shallots

Asiago Mac and Cheese Pie with Truffled Potato Crust or Timballo di Maccheroni

27 Jan 2012
Asiago Mac and Cheese with Truffled Potato Crust

I have a not-so-classic Asiago Mac and Cheese Pie with Truffled Potato Crust for you today that could pass for a geography lesson, or maybe even a life lesson. It may seem like a simple but comforting baked pasta, but unique ingredients and an international pedigree make it something more too.

This "pie" is dense with penne pasta, creamy Wisconsin Asiago cheese and Tuscan kale. I have given it an Idaho potato crust that is scented with truffle oil. I call it a non-traditional pie, but it's really a variation on timballo di maccheroni, a traditional drum-shaped baked pasta dish from Naples and the surrounding Campania region of Italy. Some few years ago, in a movie called "Big Night," the preparation of a timballo di maccheroni was featured in a big way. It made a big impression on audiences. Me included. Recipes for timballi proliferated and suddenly the dish came to the attention of Americans. Since then I have made some variation many, many times. But the more I make it the more it becomes (at least in my mind) another great take on good ole Mac & Cheese. Another example of cross-cultural culinary calisthenics.

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Root-A-Toot-Toot-A-Baga: Rutabaga Puree

12 Jan 2012
rutabaga

Rutabagas are delicious. Especially this Rutabaga Purée with Brown Butter & Mascarpone. Let's just get that out of the way right now. Because no matter what I say about rutabagas from here on out, they're delicious. I love (and respect) them.

But you have to admit, rutabagas have a funny sounding, cartoonish name. The kind of name Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn or some other rascally Loony Tunes character might root-a-toot-toot about. So, you see, it's easy to make fun of them. Besides, rutabagas are silly looking too. Really silly looking. I'm sorry but it's true.

Let me tell you a funny story. I was in the market recently, checking out with just a few items. I hadn't bothered to get a basket and was sorta balancing a few awkward items in my hands. Oh, and I had a great big rutabaga tucked under my arm too. When it came time to pay, the cashier pointed under my arm and asked, “What’s that?” 

“A football”, I said. Well she laughed so hard she almost cried. At first I thought to myself, rather smugishly. "Gosh I'm funny". Then I realized it wasn't me that was so funny, she wasn't laughing at me. It was the rutabaga that had tickled her funny bone so completely.

Take a look, it's true– rutabagas are big ole monstrosities. The dirigibles of the veg world. The sheer audacity of their size, only adds to their irony. Because rutabagas aren't just delicious and hilarious. Nope. Rutabagas are really, really cheap. Meaning not only do they get laughed at, these root-vegetable monsters are often relegated to filler, whose only purpose is to bulk up a casserole, or stretch out some watery soup. But I bet if you'd just stop laughing long enough to taste a rutabaga you'd root-a-toot-toot too! GREG

 

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Rutabaga Purée with Brown Butter & Mascarpone

Rutabaga Purée with Brown Butter & Mascarpone
By jgreghenry Published January 12, 2012
Prep time: 30
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 4 T unsalted butter
  • 1 large shallot, peeled & coarsely chopped
  • 1 large rutabaga (about 2 pounds), peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1 t coarse salt, pluse more to taste
  • 1 c chicken stock
  • 1 T fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
  • 1 pn freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
  • 4 T mascarpone cheese

Directions

Heat a large, heavy bottomed sauté pan over medium heat. Add the butter. As it begins to melt, start swirling the pan frequently and watching the butter carefully. You will notice the butter will get foamy, and then the milk solids will begin to brown. Once that starts, remove skillet from heat. Smell the butter; it should have a nutty aroma, and be caramel in color.

Add the shallots and rutabaga. Return the pan to medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Season with salt. Add stock and thyme leaves. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Purée vegetable mixture with mascarpone in a food processor until smooth. Season with pepper. Reheat if necessary. Garnish with more thyme leaves.

Source: inspired by Martha Stewart Living

Mushroom, Goat Cheese & Mint Updated for 2012 in a Hand-Pie

04 Jan 2012
Mushroom, Goat Cheese & Mint Hand Pies

Can you say Mushroom, Goat Cheese & Mint Hand-Pie? I ask because it might seem like an unusual combination of flavors. Especially for a pie. But actually mushrooms, goat cheese and mint are an inspired combination. I should know because Russ Parsons from the LA Times inspired me to include this trio in a quesadilla way back in 2010. It was a culinary highlight that year, and a top post here at Sippity Sup.

In fact the combination of mushrooms, goat cheese and mint was one of the highlights of 2011 for me too. Because last year I made a mushroom, goat cheese and mint omelette, I put mushrooms, goat cheese and mint on a turkey burger, I even tried my hand with mushroom, goat cheese and mint muffaletta. I just didn't include any of those experiments on this blog. Mostly because as good as they were, none of them stood quite as tall in my mind as did that first Mushroom Goat Cheese & Mint Quesadilla.

The trick is how to bring these flavors back to Sippity Sup in a way that suits the new year and all the things that interest me in 2012. Pie is high on that list. I love savory pies because the combination of a tender, salted crust and a hearty filling is so elementally simple yet endlessly varied. Pies are the culinary equivalent of a well-loved blanket. But what about hand-pies? They are smaller and more portable, making them terrific addition to the busy beginning of a new year. I like to call them palm-sized pastries. I think they are the perfect pouch for mushrooms, goat cheese and mint to snuggle into. GREG

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Mushroom, Goat Cheese & Mint Hand Pies

Mushroom, Goat Cheese & Mint Hand Pies
By jgreghenry Published December 28, 2011
Prep time: 60
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 1 basic savory pie recipe
  • 1 t flour for rolling surface
  • 2 T unsalted butter
  • 1 lb button mushroom, sliced
  • 0.5 t kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
  • 2 T shallots, peeled & minced
  • 2 T mint leaves, minced
  • 0.25 c fresh goat cheese
  • 0.25 c low-moisture mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch dice

Directions

Choose and prepare the Basic Savory Pie Pastry recipe. Divide dough in half, shape it into 2 evenly-sized squares about 5-inches wide and 3/4-inch thick. Wrap them in plastic. Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days), or freeze for up to 1 month.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out both squares of cold, but un-frozen dough separately, one at a time, into approximately 11-inch squares. Then trim them cleanly into a 10-inch square. Cut each 10-inch square into quarters, giving you eight, 5-inch square pieces of pastry. Transfer them to 2 parchment lined baking sheets, 4 to a sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated while you make the filling.

Heat oven to 425 degrees, with racks in the upper and lower thirds.

Melt the butter in a medium-sized skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have given up their moisture, about 5 minutes. Add the shallots and cook until the they have softened and the mushrooms are quite tender, about 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the mint and the goat cheese until the mushrooms are well coated in a thick creamy sauce. Set aside.

Get the pastry squares from the refrigerator. Working with the pastry square in place, pile the mozzarella cubes, evenly distributed, onto the center of each square leaving about a 1-inch border all around. Place about 1/4 cup of the mushroom filling on top of the mozzarella on each of the squares. Working one at a time fold up all four corners around the filling, so that the points meet near the center but do not touch (leave about 1/4 inch of space between them). Press lightly to distribute the filling somewhat, being careful not to let any escape. Repeat with the remaining squares of filled dough.

Brush the exposed tops and edges of the dough of each hand pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until pies are golden brown and filling is set, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve warm.