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Showing posts with label side dishes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label side dishes. Show all posts

15 October 2010

Pair With Pork: French Onion Casserole

Cooked slowly onions can turn wonderfully sweet. Try this easy casserole for your holiday or weekend dinner.

harvested onions


From Denny: Talk about sweetness in a casserole - and easy to do at that! This recipe goes well with pork. Pork is in season this fall. Any meat needs a good pairing of veggies to help digest the heaviness.

What are the benefits of onions?

Well, for starters, onions act as blood thinners to keep cholesterol from forming in your arteries. The sulpher in them also helps kill possible parasites in the digestive track. While you get the most benefit and vitamins like vitamins B and C from raw onions, cooked onions are good too.

Did you know that onions have been used for centuries to cure various illnesses? They act as an expectorant to help clear up mucous which is why drinking onion soup when you have a cold helps relieve the symptoms. Onions also have iron in them and this iron is easier to assimilate than from most sources.. Physicians have recommended onions in the diet since ancient times to allieviate anemia. Who knew onions were so useful? :)

Onion varieties to use in this recipe:  Vidalia, Walla Walla, OSO Sweet or Texas Sweet.  These are all mild and sweet onions.  Yellow, white or red onions will have a more intense flavor but if that's all you have on hand just know that the cheese and mushroom soup mixture will help reduce the sharpness.  This casserole has a slight nutty flavor.

When I use butter in a recipe I always clarify it to remove the cholesterol trouble-makers: the milk fat.  Clarifying it to the point of when the milk fat browns will give this oil a wonderful rich golden color and a nutty flavor that is irresistible.  You can sauteed veggies in it without much more seasoning if you like.  Yes, the flavor of browned clarified butter is that good!  I even put it on uncooked pizza before I put it in the oven to bake.

For a party:  make sure to have at least one French bread slice for each person you are serving.


harvested onions


French Onion Casserole

From: Barrie Griffin

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

3 Vidalia onions or onions of your choice
2 tbls. margarine or butter
1 (8-oz.) pkg. sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (5-oz.) can evaporated milk
2 tsps. soy sauce
6 (1/2-inch thick) slices French bread (she uses Pepperidge Farm Twin French loaves, it’s about a 2-2 1/2-inch diameter loaf)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley


Directions:

Peel and slice onions into about 1/4-inch slices. Cut those slices into quarters.

In large skillet, melt margarine or butter and sauté onions and mushrooms until tender.

Using a slotted spoon remove onions and mushrooms to lightly greased 7- x 11-inch casserole dish.

Top with half of the Swiss cheese.

In small bowl, combine cream of mushroom soup, milk and soy sauce. Whisk together until smooth. Pour soup mixture over cheese. Spread evenly over the top.

Top casserole with French bread slices.

Mix chopped fresh parsley and remaining cheese together and spread over top of casserole. Refrigerate 4 to 8 hours.

Bring to room temperature then bake, covered with foil in preheated 375-degree oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking an additional 15-20 minutes or until top is nicely browned. Watch to prevent over-browning.



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08 December 2009

Winter Soul Food: Macaroni and Cheese

From Denny: Mac 'n' Cheese is a family favorite all year 'round here in south Louisiana and throughout America. These days chefs create their own versions from a wonderful assortment of cheeses. Since President Obama was elected the national spotlight has been on the city of Chicago. This chef and his restaurant are located in The Windy City.

Chef Chiakulas was one of those precocious kids who liked to cook at an early age. By the age of 10 years old he opened his first "restaurant" serving cheese sandwiches and hotdogs to his brothers for a price: 10 cents! Now that he's all grown up he specializes in comfort food with grown-up taste and clever artistic touches to tantalize the most picky or discriminating diner.

Mity Nice Grill - Lettuce Entertain You
Water Tower Place (Mezzanine Level)- between 1st and 2nd floors.
835 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
312-335-4745

Mac and Jack is served at Mity Nice Grill for $9.95 at lunch and $11.95 at dinner.



Mac and Jack

From: Chef John Chiakulas of Mity Nice Grill, Chicago

Serves: 4 restaurant side dish servings - which is more like serving 6 to 8 at home.

INGREDIENTS

For sauce:

• 5 ounces grated white Cheddar cheese
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/3 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1/3 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 teaspoons Parmesan cheese

For baked macaroni:

• 2 1/2 cups of Mac and Jack sauce
• 2 1/2 cups cooked pipette (fancy macaroni)
• 2 pinches of kosher salt and pepper
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 4 tablespoons seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 pinches chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS

For sauce:

Bring all the ingredients to a boil, whisking until the cheeses are completely melted and well mixed. Do not reduce. Strain out the chili flakes. Set aside.

For macaroni:

Heat the sauce in a skillet until boiling.

Heat the cooked pasta in boiling water for 15 seconds, drain and add to the sauce.

Add the salt and pepper while tossing to combine.

Pour about 1/4 of the pasta into 2 separate bowls and top each with a 1/2 cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

Add the remaining pasta, splitting between the two bowls and top with ¾ cup of shredded Jack cheese each.

Sprinkle half the breadcrumbs over each one and place under the salamander or broiler.

Cook until golden brown, adding a pinch of chopped parsley to each bowl before serving.

*** Thanks for visiting and Bon Appetit!

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