Tag Archives: paprika

Smoky Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon Topping

Posted on March 23, 2013 by | 6 Comments

Adapted from and Inspired by Bakeaholic Mama

Mac n Cheese with Bacon Topping from She Cooks, He Cleans

I recognize that I use every excuse in the book to eat anything dripping with cheese and/or bacon….but this time I really needed some comfort food.  If any of you have ever had a pinched nerve in your back, you know what I’m saying.  Ouch!  Although I was unable to bend over, Mr. He Cleans was there to get pots and pans out of the cabinet and to shuffle casseroles in and out of the oven – still while providing great music and keeping my (medicinal) wine glass filled.  He does it all!

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and started drooling.  To better describe it, I renamed it OMGBBQMACNCHEESEBACON.  I modified it for the ingredients I had on hand, and served it with barbeque chicken off the grill, instead of putting the chicken in the dish.  It was freaking awesome.  My back felt SO much better – although I’m not sure how much that was due to the wine and not the oooey-gooey cheesy macaroni and bacon.  Does it really matter?

Ingredients:

  • 12 ounce box gluten-free pasta (Jovial GF pasta is excellent)
  • 6 slices crispy, cooked bacon, crumbled
  • 1 tablespoon bacon drippings, reserved from cooking bacon
  • 2 tablespoons butter (preferably pastured)
  • 2 tablespoons rice flour (or other gluten-free flour, to thicken)
  • 2 cups half and half
  • about 6 ounces gruyere, grated (2 cups, loosely packed)
  • about 4 ounces cheddar or smoked cheddar, grated (1 cup, loosely packed)
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon Spanish hot smoked paprika
  • freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta in boiling water, for just less of the time recommended on pasta’s directions.  You want it to be slightly underdone, with a little firmness to the bite.  Set aside.

Lightly butter a casserole dish.  Preheat oven to 350F.

In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the tablespoon of reserved bacon drippings.  Whisk in the flour until well-blended, and cook for about a minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in the half and half, breaking up any clumps.  Continue to cook at a simmer, stirring, until the mixture thickens up to a gravy consistency.  Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses until everything is melted and smooth.  (Do not heat to a boil once cheese is added – it may separate.)

Stir in the cooked pasta until well combined.  (Mine was a little thick – I added a bit more half and half here to help it mix together.)  Pour into the buttered casserole dish.  Top with the crumbled bacon.

Bake for 15 minutes, covered with a lid or foil.  Remove the cover, and bake for another 10-15 minutes until it is bubbly.  Remove from oven and let it sit a few minutes so you don’t hurt yourself with hot cheese in your mouth.  Enjoy!

Mac n Cheese with Bacon Topping from SheCooks, He Cleans

These are leftovers – the original casserole was covered with bacon!

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nightProud to serve She Cooks! Glad you’re feeling better! Today’s music will make anyone feel better. Roots singer/songwriter Tift Merritt has joined up with classical pianist Simone Dinnerstein on Night, and it’s one of the most intriguing and beautiful pieces of music I’ve heard in a long time. Finding common ground in the works of Billie Holiday, Bach and Brad Mehldau among others, the result is ethereal and emotional. Merritt’s voice and guitar coupled with Dinnerstein’s piano create a sound that is haunting and timeless. Fans of Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen and especially the late, great Nina Simone should give this a listen. An early contender for album of the year.

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Classic Paella

Posted on July 1, 2012 by | 3 Comments

Anytime we go on vacation…actually, anytime we leave the house… Mr. “He Cleans” is on a quest for vinyl.  As in LPs, records, albums, and what have you.  This is the source of much of the incredible music I get to listen to, so no complaints here.  However, I hope there is either a comfy sofa in the record store or another business nearby of interest to me so that I can entertain myself while he digs through the stacks.  Ten minutes of browsing through cds and records is past my limit – he can go for hours.

When we were last in Santa Fe, near the corner of N. Guadalupe and W. San Francisco streets, he found a great shop with records, The Good Stuff.  Happily for me, on the other side of the corner there is an incredible store, The Spanish Table, filled with anything you might want for preparing and serving Spanish Foods.  From the beautiful ceramics and clay cookware, cook books, and paella pans, to cheeses, chocolates, imported spices, chorizo, and shelves of gourmet-quality ingredients….let’s just say I was thoroughly entertained.

From that visit I bought my first paella pan (I now have 2), and the fun of preparing a great, one-dish meal!  Why had I never made paella before?  It is so easy, and it is a great way to get rid of leftovers – as we discovered on our last day of vacation.  We had leftover pork chops, so I cut them into pieces and threw them in the pan with the rice, chorizo, the rest of the chicken stock, leftover roasted cauliflower, and at the end of cooking, stirred in some baby spinach.  Voila!  Refrigerator cleaned out, and it was fantastic!

Here’s a basic recipe for paella, but it is more fun to improvise with what you have on hand.   This recipe is adapted from The Spanish Table, Traditional Recipes and Wine Pairings From Spain and Portugal (authored by the owner of The Spanish Table store).  Ingredients are listed PER SERVING, so multiply by how many servings you wish to make.

Ingredients (Per Serving):

  • 5 threads saffron
  • 1/4 cup warm, dry white wine (or water, or broth)
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or enough to completely cover the bottom of the pan when it is cool)
  • 1 chicken thigh
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 soft Spanish-style cooking chorizo
  • 1/2 cup uncooked Bomba rice (or preferably other Valencian rice.  If unavailable, Arborio rice from Italy can be substituted.)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika or sweet paprika
  • 1/4 cup diced or grated tomato
  • 1 cup water or clam juice
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2-3 shrimp
  • 2-4 small clams or mussels
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
  • 1/4 cup frozen green peas, thawed
  • parsley and lemon wedges, for garnish (optional)

Dissolve saffron in wine, and set aside.

At a medium to medium-high temperature, heat the olive oil in a paella pan large enough to hold the desired servings.  Lightly season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper.  Cook the chicken thighs, turning, until browned on both sides and chicken juice runs clear.  Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Add onions and garlic, and saute until translucent.  Add chorizo and cook until heated throughout.  Add rice and paprika, stirring until well-coated with oil, for about one minute.  Add the tomato, wine with saffron, chicken stock, and other liquids.  Bring to a boil, stirring, then adjust the heat to maintain a simmer.  Add the chicken back to the pan, and the seafood.  (If using clams or mussels, push the hinge-side down into the rice.)  Add the remaining vegetables.

Cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the rice is done. Unlike risotto, do not stir the paella.  Rotate the pan as necessary to spread out the heat.  Don’t worry about rice sticking to the bottom of the pan, because if the rice forms a caramelized layer on the pan that is a good thing called the socarrat!  (Just be careful that the rice does not dry out and burn.)

When the rice is done, remove the paella from the heat and let it rest for 15 minutes, lightly covered with foil or paper.  Or, as the the Spanish to English translation on the paella pan flyer says, “The rice, already dried, has to be for some minutes in repose before being served.”  This is the time for the cook to have an apertif, according to the cookbook.  Who am I to argue?

In repose…

Hey now! It ain’t easy coming up with new music! Like today’s artist, Dave Alvin. Formerly of The Blasters, Dave has been crafting some of the finest roots rock for years, such as Museum of Heart, his 1993 release. Great songs such as “Thirty Dollar Room” and “Don’t Talk About Her” make his an early favourite.

As is Blackjack David. The title cut, a traditional murder ballad is tailor made for Alvin. And if you can listen to “California Snow” without a lump in your throat, well, you’re a better man than I.

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Posted in Entrees, Pork, Poultry, Seafood

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Paprika-Cumin Marinated Sirloin Steak and Medley of Roasted Squash

Posted on June 19, 2011 by | 5 Comments

Adapted from How to Cook Meat

Paprika Cumin Marinated Sirloin

Last week we splurged and ordered 40 pounds of grass-fed, grass-finished Angus beef for the freezer.  If you recall, I had to do a major freezer clean-out to accommodate the giant beef back ribs I had previously ordered.  I don’t know how, but we managed to squeeze almost all of the “new” beef in the freezer.  Needless to say, we’ll be having a little extra red meat this week to eat up what didn’t fit!

Another fortuitous find was How to Cook Meat, which my sweet husband picked up at the local used book store (shout out to Book Nook).  This tome of meat features a comprehensive discussion of all the different cuts from beef, pork, lamb, and veal…and includes the best cooking methods for each cut and many recipes.  Looking for something different to do with sirloin steaks, I decided to try “Grilled Sirloin Steak High Plains Drifter-Style.”  This recipe appears to be a homage to cowboys of the Old West – although I doubt they traveled with fresh oregano, cumin, and paprika.

Unfortunately, after the grill was started a big thunderstorm blew up with heavy rains and wind.  James bravely manned the grill station holding down the umbrella, with lightening all around and flames shooting out the top of the big green egg.  [No one was harmed during the production of this blog post.]

After calming the fire enough to keep the umbrella from igniting, we opened the airflow back up to cook at 600F.  The steaks were really flavorful, especially for such a lean cut of meat.  I’m sure cowboys would have enjoyed them!

Ingredients (modified from original recipe):

  • 2 10-oz sirloin steaks
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
  • 1 sprig rosemary, leaves chopped fine
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika (I used a mixture of sweet paprika and smoked sweet paprika)
  • 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin seeds
  • 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
  • 2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, except the steak, to form a thick paste.  Place steaks in a shallow glass dish.  Season with salt and pepper, then coat with the paste on both sides.  Allow to marinate in refrigerator for 2-6 hours, turning occasionally.  Remove from refrigerator around an hour before grilling, to allow to come to room temperature.

Set up a grill for direct cooking at high temperature.  When coals are ready, grill the steaks to medium/medium-rare (or desired level of doneness) – 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Allow the steaks to rest for a few minutes (with a pat of butter if you wish), then serve them up!

Pitty-Pat (or Patty-Pan) squash were at the farmer’s market, so we sliced one into wedges and roasted it with chunks of zucchini and onions in the oven.  Just add salt, pepper and a light coating of olive oil – roast at 400F until tender and browned.  They would have been good on the grill too, but no one was anxious to get any wetter standing out there in the rain!

That was a meal worth standing in a rainstorm for! And when I came in, dried off, and had some wine, I cued up J.J. Cale’s Troubador, and it felt so good. You’re familiar with Cale, even if you don’t know the name. He wrote “After Midnight” and “Cocaine” (included here), both big hits for Eric Clapton, but it’s Cale’s versions I prefer. This guy ain’t no sprinter, he ambles to the finish line in a warm, relaxed fashion, very bluesy and soulful. If you can make it to the end of the opening song “Hey Baby” without a smile on your face somethings wrong!

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Posted in Beef, Entrees, Sauces, Marinades, and Rubs, Side dishes

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Chicken Paprikash

Posted on May 25, 2011 by | 6 Comments

Sources: A mish-mash of recipes, including this from Simply Recipes and this from Cook’s Illustrated.  [Subscription required to view recipes at Cook's Illustrated.]

The last day of vacation is always a little bittersweet, especially when we are at our “forever house” in New Mexico and have to do a mind-shift to prepare to return to Atlanta.  We’re sad to leave behind the peace and quiet, the wonderful views, the pleasant weather, and big open skies.  On the other hand, we do miss our pets and we do have our jobs to get back to!  Okay…maybe it is a little more bitter than sweet. :-)

On that last day, there is always a smattering of food to get rid of so it doesn’t go to waste.  Much to James’ dismay, I often pack leftover food in my luggage…limes, onions, nuts, garlic – things that should survive the TSA and the flight home.  Occasionally I’ll stick a block of cheese in my purse…but enough of my food issues.  “Googling” leftover ingredients is a good way to come up with recipe possibilities.  This was the situation the first time I made chicken paprikash.  Sour cream, onions, chicken – search for that on google or epicurious.com and eventually you’ll turn up a recipe for chicken paprika or chicken paprikash.

We liked this dish so much we made it again for our friends, Susan and David…who joined us on Friday night for what could have been the last dinner ever!  We served the chicken with roasted cauliflower instead of the traditional noodles or dumplings.  The chicken was fall-off-the-bone tender, and the spices add a little heat and a lot of aromatics.  The sauce is great with roasted cauliflower.  There weren’t any leftovers!

The choice of paprika is very important, since it is the defining flavor of this dish.  Do not use old paprika that has been sitting in the cabinet for years!  I heartily recommend this paprika from The Spice House.  It is a high quality paprika from Hungary, and was the distinct winner in taste tests on Cook’s Illustrated.  I’ve been using it for years in dry rubs for barbeque, but it really shines in this recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 8-10 chicken thighs (or legs and thighs)
  • 2-3 tablespoons of oil  – butter/ghee/coconut oil/olive oil (I used butter and coconut oil)
  • 2 sweet onions, sliced thin
  • 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, cut into thin strips lengthwise
  • More butter (mmm, Kerrygold butter from grass-fed cows)
  • 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
  • 1/2 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika (or add more regular sweet paprika if you don’t have smoked paprika)
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup sour cream (do not let me catch you using the low-fat stuff!)
  • 1 more tablespoon sweet paprika for sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350F.  Season both sides of chicken with salt.  Heat ~ 2-3 T oil in a large Dutch oven (or flame-proof tagine) over medium-high heat.  Add 4 chicken thighs, skin side down, and cook without moving them until the skin is well-browned, 4-5 minutes.  Carefully turn over and cook 2-3 minutes until browned on the second side.  Transfer to a plate.  Repeat with remaining chicken thighs until all are cooked.

Discard most of the hot oil from the pan, and add a couple tablespoons of butter.  Add onions and red bell peppers to the pan, stirring and tossing frequently, until the onions and peppers are softened and the onion is beginning to brown.  Stir in paprika, cayenne pepper, and marjoram.  Cook for about a minute, stirring constantly.  Add chicken broth, and mix well, scraping up any remaining browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Place the browned chicken thighs, skin-side up, on top of the onions and peppers, partially submerging them in the broth.  Cover and place in oven.  Bake for 30 minutes or more, to desired level of tenderness.

Remove chicken from the pot and set aside on a plate.  Combine sour cream and remaining tablespoon of paprika in a small bowl or measuring cup.  Mix in a few tablespoons of the hot liquid from the pot into the sour cream to warm it, then whisk the sour cream mixture into the sauce in the pot.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.  Place the chicken back in the sauce and warm gently, if necessary.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve!

Serve it with the blues!

Two long time favorites here, both legends indeed. Mississippi John Hurt might play the quietest, most gentle blues you’ll ever hear, but it speaks volumes. The Complete Studio Recordings is a great place to discover one of the most influential and enjoyable bluesmen ever.

Amtrak Blues was one of the final recordings by Alberta Hunter, who performed into her 80s, but she never lost a step along the way. Hers is the definitive “Nobody Knows You (When You’re Down and Out)”, apologies to one E. Clapton. And when she gets salty, as on “My Handy Man Ain’t Handy No More” you’ll be surprised an 83 year old woman can make ya blush. Sing it sister!

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