Self Doubt in Recipe Development: Or the story of how I won an iPad

A really beautiful thing happened to me at the end of September. I won second place in a recipe contest. But, wow - it was a big surprise. Especially since it happened right as I thought I was losing my "touch" with regard to recipe development.

The contest was sponsored by Hodgson Mill. It was called "Summer Pastabilities," and it was a project I took on because I was going through a pretty fallow period in the kitchen and I needed something to get my creative juices flowing again.

I can't say the process was easy. In fact, I had a number of moments when I wondered what right I had to be entering any sort of recipe contest. I felt like I'd lost every modicum of inspiration I'd ever had.

All told, the original recipe I created was alright -- though better in theory than in practice. It incorporated myriad end-of-summer ingredients like cherry tomatoes, sweet corn, fresh basil, bacon, and feta cheese. And it was dressed with a lovely lemony dressing. But, there was something about it that just didn't feel right.

It wasn't great. And no matter how many times I went over the recipe in my head, I couldn't think of a way to make it better.

So -- despite the fact that I didn't really have the time or energy to put toward a new recipe --at the very last minute I changed my mind and decided to go with a completely different concept, a Thai-styleshrimp salad with fresh cucumbers, red and yellow sweet peppers, cilantro and a coconut-lime dressing augmented with fish sauce for a bit of umami and a bit of kick from Thai red curry paste.

The recipe took a bit of finessing. But, I finally got it to a stage where I felt like it was "good enough."

So, we got the pasta salad together, shot the photos, and then enjoyed the salad for dinner.

But, by the next day, I was having misgivings about the recipe. Maybe it was too spicy... too limey... not flavorful enough... maybe the slices of cucumber were too big... But, there was no time to give the recipe another round of tweaking, so I sent it off to the judges.

When I received an email that I'd been chosen as a winner, I think I just about fell out of my chair. I was stunned. And thrilled. And really honored. But, despite the awesome news, the self-doubt started to creep back in.

I started to wonder what all the other recipes were like. Maybe they just weren't very good -- or maybe mine just happened to get lucky. That had to be it -- right?

But, as I perused the recipes that had been submitted for the contest, I found myself in a place I've not been for quite a while -- a good place. It was a spot where I really felt honored to be doing something that I really loved and that... maybe... I was even good at. After all, there were a lot of really creative recipes out there. And most of them sounded like they would have been more-than-worthy of placing in the contest.

The moment wasn't about ego. But, it was an affirming moment -- one of those times when you become acutely aware that you are in the right place at the right time... doing the right thing.  I'm sure many of you can relate! Such a great feeling.

The iPad I won came in the mail last week... and every time I look at it, I think about how blessed I am. And how awesome it is to be in the kitchen, doing what I love.

Check out the entire list of entries, including my Bow-Thai Pasta HERE.

©BURP!

Summer Pastabilities: Bow-Thai Shrimp Salad

Does anything scream "summer" more than a pasta salad? I don't think so.

Unfortunately, sometimes we get pretty tired of the same old recipes -- macaroni salad with mayo and tuna, basil pesto salad with tomatoes, vegetable pasta salad with Italian vinaigrette... can you say hum-drum?

That's where this delicious vegetable-forward pasta salad comes into play.

If you like Thai food, there's a good chance you'll develop an affection for this fresh summer salad.

It uses hearty whole wheat pasta, briny shrimp, crunchy cucumbers, flavorful sweet peppers, and tender spinach leaves -- all coated with a light Thai-style coconut curry dressing with plenty of lime juice to keep things fresh and bright.

It's crisp and flavorful ... perfect for hot summer days when the mere thought of turning on your oven makes you sweat.

But before you run off to make the recipe, you might want to read a bit further.

This recipe was created for the Hodgson Mill "Summer Pastabilities" contest. Hodgson Mill provided us with the Whole Wheat Bow Ties for the recipe. They've also given us a link to share with you to get a $1 off coupon for your next purchase of healthy whole grain pasta (including gluten-free varieties).

They've also agreed to provide a prize pack to one lucky Burp! reader. The pack includes:

• Two (2) boxes Whole Wheat Bow Tie (10 oz. each)
• Two (2) boxes Whole Wheat Medium Shells (16 oz. each)
• Two (2) boxes Whole Wheat Angel Hair (16 oz. each)
• One (1) box of a brand new product, Lemon Pepper Quinoa and Brown Rice
• An assortment of Hodgson Mill-branded kitchen supplies (measuring cups and spoons, spatula, dough scraper)
• A coupon for a future purchase of Hodgson Mill products

For your chance to win, all you have to do is tell us which pasta you'd use first -- and what you'd make with it.

Giveaway ends on Thursday, August 15, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. Winners will be chosen at random and notified by email, so please leave your email addy with your comment if it's not included with your Blogger profile.

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Bow-Thai Shrimp Salad
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Equipment needed: small mixing bowl, large mixing bowl, colander, large pot, knife, rubber spatula, whisk

Ingredients

Dressing:
3/4 cup low-fat coconut milk
2 T fish sauce
3 T brown sugar
1 T Thai-style red curry paste (or more, to taste)
Juice of one lime (3-4 T)
zest of one lime
salt and pepper, to taste

Pasta Salad:
1 10 ounce box Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Bow Ties
1 lb medium peeled, precooked shrimp, thawed
2 cups chopped red, orange, or yellow sweet peppers
1 medium seedless cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced into ¼ inch half-moons
3 scallions, thinly sliced
5 ounces fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

To make the dressing, whisk together the coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, red curry paste and brown sugar in a bowl until the sugar is dissolved and the ingredients are well incorporated. Add the lime juice, and lime zest and whisk again. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To make the pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the bow ties, and cook until al dente, approximately 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and immediately run plenty of cold water over it until it is completely cool. Drain well.

Put the pasta in a large bowl, and, using a rubber spatula, fold in enough dressing to coat it generously. Gently fold in the shrimp and vegetables, adding more dressing as needed to coat.

Do ahead: You can cook the pasta a few hours ahead, run cold water over it and drain. Spread the pasta in a single layer over a lightly oiled baking sheet. Cover the pasta with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

The dressing can also be made earlier in the day; but keep it separate and toss the pasta salad with the dressing just before serving.

Makes 6 main course servings
Serving size: 1 1/2 cups
Key words: pasta salad, whole wheat pasta, cucumbers, peppers, spinach, coconut milk, curry, Thai, shrimp, seafood, cilantro

©BURP!

Slow Cooker Bolognese: For those busier than average weeknights

Despite the supposed arrival of spring, it's been rainy and cool here in Wisconsin.  And we've been busier than ever.

In addition to the food and dining writing I've been doing for OnMilwaukee.com, I also recently took a spot on the editorial panel for Edible Milwaukee magazine, which is launching here in Milwaukee in May. So, we've volunteered to spearhead the planning for a fund-raising gala to celebrate the release of the first issue of the magazine.  Needless to say, we've been up to our elbows making requests for silent auction donations and working with the chefs from Milwaukee Food for Thought, an amazing group of community-minded chefs, to make sure the event is as awesome as we envision it will be in our heads.

We've also been busy with our MKEfoodies group, which has really taken off in the past year. We just pulled together our first ever Milwaukee Food Swap, which took place on April 14th (and was an amazing amount of fun).  And we're currently planning our second annual Walker's Point Food Crawl, which will take place on June 1, 2013. So, we've been writing up press releases, chatting up area restaurants, and trying to think of ways to make this year's event even bigger and better than ever.

So, we haven't had much time for cooking. What that means is, we've had to get kind of clever about our planning to ensure that we're still eating as healthfully as possible. In part, that means we've been relying on our trusty crockpot to do some of the work for us.

Fortunately, some recipes are just MADE for the crockpot. And this is one of them: old fashioned long-simmering bolognese sauce. 

You’ve heard the legends of long-simmered Bolognese made by Italian grandmothers of old. And you've probably also seen the recipes that claim to give you a quick alternative to this classic sauce.

Well, the quick recipes are a joke.  And the legends are true. Slow cooking makes any Bolognese better. Fortunately, this version makes use of the crockpot so you needn’t sit home all day waiting for your sauce to reduce.

But, don’t scrimp on the details. A half-hour of prep work gives you at least ten hours to take it easy as your sauce cooks. And it makes enough for multiple meals or one feast for a small army... oh, and it freezes well, to boot!

You will need at least a 6 1/2 quart sized crockpot for this recipe (alternatively, split up the amount between two smaller crockpots). Because steam rises from the sauce as it cooks, it’s best to place the slow cooker on a counter with no cabinetry overhead.  

Rustic Crockpot Bolognese Sauce

©BURP!

Simple Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

  It's been a while since we posted about all the canning we did over Labor Day weekend. In the meantime, we've had a couple of requests for the recipe for the roasted red pepper spread we made.

While I had no hesitation about sharing the recipe, I also wanted to offer up some really great ideas for how it might be used.  But, since this was our first go-round with the spread, I didn't really have any tried and true suggestions.

I felt pretty certain we'd use it as a spread for panini -- and that it would probably be tasty that way, especially when paired with a bit of soft goat cheese. And I had little doubt it would be equally as delicious mixed with cream cheese and used as a spread for crackers around the holidays.  But, I felt like we should be a bit more creative with it before we pushed the recipe out into the world.

And that's how this pasta sauce was born. We had some cream on hand, along with a bag of this amazing DiCuonzo Orecchiette Farina Arsa. Go to the web site and read about it. It's absolutely delicious, and it's the sort of pasta that requires very little help to really shine. The idea of a rich, slightly creamy red pepper sauce sounded as if it would make a pretty amazing match. I added a sauteed onion just for some additional texture, and a bit of garden fresh Italian parsley for a dash of flavor and a bit of color.

And voilà. There it was. Another pasta would have showcased the color of the sauce more effectively. But, I'm sure you can imagine what it must have looked like -- and maybe, even, how it tasted.  Rich, creamy, roasty, sweet... and completely simple.

This is one of those recipes that functions as the ultimate form of validation.  After spending hours canning, it's great to see the fruits of one's labor in the form of a dish like this, which literally takes minutes to pull together.

Utterly homemade pasta bliss.  In less than 30 minutes.
Take that, Rachel Ray.

Roasted Red Pepper Spread
Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

 ©BURP! Where Food Happens

The Best of 2011

Difficult to believe we're coming to the end of another great year.  As it gets to be this time, we always find ourselves looking back, reflecting, and planning for what's ahead -- and that includes content for the blog.

We were overwhelmed this year as we looked over our blog stats for the year and realized how much we've grown. Despite the fact that we've been busier than ever (and that has been reflected in the frequency of our posts, particularly lately), we've more than doubled our readership from 2010 to 2011.

We'd like to thank you for your readership, your comments, and your feedback.  Burp! wouldn't couldn't exist without you!

As a thanks to all of you, we figured we'd share the top 11 posts on Burp! from 2011 (in order of popularity) ... just in case you missed them.

Top 11 Posts of 2011
These are in order of popularity, # 1 being the most popular post.

1. Stout Ice Cream with Irish Whiskey Caramel Sauce: Pure Guinness, er, Genius
2. Nettle & Garlic Ravioli with Rosemary Browned Butter
3. Stinging Nettle & Garlic Puree: Putting Up a Bit of Spring
4. Wisconsin State Fair: Door County Cherry Chutney
5. Pickled Red Onions: Summer's Prize & Winter's Bounty
6. Soul Food Fusion: Fried Chicken & Waffle Sandwich
7. Milwaukee Mardi Gras, Part II: Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
8. Spring Scallop Tacos with Strawberry Salsa
9. Going Whole Hog: Our Experience in Pig Butchering Class
10. Brown Butter Rhubarb Bars - the best & last of spring
11. You're Not Too Old for Crispy Rice Bars with Browned Butter & Rosemary

Share in the Comments

As always, we're always listening and open to your feedback.  What was YOUR favorite post? What would you like to see more of in 2012?

©BURP! Where Food Happens

Pasta with Creamy Blue Cheese Rosemary Sauce, Roasted Cauliflower and Sausage

Autumn in Wisconsin is a glorious and fickle time of the year.  It generally begins quite mildly with breezy but sunny days and cool evenings. But, as October winds pull the last of the burnt umber leaves from the trees, the weather takes a turn.  Days turn cooler. Evenings become crisp. By November, chilly rains, reminiscent of early spring, bid even the outdoorsy folks among us to seek solace in the warmth of our homes.

I'm a huge fan of this time of the year -- not only of the ever-changing weather, but also the metamorphosis that autumn sets into motion. Plants give off their fruit. Flowers go to seed. Dried leaves crumble beneath our feet. The chlorophyll in our garden plants degrades, revealing stunning yellow and orange pigments.  We marvel at the unexpectedly bright colors of death, as the world enters into its slumber, preparing for the stark silence of winter.

However, despite the beauty and bounty that late summer and autumn brings, I sometimes find myself at a loss in the kitchen. There are no tomatoes littering my counter, needing to be used.  No end-of-season produce from the garden begging to be turned into weeknight meals.  I no longer have to keep up the lively, reactive pace of canning and preserving. And sometimes I find myself uninspired.

Fortunately, there is always something that comes along to pull me out of my cooking funk.  This dish, for instance, was inspired by an unusually brilliant head of freshly picked local organic cauliflower -- stunningly white, with compact florets surrounded by a wreath of green leaves.

While I adore the simplicity of steamed cauliflower -- drizzled with a simple mustard sauce or spritzed with citrus -- I absolutely can't resist the toasted caramelized flavors that roasting brings to the table.  So, after a liberal douse of olive oil, into the oven went the cauliflower.

 Since the sweetness of cauliflower pairs so famously with cheese, and because I was craving something with a strong profile, I decided upon a simple cream sauce flavored with rosemary and gorgonzola. 

Although this dish would be lovely as a vegetarian main, we happened to have a few smoked sausages in the refrigerator that needed to be used.  And they turned out to be a perfectly complementary addition.  Their salty, smoky flavor accentuated the sweetness of the cauliflower and pulled the herbal flavors of the rosemary right to the forefront.

Save this pasta dish for a cool autumn evening when the cold winds beckon you to the warmth of home.

Pasta with Creamy Blue Cheese Rosemary Sauce, Roasted Cauliflower and Sausage



©BURP! Where Food Happens

Orecchiette with Mizuna Pesto

Do you ever notice that your cooking habits seem to run in streaks?  I know that ours do.  For the past couple of weeks, we seem to have gotten hooked on pasta dishes.  It probably has something to do with all the fresh greens we were finding at the market, since we've been on a bit of a pesto kick.

Purists we are not, since we seem prone to making pesto out of just about any available greens we have on hand.  We're constantly tossing in variables -- jalapeno peppers, roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes -- just to keep things interesting.  


This week, the object of our pesto-love was a Japanese green called mizuna.  Sometimes called Japanese mustard, mizuna has a mild, yet tangy flavor, and an almost other-worldly bright green color when chopped.  I normally like to put it in salads or use it as a sandwich topping. But, when Bryan from the Jen Ehr Family Farm booth at the market mentioned that he'd been making his mizuna into pesto, we decided to try our hand at it too.

Into the food processor went our bunch of mizuna (ends trimmed), 5 stalks of green garlic, and a liberal dose of olive oil.  We set the pasta on to boil while we were making the pesto, then tossed the pasta with the pesto and a bit of reserved pasta cooking water.

The best part of all?  Dinner was on the table in less than 20 minutes.

I chose a bag of those lovely, cup-shaped, whole wheat orecchiette pasta for this dish, envisioning that the shape of the pasta would help to scoop up all of that lovely pesto sauce -- and I was right about that. We also used whole toasted pine nuts (instead of grinding them into the pesto) to give the pasta some additional texture.

The pesto was absolutely delicious, if a bit more mild than I expected. And, as you can see, it was a beautifully intense green color (pretty is always a bonus with food). We had a bit of extra sauce leftover, and we used that as the base for a chicken pizza a few days later.

So, next time you get tired of eating mizuna in your salad, think about  making it into a quick summer pesto.

Classic Pesto (with variations)


©BURP! Where Food Happens
Want more? Read Lo's latest ruminations at DEVOUR Milwaukee, her Milwaukee Magazine blog.

Nettle & Garlic Ravioli with Rosemary Browned Butter

A number of people have expressed curiosity about how we plan to use our nettle garlic paste this winter.  Now, it wouldn't be so fun if we spoiled ALL the surprises, but I can definitely tell you that we'll be making this ravioli again.

My memories of homemade pasta go way back to my childhood.  I remember watching my mother and grandmother making egg noodles -- kneading the tender dough, rolling it thinly, and then slicing each piece of pasta by hand.  My mother would often hang the pasta on the backs of cleaned kitchen chairs until it dried slightly, and then she'd use them in soups or served alongside comfort food favorites like homemade Swedish meatballs or ragout.

I didn't try making my own pasta until about 5-6 years ago when we got a KitchenAid pasta roller attachment for Christmas.  But, once I made my first batch, I knew I was hooked.  These days I find myself wondering why I don't do it more often.  Sure, it takes a bit of time.  But, it's totally worth it.  For that reason, I often make a double or triple batch of pasta dough at one time.  Balls of dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap, placed in a freezer bag, and kept in the freezer for up to 6 months.  Just thaw overnight in the fridge and let the dough come to room temperature before using.

 We adapted our recipe for nettle ravioli from a recipe posted by Langdon Cook over at Fat of The Land.  And it's absolutely lovely -- from its use of Marcella Hazen's deliciously tender pasta dough to the flavorful creamy, green and earthy filling.  And don't even get me started on the rosemary browned butter.  *Swoon*

Although ravioli (and other filled pastas) take a bit longer to make than other things, they're perfect company fare, and (even better) they freeze very well. So, you can make up a big batch when you have the time and enjoy them later. Just place the uncooked ravioli onto a large floured baking pan and pop it into the freezer until the ravioli are frozen (1-2 hours).  Then empty the ravioli into serving-sized freezer bags.  Frozen ravioli take a bit longer to cook than fresh, but they  make a perfect weeknight meal for when you don't really feel like cooking.

I really love the flavor in this dish when nettles are used; but you don't need to avoid making it if you don't have any of the delicious weeds on hand.  Simply substitute spinach for the nettles, and add a bit of garlic to the filling.

Nettle & Garlic Ravioli with Rosemary Browned Butter


©BURP! Where Food Happens
Want more? Read Lo's latest ruminations at DEVOUR Milwaukee, her Milwaukee Magazine blog.

Pasta with Winter Squash Sauce, Chorizo, & Greens

Spring in Wisconsin is a fickle beast.
Just last week, we were enjoying gorgeous sunny days with temperatures close to sixty degrees. The breeze was sweet and light, and I was just beginning to get into the mood for serious spring fare like asparagus, fresh peas. Premature, I know, especially since we won't be seeing local asparagus or peas until May or June (and you really can't beat the flavor of fresh local spring produce). But, a girl can hope.

Unfortunately, that little taste of fine weather ended up to be just that... a taste.  And, as of this week, the weather is dreary and drippy and downright COLD.

Maybe it's God's way of preventing me from being tempted by all that organic California asparagus showing up on the shelves at Outpost Natural Foods.  Or maybe it's the last little boost I need to actually make good use of the last of the delicious food I've got stored up in the freezer.  Either way, I'm making peace with the idea that, despite what the calendar may indicate, spring has not quite arrived.

The fact is, I've got the perfect solution to a wet, cold spring day.  It's called winter squash sauce. And I've got a freezer full of it at my disposal.

The concept for this sauce was born nearly five months ago. On a brisk but sunny Saturday last October, we headed off to the market and stocked up on winter squash. I bought a number of fabulous heirloom varieties -- beautiful creamy yellow & green acorn squash, thin-skinned delicata, pimply Galeux d'Eysines, gorgeously hued Queensland Blue squash, and huge old style butternut squash.

We ate quite a bit of the squash roasted simply.  I made gratins, risottos, and wonderful steamy bowls of squash soup.  And then, after we'd eaten our fill of fresh squash, I started freezing squash puree for use in future recipes.  And I decided to get to work on squash sauce -- something I envisioned as not only a stand-in for the standard tomato based sauce, but also a possible base for squash soup. 

I spent a good portion of the late fall and winter tweaking this recipe to get it just the way I wanted it -- sweet (but not TOO sweet), smooth, and complex.  Although it makes use of plenty of savory flavors including celery, onions, and tomato paste, it turns out that a few roasted red peppers were just the thing that ended up taking the sauce to a whole new level.

You could easily make this sauce any time of the year using storage squash or frozen squash puree. But, since it freezes well, it's a recipe to tuck away for one of those industrious autumn weekends when you feel like making best use of all that squash from the market.

Although the sauce is perfectly delicious on its own (or mixed with cream to make a delicious soup), it makes a delicious pasta --  paired with a bit of browned Mexican chorizo, sauteed greens, and cubes of deliciously salty Monterey Jack cheese -- and then baked in the oven until it's bubbly and browned and crisp around the edges.

Perfect comfort food for a rainy spring evening -- or anytime you have the hankering for something warm and nourishing.

Winter Squash Sauce


©BURP! Where Food Happens
Want more? Read Lo's latest ruminations at FOODCrush, her Milwaukee Magazine blog.

Soup. And more Soup: February Soup Night Highlights

It's that time again... time for us to tell you about our monthly soup night & all the joy it brings to a Sunday evening in the middle of winter.

February Soup Night turned out to attract a fantastic mix of both new faces & good old stand-bys.  Everyone brought great dishes to pass, and I'd venture a guess that a pretty great time was had by all.

New faces included Rachel from Cream City Green. You may recall a little fund raiser we did last fall called the Gumbo Git Down -- well, Rachel was the other mastermind behind that event.  We've been trying to keep in touch ever since, so it was great that she and her hubby, Greg, were able to join us this month.

Other welcome new guests included Joe from Eating Milwaukee and Nicole (from On My Table), with husband Nate (of NathanAle's Brewery), who happens to be brewing up some pretty amazing beer. Nate was kind enough to bring a variety pack of his craft brews for us to sample!  And both Joe & Nicole supplied our table with some pretty amazing bread, including this Soda Bread, which was served with beer butter!

We were also pleased to see our good friend Rebecca from CakeWalk, whose return to Soup Night was a particular delight.  After all, she brought samples of a truly amazing cinnamon plum Panna Cotta that you should read about. A.Maze.Ing.

It was a great night of food and conversations, and again we both feel so blessed to have so many great people in our lives. So what did we have??

Here goes...

Roasted Red Pepper and Fennel Soup
This soup is a great remake of a favorite served at one of our favorite local restaurants, Kil@wat.  It brings together the lovely, sweet flavor of roasted red sweet peppers, the pleasantly licoriced aroma of roasted fennel, and a hint of kick from jalapeno peppers.  Whirred together into a soup with leeks, celery, and cream, this soup is one of our favorites.

Creamy Smoked Turkey and Apple Soup
This soup is a brand new addition to our repertoire.  The creamy broth consists of pureed apples and onions, a pinch of thyme and just a hint of cream. But, the soup is made hearty with the addition of carrots, smoked turkey (we used leftover maple brined turkey that we smoked with a bit of applewood), and applewood smoked corn leftover from our summer harvest.

Lasagne Soup
This soup is our variation on the many great Italian inspired soups out there on the Internet.  Chock-full of Sweet Sicilian sausage, basil, oregano, and garlic, this soup is embellished with fire-roasted tomatoes and plenty of fresh spinach. YUM.

The Turkey and Apple soup was the clear favorite since the crock pot containing it was emptied well before 6:00pm. That might be a new record. But since we don't really keep track of that stuff, it's kinda hard to say.

Regardless, all of the soup was devoured and before I knew it, the house was emptied, the dishwasher was humming, and Lo and I were sitting and sipping on a glass of wine in front of the fireplace.

*Phew*
Soup. It's such rewarding work.



©BURP! Where Food Happens
Want more? Read Lo's latest ruminations at FOODCrush, her Milwaukee Magazine blog.

Benedictine Mac & Cheese with Caramelized Onions & Rosemary

If the way to someone's heart is really through his/her stomach, then this post is probably as good as a love potion when it comes to enchanting and delighting your beloved.  Although macaroni & cheese might be a bit heavy to serve as a Valentine's Day dinner, it's the perfect dinner for a chilly winter weekend when you can't think of anything better than snuggling up on the couch with a glass of wine and your lover.

Serve this delicious pasta with a crisp green salad and a glass of a nice full red wine. Either an earthy red Bordeaux or a spicy, fruit-forward Zinfandel would pair very nicely.

This post is featured as part of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board's 2nd Annual 30 Days 30 Ways with Macaroni & Cheese. Be sure to give them a visit and check out all the other scrumptious recipes created by food bloggers around the nation using Wisconsin cheese. 
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If you conjure your fondest childhood memories of macaroni and cheese, what do you envision?

A steaming bowl of creamy stovetop pasta graced with American cheese?

Baked macaroni & cheese with scads of gooey sharp cheddar & a sprinkling of crispy bread crumbs?
Or how about a serving of that ever-popular electric orange macaroni & cheese from a box?

Regardless of your specific orientation to the dish, macaroni and cheese remains one of the most popular—if not the most popular—American comfort foods.

As a result, there are hundreds of recipes for mac and cheese out there.  And you must trust us when I tell you that we’ve tried most of them.  At heart, we’re big fans of simple, old fashioned macaroni and cheese.  However, we also really like venturing out and coming up with great new flavor combinations for this classic dish.  And this version is one of our favorites so far.

Imagine sweet slices of perfectly caramelized onion paired with the earthy and slightly piney flavor of fresh rosemary and the pleasantly toasted notes of whole wheat elbows. 

Now imagine those ingredients cloaked in a fantastically creamy sauce made from Carr Valley Benedictine cheese – a delightful and intensely nutty washed rind cheese made from a combination of sheep, goat, and cow’s milk.

While this somewhat inventive version of the popular dish will probably not take you back to your mom’s kitchen, I promise it will give you that same creamy dreamy comfort food feeling in the depths of your belly.

Benedictine Mac & Cheese with Caramelized Onions & Rosemary

©BURP! Where Food Happens
Want more? Read Lo's latest ruminations at FOODCrush, her Milwaukee Magazine blog.

Bowties with Beet Sauce

I'm not superwoman.
I can't leap tall buildings in a single bound. I can't wear spandex. And I'm fairly sure I can't repel bullets with my pretty little bracelets... though I can't say I've ever tried.  But, I can roast a mean beet.  And I can put together a pretty good impromptu pasta dish.  And here's proof.

For the past 3-4 weeks, Peef and I haven't really been able to see straight. Our lives have been filled with phone calls, meetings, emails, donation pick-ups, marketing and promotions. I don't know how we did it, but we managed to wrangle ourselves into planning not one.. but two fundraisers. All at the same time. And we've been paying for it.  Sleep and time deficits abound. And cooking is the last thing on our minds when we get home from a busy day at the office.

Fortunately, we have friends in high places.  Or at least friends at Pastificio Lucio Garofalo.  Those friends were nice enough to send us a big box of pasta to sample.  And that pasta... well, it has just about saved our lives.

Now, I'm going to get flack from some people for claiming that this recipe is quick and easy, since it calls for roasted beets.  Yes, I know it takes about an hour to roast beets.  But, they're beautiful to have on hand for weeknight meals if you take the time to prepare them in advance. I roasted my beets and my garlic over the weekend, when I actually had the hour to spare.  Then I packed them away into glass containers.

When the time came to make dinner, I just reached right into the fridge, grabbed them, and peeled them.  It took about five minutes.   Also (literally) took about five minutes to whizz the beets and the garlic together in the food processor, adding salt, pepper, and olive oil to taste.  I didn't puree it completely, since I wanted a bit of texture to remain.  But, I got the mixture fairly smooth.

Then I mixed in a bit of goat cheese, and a tablespoon or so of lemon juice.

Meanwhile, my pasta was cooking away.  By the time it was ready, so was my sauce.  And voila!  Everything was tossed together in a snap.

The sauce was such a brilliant color, I couldn't resist topping it with a few kernels of fresh roasted sweet corn and a handful of fresh basil.

Lovely. Lovely. Lovely.
Perfection for beet lovers everywhere.  And quick... even if you're not superwoman.


Beet Sauce for Pasta

If you're curious about those fund-raisers we've been dedicating our lives to, here's a little more info:

1. BANNED: Taboo Books, Bites, and Libations
2. Gumbo Git Down for the Gulf

Full Disclosure: We were not paid to advertise for Pastificio Lucio Garofalo. All opinions expressed in this blog entry are our own and are reflective of our experience.
 


©BURP! Where Food Happens

Simple Eating: Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Spinach, and Blue Cheese

It's been a little crazy around here lately.  And there have been moments when I seriously thought life would never return to normal for us.

We had it bad enough with our basement flooding with sewer waste twice in one week.  But, many of our friends got it even worse.   And, although I promise to get to the food part of this post Very Soon, I do need to ask you for just a moment of your time -- during which I'd like for you to consider helping out a couple of friends of ours.

Tim and Jess Cigelske, who were just blessed with the birth of their baby daughter, Clara, not more than twelve weeks ago, came home after the flooding on July 22nd to find their house virtually in ruins.  I challenge you to read Tim's account and not feel move to action.  Fortunately, if you feel inclined, there's something very easy you can do to help out.  You can buy a t-shirt.

Tim is not only a colleague of mine at the university, but he also happens to be the co-owner of Teecycle.org, a company which reclaims cool pre-loved vintage T-shirts, and resells them -- with $1 of each sale going to help restore urban rivers and trails. Although Tim's home was destroyed, all of Teecycle's t-shirts managed to survive -- having been packed lovingly into waterproof crates and a large armoire that wasn't damaged by the flood waters.  I know that both Tim & Jess would be amazingly appreciative if you'd consider supporting their business.  Proceeds will go to helping them rebuild their home... including the room Jess painstakingly designed for little Clara.  And, if you feel moved to help in a larger way, feel free to email us and we'll get you additional information about how to help. 
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In the meantime, you might be curious about what we've been eating for the past couple of weeks.  And the truth is, it hasn't been pretty.  We've subsisted on lots of pizza, take-out, and a hodge-podge of other easy to put together meals. But, there have also been a few moments of peace and quiet when we were able to throw together easy meals from the produce we picked up at the farmer's market.  And this is a great example of one such meal.

Plenty of rain, along with warmer than average temperatures, means that tomatoes in Wisconsin are ripening at an astounding rate. And we've been pleased to see a bounty of cherry tomatoes -- both at the market and in our own little urban garden.  These delicious little 'matoes are bright red and sugar sweet -- perfect for eating out of hand.

However, if you've hung around the Burp! blog for any length of time, you'll also know that one of our favorite ways to use cherry tomatoes is to roast them.  So, you won't be surprised when I tell you that that's exactly what we decided to do here.

In addition to sweet summer tomatoes, we also found plenty of deliciously sweet local Walla Walla onions at the farmer's market.  A bit of carmelization, along with a handful of spinach wilted with a splash of white wine -- and all of a sudden we saw our veggie laden pasta dish coming together quite nicely.

Of course it doesn't hurt when you have a chunk of Gorgonzola piccante in the fridge to make things feel a little bit special.  Piquant and a little bit spicy -- this cheese is everything that I love about an earthy blue veined cheese. Woodsy, and moldy, and mushroomy, this aged cheese brings a little bit of sophistication to just about anything.

Despite my musings about the cheese, this isn't particularly fancy food.  It's not fussy or time-consuming. Heck, you don't even really need a recipe.  Just a few good quality ingredients and an eye for proportions. In our case, we used about 8 oz of whole wheat pasta, a pint of cherry tomatoes, a pound of fresh spinach, an onion, and maybe 4 oz of blue cheese. 

On a busy evening, this simple dish comes together in about a half-hour. And it needs little more than a slice of crusty bread as an accompaniment. Well, maybe a glass of wine.

In any case -- it's simply delicious.



©BURP! Where Food Happens

Superbowl Food: Buffalo Chicken Spicy Mac

I frequently drool over the food featured by Tina & Mike over at Choosy Beggars.  But, their last pub night, featuring Buffalo Wing Macaroni & Cheese, took both Peef and me over the edge, giving us a serious mac & cheese craving.  So, we decided to try the recipe out for ourselves.

Of course, we can't follow instructions like normal people.  So, the recipe we ended up with, while it remotely resembles the original, has been... well, let's just say interpreted.  For one thing, this mac & cheese dish is now gluten free is made with an alternative grain (we were misguided in our initial claim that this recipe is gluten free -- it's not, though spelt can be a safe bet for some individuals with a more mild gluten intolerance).  Neither of us suffer from a gluten allergy, but we like to change it up a bit when it comes to the grains/flours we eat. On this particular occasion, we happened to have some Vita-Spelt macaroni on hand. Vita-Spelt is a favorite of ours -- not only because the spelt elbows are virtually indistinguishable from wheaty macaroni -- but also because it's made in Michigan, so it's a regional product (which we always like). 

We chose to poach our chicken breasts (2 of them), cube them up, and toss them with hot sauce while they were still steaming hot. I've successfully used this technique before with baked chicken wings. The theory is that the "pores" of the hot chicken are open and receptive to the hot sauce. The pieces soak up all the flavors while you're busy doing other things. 

Meanwhile, we chopped up our vegetables -- onions, carrots, garlic, and celery.  We chopped the onions and carrots into a small dice, and minced the garlic.  However, we left the celery sliced in larger pieces so they'd stand out in the dish. 

Then, we gathered together our spices.  This was another area where we took some liberties. In addition to the prerequisite cayenne pepper, we decided cumin might add some nice flavor. And we also threw in a teaspoon of smoked sweet paprika, figuring that a little bit of smoke wouldn't hurt.  We mixed the spices with the (gluten free) flour that we planned to use to make our roux.

We put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta, and we prepared to sauté our veggies. We chose to tackle the  sautéing in stages -- first the onions, then the carrots, and finally the garlic and celery. The goal here was to completely cook the onion, get the carrots to a crisp-tender state, and cook the celery just slightly (so that it would still retain some crunch).  Cuz I'll be honest, chicken wings just wouldn't be chicken wings without the crunch of that celery.

When the pasta was finished cooking, we rinsed it with cool water to halt the cooking process, and tossed it into a bowl with the veggies.

Then, we moved along, melted some butter, and made a roux with the flour & spices.  I'm a big fan of cooking spices in oil to bring out their flavors -- so this was just one more opportunity to allow everything to come together in a big way.  When the butter, flour, and spices had bubbled away eagerly for a few minutes, we added the milk to make our bechemel.

Once the bechemel finished cooking, we stirred in the cheeses. We chose a Wisconsin made buffalo monterey jack cheese (for good, cheesy flavor and a bit of kick), some Neufchatel (for creaminess), and some Sartori Reserve Dolcina® Gorgonzola (for that bleu cheese flavor we love with our buffalo wings).  At this point, we tasted for seasonings, added a smidge of salt, and mixed everything together.

Then we poured the whole mess into a large greased baking dish.

After sprinkling some bread crumbs (from a piece of forgotten ciabbata) over the top, we realized that our gluten-free macaroni & cheese was no longer gluten-free... oops! You can tell we don't do this every day.  Fortunately for us, this dish would be just fine with a bit of parmesan sprinkled over the top instead of the bread crumbs. In fact, it might even be better.

After about 30 minutes, the bread crumbs weren't QUITE toasty, but the cheese around the edges was all bubbly and wonderful looking.  So, we declared it done!

Is it mac & cheese? or a fantastic superbowl dip? This pasta dish brings the best of many worlds crashing together in a wonderful way.

 

The kick from the cayenne and buffalo sauce was definitely evident, but not overwhelming. The celery was pleasantly crisp, and the sauce was ultra creamy, thanks to the addition of that Neufchatel.  Alright, alright. So, it's definitely not health food. But, it's some seriously good football food.  And I'd venture a guess it would more than satisfy anyone's cravings for a nice big bowl of buffalo wings.

"It's like a pasta version of that buffalo chicken dip that we used to make," Peef declared after scarfing down his bowl of leftovers.

I sipped my IPA and smiled. Cuz there's really nothing better than being warm and satisfied on a cold, rainy January evening.  And it's even better when the husband agrees.

Buffalo Chicken Spicy Mac



©BURP! Where Food Happens