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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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Asiago Mac and Cheese with Truffled Potato Crust

Asiago Mac and Cheese with Truffled Potato Crust (timballo di maccheroni)
By jgreghenry Published December 26, 2011
Prep time: 90
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb dried penne pasta
  • 1.5 lb idaho russet potatoes
  • 1 T unsalted butter
  • 1 t white truffle oil
  • 2 scallions, white & light green parts, minced
  • 1 pn each, kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper, plus more as needed
  • 2 c half and half
  • 0.25 t crushed red pepper flakes
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
  • 2 c asiago cheese, grated
  • 0.25 t freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 T vegetable oil
  • 1 shallot, peeled & minced
  • 3 c lightly packed shredded tuscan kale
  • 4 oz sliced prosciutto
  • 12 sage leaves, minced
  • 0.25 c parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for passing

Directions

Cook the penne according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside to cool.

Heat oven to 375°F. Bake potatoes until tender, about 45 minutes. Let them cool slightly, then peel the potatoes with your hands. The peels should come off easily. Discard the skins. Push the potatoes through a ricer into a medium-sized bowl. Stir in the butter, truffle oil and scallions until well mixed. Season with salt and pepper. Using your fingers, press the potato mixture evenly across the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake until lightly browned on the edges, about 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

Bring the half-and-half to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan set over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the red pepper flakes. Let the mixture cool slightly, then briskly whisk in eggs, egg yolks, Asiago, and nutmeg. Season with more salt and pepper and set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the kale and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Stir the cooked penne, Asiago mixture, kale mixture, prosciutto, and sage into a large bowl until well combined. Scrape this mixture over the potato crust and spread evenly. Top with the Parmesan cheese and bake until well-browned on the tips of the penne, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly on a rack before releasing the springform pan. Slice into wedges and serve warm with additional Parmesan passed at the table.

Strictly Speaking Non-Traditional Sweet Potato Latkes

21 Dec 2011
making latkes

Happy Hanukkah! Now, I'm not Jewish. But I feel happy to send you this greeting no matter your religious associations. Because around my house we like to say I am Jewish adjacent, that's because my partner is Sephardic. The differences between Sephardic Jews and Ashkenazi Jews are partly cultural and partly religious. These two branches of Judaism separated at one time by geography still retain many of their distinct culinary traditions.

One of these Ashkenazi culinary holiday traditions is the latke– joyously served as part of a Hanukkah celebration.

The Gentiles among us may ask "What makes a potato pancake, or more simply a potato fritter, a latke? "Well my reading tells me that a latke is much more than a pancake made from fried potatoes. In fact the potato latke is symbolic. It's a potato pancake on the outside but it represents the "humble man's" neshamah or what we in English might describe as a soul.

Geez (pardon the expression) that's a whole lotta holiday pressure to put onto one little pancake? But it does explain how the latke came to represent an integral part of this holiday for most Ashkenazi Jews.

But potato latkes aren't as traditional an element in the Sephardic Hanukkah tradition. In fact weren't even originally a part of Ashkenazi Hanukkah cuisine either.

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Sweet Potato Latke

sweet potato latke
By jgreghenry Published December 21, 2011
Prep time: 20
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 1 large sweet potato, about 1 lb
  • 1 medium sweet potato, about 1/2 lb
  • 0 salt and white pepper, to taste
  • 0.5 c all purpose flour
  • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 0 vegetable oil for fryer, as needed
  • 2 cg applesauce
  • 3 scallions, finely sliced
  • 1 cg sour cream

Directions

Using a box grater, or the equivilant sized grating disc on a food processor, grate the sweet and the russet potato. Combine them both in a large bowl. Season with salt and a pinch of white pepper. Toss to combine.

Add flour and stir the mixture together well to distribute the flour evenly. Add eggs continuing to stir and mix. In a large cast iron skillet or non-stick frying pan set over medium heat, heat about 1/4" deep of vegetable oil. While the oil heats form the potato mixture into 3-inch rounds that are about 1/2-inch thick, squeeze out as much of the moisture as you can as you form them.

Using a spatula so that the latkes do not fall apart carefully add them to the hot oil, working with 2 or 3 at a time. Fry until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate and season with more salt. Repeat this procedure with all of the grated potato mixture, adding more oil to the pan as necessary. Serve with applesauce, green onions and sour cream.

A Creative Take on Duck: Sliders with Fig Ketchup

19 Oct 2011
duck sliders with fig ketchup

Today's journey to Duck Sliders with Fig Ketchup was a group effort. Part of that group includes my brother Grant who paired this recipe with Trimbach Gewurztraminer 2009.

But there is more to the story than that. You see, I have had duck burgers in restaurants. Both times I found fault with the preparation. Let’s face it; duck can be fatty, and rich. I love fatty… and rich too. But a 1/2-pound of fatty and rich on huge buttery brioche bun makes me a little queasy.

The other version of a duck burger I shunned was closer to duck confit on a bun. More like a Sloppy Joe than a proper burger. Had they called it a Dirty Donald or something similar and served it open-faced with poached duck egg I might have dubbed it genius. But alas, they served it with lettuce and tomato. I ended up just feeling sorry for that once proud confit.

So I set off to invent my own. The lessons I learned are two-fold. One: less is more, and Two: burgers have rules, and evidently I can be a fanatic about those rules. One of the rules I fanaticize about is simple. I like burgers to have the proper condiments. Burgers like ketchup. People like burgers with ketchup. My ground duck concoction would have ketchup.

But not just any ole Heinz will do. Duck is a fairly complex flavor, to avoid getting tagged with the "gamey" moniker it's best to augment its assets. I think duck pairs nicely with fruit and spice and sweet. It can stand up to bold acidity too. Ketchup is all those things– fig ketchup is all those things and more.

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