Classic Baked Mac n' Cheese

This recipe is a Robak family favorite and my number one comfort food. Depending on your cheese preference, you can substitute the sharp cheddar for any other hard cheese. We added some Dubliner (a sharp Irish cheese) to this batch, which was delicious. The real key to success is adding enough sauce. You'll want your noodles to be swimming in it, especially if you plan on re-heating the leftovers. So get saucy and have fun!



Ingredients:

• 1 12oz box of macaroni noodles 
• 1 large white onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese (roughly grated)
• 1 1/2 cup crushed croutons or bread crumbs
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Cook macaroni noodles as instructed on the package.
2. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
3. Finely chop onion and garlic.
4. In a sauce pan, melt butter and add onions and garlic. Add salt and pepper. Sauté onions and garlic until translucent. 
5. Slowly stir in flour until all ingredients form a thick paste, add more butter if necessary.
6. Add milk to the saucepan, stir and heat until it simmers. Do not let it boil.
7. Remove sauce from heat, and slowly stir in cheese. You should have a nice thick sauce at this point. 
8. Pour noodles and sauce into a baking dish and top with croutons. 
9. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the croutons are golden brown.

Cod Fish Tacos

With the sun finally coming around, Kristin and I made summer-worthy cod tacos with a zesty cilantro salsa aioli.  We are fans of spice, and this meal had a great kick to it.  Plus, I am a sucker for colorful food, so I loved the punch of purple cabbage.

Kristin just got a Cuisinart food processor, and this meal gave us plenty of chances to experiment with it.  We blended the salsa and shredded cabbage in the processor, but if you don't have a food processor you can dice and shred by hand.

Ingredients

Cod fillet, bones removed

1 package cajun corn meal batter

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 head red cabbage, or 1/2 head of both red and green cabbage, shredded

juice of 1/2 lemon (save the other 1/2 lemon for serving)

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tomato, roughly chopped

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 head of cilantro

a few slices of jalapeno pepper

1 avocado, diced

vegetable oil for frying

1 package tortillas (we used flour, but corn tortillas would be great too).

1 package feta cheese crumbles

We got a cheap cajun corn meal batter from the grocery store, and it tasted fantastic.  It was essentially just corn meal and spice.  You can batter the fish however you'd like; we dipped it in an egg and milk mixture, and then tossed it in the cornmeal batter.  

Here's a tip for neutralizing the fish smell: keep a bowl of vinegar on the counter while cooking.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with about a half an inch of vegetable oil.  Fry the battered cod on both sides until golden brown.

Blend the tomato, onion, cilantro, jalapeno and lemon juice in a food processor until you reach a desirable consistency (we basically pureed ours, but you can do a chunkier salsa if you want).  Mix the salsa into the mayonnaise.

Warm the tortillas by frying them briefly on both sides.  Layer tortillas with battered cod, cilantro salsa aioli, cabbage, avocado slices, feta cheese crumbles, and lemon juice.  Eat up!

Cupcake Lasagna

This idea was suggested to us by a friend, and it turned out so incredibly tasty and easy to make that we're now thinking of having a party dedicated entirely to dishes made in cupcake tins.  Think about it: cupcake chicken pot pies, cupcake lasagnas, cupcake berry pies, cupcake strawberry summer cakes... it would be magical.  But enough of that...

Our cupcake lasagnas were made with sauteed vegetables, but if you are a carnivore you can add ground meat, or any other fillings you prefer.  The idea is simple enough: sauté some veggies, grate some cheese, and layer your fillings between gyoza wrappers (similar to wonton wrappers, except they are round).




Ingredients
1 package gyoza wrappers
1 small container parmesan cheese (grated)
1 medium package mozarella cheese (we used aged cheese but you can use fresh if you like)
1 jar marinara sauce or homemade marinara (about 24 oz)
1/2 yellow onion, diced small
1/2 medium eggplant, sliced very thin and diced into 1 inch strips
1 cup diced crimini mushrooms
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, diced
fresh basil
olive oil
Italian herbs (rosemary is great)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cupcake tins

Sauté the onions and eggplant in olive oil over medium-high heat until both are tender.  Add mushrooms and garlic and continue to stir and cook until the vegetables are soft and slightly browned.  Season with rosemary, salt and pepper.

Prepare your cupcake tins by coating them with a light layer of olive oil or unflavored cooking spray.  Drop a small dollop of marinara in each cup.  Press a gyoza wrapper into the cup, pushing down until it fits snugly into the bottom of the cup and the sides of the wrapper curl inward.  Top with grilled veggie mixture, shredded mozarella, and more marinara (remember not to overflow the cups).  Seal the cup with another gyoza wrapper, tucking it in as you did with the first.  Top with a dab of marinara and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

Bake at 375 until the gyoza wrappers are browned and the lasagna is bubbly.  Remove from the tin with a spoon, and top with a curl of basil.  Enjoy!

Panzanella

There is no better way to enjoy summer produce than this!  Panzanella is an Italian salad traditionally made of stale or crusty bread and tomatoes.  This simple dish is refreshing and flavorful.  We made our panzanella with ingredients typically found in caprese salad - fresh mozarella and fresh basil.  Because this is such a simple salad, the quality of the ingredients is what makes or breaks the taste.  Go for the good produce on this one (maybe check out your local farmer's market?)

Ingredients:
4 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
3/4 c. bell peppers (we used red and orange), cubed
1/2 a red onion, finely diced
1 package fresh mozarella, drained and cubed
1 c. fresh basil leaves
1 loaf crusty bread (French or Sourdough will both work)
1 clove garlic (chopped in half or in thirds)
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper

After dicing the tomatoes, peppers, onion, and mozarella, combine them in a large serving bowl.  To cut the basil, layer the leaves flat on your palm like sheets of paper and then roll up the stack of leaves.  Use kitchen scissors to snip the roll of leaves crosswise into little curls.  Add basil to the bowl.

To prepare the bread, cut it into 1- or 2-inch cubes with a serrated knife.  Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add a few tablespoons of olive oil.  When the oil is hot, add the garlic.  Sauté garlic in the olive oil; before it browns, remove the garlic pieces from the oil (this way the oil is garlic-scented, but the garlic does not burn).  Fry the bread cubes on medium-high heat until brown and crispy.

Add the bread cubes to the serving bowl and toss with the salad.  Season the salad with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.  Allowing the salad to rest for 10-30 minutes before serving gives the flavors a chance to combine.

Phad Thai

Hey there!  After an end-of-the-quarter hiatus, we are happily back in the kitchen.

Neither of us had made Phad Thai before, but we went for it anyway and it turned out to be a super easy and tasty meal.  Lots of people shy away from Asian cooking because they are hesitant to work with unfamiliar sauces and spices, but don't let this stop you.  This recipe is great for beginners and is definitely one I'll be making again.

Note: this recipe can definitely serve 4 people.

Ingredients:
1 shallot, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
3 tbs. minced cilantro leaves (fresh)
shredded carrots (if desired)
1 package bean sprouts
1 package firm tofu, drained and diced
1 cup peanuts (we used roasted and salted), roughly chopped, plus extra for topping
3 eggs
1 package Phad Thai rice noodles
cayenne pepper
fresh lime or lemon
sesame oil




Sauce:
1 1/2 tbs. tamarind paste
5-6 tbs. brown sugar
3 tbs. fish sauce
1/2 c. water

Mix sauce ingredients thoroughly.


To cook the rice noodles, boil a large pot of water.  Place the rice noodles in a deep bowl and pour the boiling water over it.  Allow the noodles to cook submerged in the water for around ten minutes, or until they are soft (but not mushy).  Strain the noodles and rinse them in cold water to prevent over-cooking.  Toss in sesame oil and set aside.




In a wok or large skillet, heat a good amount of sesame oil over medium high heat.  Fry diced shallots and peanuts together until browned.  Add tofu and fry until brown on both sides.  Add minced garlic and bell peppers, cooking until peppers are tender.  (You may need to reduce the heat to prevent the garlic from burning).

Add cooked rice noodles and toss with Phad Thai sauce, cooking and tossing until the sauce reduces to a stickier, Phad Thai consistency.  While sauce is thickening, add cayenne pepper, fresh lime or lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

Make some room in the corner of the wok or frying pan for the eggs.  Pour eggs into the frying pan and cook as you would scrambled eggs.  (You can whisk them ahead of time or simply scramble them in the pan.)  Mix the scrambled eggs with the rest of the contents of the pan.

Serve immediately, topped with lime juice, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, and remaining peanuts.

And thank you Emily for joining us in the kitchen this week!

Rosemary Focaccia and Black Bean Bell Pepper Soup

Although it's April, Bellingham still has a few stormy days in store.  To combat the rain, we made some warm comfort food: hearty black bean and bell pepper soup with lots of toppings, and very easy rosemary focaccia bread.

Black Bean Bell Pepper Soup


Ingredients:
1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 anaheim pepper, diced
cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

1 chipotle pepper (canned), minced

3 cans black beans, drained but not rinsed

1 can crushed tomatoes with green chiles

1 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

salt and pepper

olive oil

turmeric
cayenne pepper

lemon juice from ½ lemon

Fry onions at medium heat in olive oil until translucent; add turmeric.  Add garlic, anaheim and bell peppers and sauté.


Add chicken broth, black beans, and salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer and stir in chipotle pepper, lemon juice and cayenne.  Both chipotle peppers and cayenne can be very spicy, so it's up to you how you want to balance these two spices.  Allow the soup to simmer and thicken, covered, for about a half an hour.  Before serving, stir in fresh cilantro leaves.

Top with:

Cilantro, sliced and salted avocado, grated cheddar cheese, and sour cream.

Rosemary Focaccia

For the focaccia, we cheated a bit and used a bread maker to prepare the dough.  If you have a bread maker, this is really simple: follow your bread maker's directions for preparing pizza dough.  Ours called for:
1 1/8 c. warm water
1 1/2 tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/3 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. yeast

While the dough is rising (it takes about an hour), you have plenty of time to cook the black bean soup.  When the dough is ready, sprinkle with cornmeal and spread it across a pizza stone or pizza pan to about 1/2 inch thickness.  

Press indentations into the dough with your fingers, and drizzle the dough with olive oil.  Sprinkle with dried rosemary and salt (we think ground salt crystals taste the best on this, and Trader Joe's pink salt looks pretty!)

Let the dough rise for 20 minutes.  Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown.  Enjoy!

Restaurant Inspired: Black Bean Wontons with Lemon Cilantro Pesto, Corn Salsa and Prawns

Welcome to our first blog post!

Way back in December, Kristin and I had lunch at a pub in Seattle where we tried an amazing black bean ravioli with prawns and cilantro pesto, and this is our attempt at recreating it.  It turns out black bean ravioli is hard to come by, so we thought we'd make our own using wonton wrappers from the grocery store (which are cheap and delicious).  We also added a little twist by making the cilantro pesto extra lemony, complementing the prawns.  The whole meal turned out fantastic, and we highly recommend trying it out yourself!  It might seem complicated, but each of the steps is actually very easy.  If you do give any of our recipes a try, please let us know how they turned out!

P.S: we're working on getting better at paying attention to measurements, sorry for the approximations this time.

Ingredients:

Black Bean Wontons:
1 package wonton wrappers
1 can black beans, drained
a few tablespoons Parmesan cheese (we used slivered rather than grated)
salt and pepper to taste

Cilantro Pesto:
about 2-3 heads of cilantro, removed from stems
juice of 1/2 a large lemon or 1 small lemon
1/2 cup slivered Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
1 clove garlic

Corn Salsa:
3 roma tomatoes, finely diced
1/3 red onion, finely diced
1 cup yellow frozen corn, defrosted and drained (use fresh if in season)

2/3 lb Prawns or Large Shrimp

To make the corn salsa, simply combine diced tomatoes, diced onion, and corn in a bowl.  Salt and pepper to taste.

To make the cilantro pesto, combine cilantro leaves, garlic and parmesan cheese in a food processor.  Add sufficient olive oil to coat the cilantro.  Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.  Process until blended to a nice pesto texture.  Pesto is pretty subjective, so taste it and feel free to adjust measurements based on what you prefer.

To make the black bean wontons, mash black beans and parmesan together in a mixing bowl.  Add salt and pepper to taste.


Place about 1 tablespoon of bean mixture in the center of each wonton wrapper.  Moisten 2 adjacent edges of the wonton wrapper with water, and fold the wrapper over so that the wonton makes a triangle.  Seal and crimp the edges of the wonton wrapper with your fingers.

Fry wontons in a large frying pan in oil over medium-high heat, until both sides are browned and crispy.

While the wontons are cooking, preheat the oven to 425 F.  Line a baking sheet with a single, even layer of prawns, and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Bake for around 10 minutes (depending on size of prawns), until the prawns are opaque and pink throughout.

Top black bean wontons with lemon cilantro pesto, corn salsa and prawns, and enjoy!