sauce velouté). Stir stir stir stir! Watch the heat, keeping it medium-low. Add the cubed cheese a little at a time, stirring like a madman. Stir! Add more cheese. Stir like your life depends on it! Dribble in a few drops of lemon juice; the acidity will relax the cheese and keep it from getting stringy. Stir! If the sauce begins to “break” or gets a clumpy/marbled appearance, you’re either too hot or not stirring enough. Lower the heat and stir like you mean it, you wimp! If the sauce is too hard, add a little hot pasta water. STIR! Do not over-estimate the amount of heat required to melt the cheese; it’s probably less than you think. And… don’t forget to stir.

Drain the pasta, drop into a casserole dish, and drown with the cheese-sauce. Stir!  Scrape the pancetta/onion mix onto the top. Stir! Shake the crumbs on top, set under a broiler for a minute or two, then take it out and try Try TRY your hardest not to eat the damn thing while it’s 10000000 degrees hot. A little cooling will let the cheese set, let the top cool to crispiness, and let your otherwise-soon-to-be-burnt-mouth a chance at survival.

Pre-shredded bagged broccoli slaw is one of my newest “must haves” in the fridge. Such slaws are typically mainly shredded broccoli stems, with a little carrot and cabbage. Yes, it’s good as a raw salad with some appropriate dressing, but the real fun starts when you cook with it. Here’s this evening’s offering:

• 1 bag ready-made broccoli slaw
• 1/3 cup almonds, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 5-6 large fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded
• salt & pepper
• 2 cups veggie stock (I usually use bouillon)

Steam the slaw over the stock in a perforated double-boiler, bamboo steamer, or the like. Failing that, quickly blanch the slaw in the boiling stock. Do Not Over Cook. This will take about a minute, no more, less if you’re boiling.

While the slaw is steaming, salt the chopped almonds and toast in a hot frying-pan until they start to brown. Add the oil and garlic, then drain the slaw and dump it in. Fry fast and hot, until the steam clears, then stir in the chiffonade, re-season, plate, and serve. All very fast. The steaming tenders the slaw; the quick fry flavours and sears it. Either alone would not produce the desired results.

We grilled up a few organic chicken pesto sausages to go with this tonight. Drool-worthy.

It’s hot out, but somehow it felt like a hot soup day. This soup will probably taste great chilled as well (if it lasts that long!), but the spicy-heat will remain. Something about spiced food in the heat… millions of southeast Asians can’t be wrong!

In a 350 degree oven, roast:

• 2 lbs carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 largish sweet white onion
• salt & pepper

Roast for 1/2 or more, tossing now and then, until the onions get some colour and the carrots start to tender up a bit. While you’re roasting, drop in a blender the following:

• Plenty of peeled ginger, maybe 1/4 cup
• 1 clove raw peeled garlic
• 1/2 cup cashews

I used Trader Joe’s Thai Lime & Chili Cashews. If you can’t use these, just use regular roast cashews, then add the juice of half a lime and a few shakes of cayenne. In either case, blend into a paste.

Once the veg is well-roasted, run them through a food-processor or a blender in batches. Add the ginger/cashew paste, and transfer to a soup pot. Re-heat up to a simmer and re-season as required; I added a little bit more salt, pepper, cayenne, coriander, and cinnamon (easy with those last three). Stir in a handful of whole cashews right before serving. Yum! I’m off for another bowl…