Monday, July 27, 2009

Comfort Food - Mac & Cheese

Is it just me or are rainy days the perfect time to break out the comfort food? I've had a stove-top mac and cheese recipe stored away for a while that I wanted to try. It has just been waiting for the right moment. As usual I have changed the recipe; one because I like to put peas in just about anything I can (Come on. Give peas a chance.), and two because I live with a carnivore who requires meat at each meal.

So here it is, my fully loaded mac & cheese.


Ingredients:
3 cups (1 bag) halved cherry tomatoes
Cooking Spray
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 slices sourdough bread (or any available bread)
1 tsp butter, melted
12 oz package of large elbow macaroni
1 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 cup cubed ham
8 oz bag of shredded extrasharp cheddar cheese (2 cups)
1/4 cup egg substitute
Kosher salt
Ground Red pepper
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk (low-fat)


Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Get out a baking dish large enough for all cherry tomatoes (13x9 is plenty big enough) and coat with cooking spray. I use a glass baking dish for easy clean up. Place all tomatoes in the dish in one layer and sprinkle with black pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.



2) While your tomatoes cook, you'll finish the rest of the meal. So everything should be ready in 30 minutes total. Take your bread and tear it into chunks. Place in a food processor or, my favorite, the Magic Bullet and pulse until you've got crumbs. Toss the crumbs with the melted butter and spread on a baking pan (any kind will do). These go in with the tomatoes for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure you stir them around every few minutes so they don't burn.

The finished product should look about like this.



3) On the stove, cook your macaroni in boiling water for about 7 minutes. My no stick trick is to add a bit of cooking spray or vegetable oil to the pot. During the last minute of cooking add in the frozen peas.


4) Drain the macaroni and peas and return them to the pot. You will need to change the stove top temp to medium-low heat. Add in the ham, cheese, and remaining ingredients. Season with salt and red pepper according to taste. I do 2-3 pinches of kosher salt and a pinch of red pepper. Cook about 4 minutes, stirring constantly until the cheese melts.

















5) Fold in the tomatoes. Dish it up and add a layer of yummy bread crumbs to the top. A nice side salad and a glass of red wine couldn't hurt either. Now tell me that's not tasty looking!




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