Hungry Bastard

This recipe was inspired by the folks at whatwereeating.com. I had to make some changes, however, because I couldn’t find all of the ingredients in the original recipe. So, here is my version which turned out absolutely wonderful and is easy to make! Beats the living crap out of the blue box! The kids had seconds and thirds! This went well with some freshly steamed green beans tonight.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. sliced crimini mushrooms
• 1 1/2 c. sliced shitake mushrooms
• 2 tbsp. oil or bacon fat
• 1 1/2 tbsp. sherry cooking wine (found in the vinegar section)
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 4 tbsp. flour
• 2 2/3 c. whole milk
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 4 oz. herb goat cheese, crumbled
• 4 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded
• 4 oz. parmigiano reggiano, separated in two 2 oz. piles
• 1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 tsp. fresh sage, minced
• 2-3 tbsp white truffle oil, depending on how strong you like it
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 c. crushed croûtons (cheese and garlic flavor) or Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• 10 oz. elbow pasta
• Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:

1. Place a large pot of water over high heat and cover.
2. Place a large skillet with 2 tbsp. oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms to the pan and sauté for 7-10 minutes or until the mushrooms are fully cooked and slightly caramelized. Toss or stir occasionally. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper then add 1 1/2 tbsp. sherry cooking wine. Allow all of the wine to cook out, then remove the mushrooms and set aside.
3. Begin the cheese sauce: Add butter to a medium-sized sauce pan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted and is hot, whisk in flour. Cook the flour, whisking, for about 30 seconds, just long enough to get rid of the raw flour taste, but not long enough for the flour to start caramelizing.
4. Add the thyme, rosemary, sage, and red pepper flakes. Continue stirring and allow the herbs to cook for another 30 seconds or so. Slowly pour in the milk and the heavy cream while continuously whisking so everything mixes smoothly and there are no lumps. Allow to come to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
5. While waiting for the sauce to come to a simmer start the pasta. Liberally salt the pot of boiling water, almost to the point it tastes like sea water. This may take a few handfuls of salt. Add the pasta to the water and cook the pasta for a minute or two less than the suggested time on the box.
6. Once your sauce has reached a simmer, stir in the goat cheese, cheddar, 2 oz. of Parmigiano and truffle oil. Stir until all cheese has melted. Remove from heat and taste the sauce for seasoning levels. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
7. Preheat oven to ‘Broil’. In a small bowl, mix together crushed croûtons (or Panko) and 2 tbsp. Parmigiano reggiano.
8. Strain pasta immediately when finished cooking. In a mixing bowl, toss the pasta, cheese sauce, and mushrooms together. Pour the macaroni and cheese into a glass baking pan and spread the croûton mixture evenly across the top.
9. Broil the macaroni and cheese in the upper part of the oven for about 5-10 minutes or until the topping is golden and the cheese sauce is bubbly. Serve hot and enjoy!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007 at 11:33 am and is filed under Casseroles, Pasta, Vegetarian. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.