Lunch: Mack n Cheese w/ Broccoli and Ham
The folks I cook for are mostly teenagers, so what can I tell ya- we eat Mack n Cheese about three times a month. They love it:)
The Broccoli. Steamed broccoli is great, it gives a nice fresh crisp veggy flavor that just oozes healthy.
But to turn a broccoli hater into a broccoli lover- ya gotta go a different route. Here's how I like it ...
Put the broccoli in a bowl of lightly salted water.
Put an iron skillet on medium-high heat.
Put a slab of butter in there with a dash of olive oil.
Drain the broccoli and add to the skillet.
Now walk away, no stirring allowed. Don't touch it until you think you might be burning it.
Caramelization is what we want here.
Yummy brown crispy bits of salty broccoli.
So, let one side get good and brown, about 12min, give it a little toss and just let it go a few more minutes while you get a plate together.
(may add a little splash of soy sauce at this point if ya like:)
** This works great with Cauliflower too, try it with some indian spices:) Remember Don't Stir!
For The Ham I just cube up some buffet ham, spray it with a little olive oil and brown it in the oven. Simple ;)
Mack n Cheese
Get the pasta water on the stove.
In a separate pot bring some cream and butter up to a simmer.
Season with salt, white pepper, chili flake, onion powder, and little nutmeg.
Drop the pasta into generously salted boiling water.
Whisk in a bunch of grated cheddar and whatever random variety of cheese ends ya got in the fridge into the cream sauce.
(if your sauce needs loosening, use the hot pasta water)
Strain the pasta and toss with the sauce.
Top with bread crumbs tossed in melted butter, parmesan, and fresh chopped herbs
then stick in a hot oven till really gold and bubbly.
Heart Attack!!! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
wednesday, veg
