Farmersgirl Kitchen

Saturday, 24 January 2015

Pesto Chicken Macaroni Soup - Recipe Clippings

This is my entry for the January Recipe Clippings blog event, read more about it on the Recipe Clippings page. I haven't quite got round to cutting out this recipe for future reference, it's part of 10 ways with Chicken Soup in the February 'Eat In' magazine. There's a base soup recipe which you then change to make the different recipes, I chose to make the Pesto, Chicken, Macaroni Soup. I replaced the macaroni with wholewheat fusilli and reduced the amount of pesto by half otherwise no changes.

Pesto, Chicken Macaroni Soup
Serves 4

1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 carrot, quartered and sliced
2 celery sticks, finely sliced
2 waxy potatoes, diced (skin on)
500g chicken thigh fillets
2 chicken stock cubes
2 dried bay leaves
240g macaroni
200g green pesto

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a high heat. Saute the onions, carrot, celery and potatoes for 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the chicken, stock cubes bay leaes and 1.5 ligres boiling water. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface, for 30 mintues or until the chicken and vegetables are cooked. Discard the bay leaves.
3. Remove the chicken to a chopping board and cool slightly, finely shred, then return to the soup with the macaroni. Cook for 8 minutes or until tender. Stir in the pesto. Season and serve.

The soup was really filling and had a lovely flavour, it was ideal to take to work for lunch and is hearty enough to make an excellent main meal with lots of crusty bread.

#Recipe Clippings

Labels: Chicken, Eat In, lunch, macaroni, Pesto, Recipe Clippings, Soup

Saturday, 7 September 2013

Aubergine Parmigiana - Mac N Cheese Book Review and Recipe

Macaroni and Cheese is very popular and seen as a real comfort food. Until I was about 7 years old I refused to eat cooked cheese and wouldn't touch mac n cheese or cauliflower and cheese, much to my Mum's frustration. She used to sneak grated cheese into some dishes like scrambled egg to get me to eat it, but the turning point came when I went for tea at my friend, Anne's, house. There it was on the plate in front of me...macaroni and cheese, now back then you NEVER refused anything placed in front of you when out visiting, so I had to eat it. I was surprised to find that I actually enjoyed it, and learnt always to try everything before deciding that I don't like it. However, I can still remember sitting at that table looking at the mac n cheese and wondering how I would get through the meal.

Laura Washburn's book "Mac 'n' Cheese" is a celebration of this store cupboard staple. You don't have to use macaroni, you can make the dishes with other pasta shapes, but as it is the ideal shape for holding cheese sauce, I went out and bought some Marshall's Macaroni, the brand that I grew up with.

About the Author

Laura Washburn was born in Los Angeles but studied at university in Paris. She went on to train at the prestigious Paris cooking school Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne and work with Patricia Wells, best selling author of a Food Lover's Guide to Paris. She is now based in London, where she works as a cookery teacher and food writer.

The Contents

Introduction: contains information about the pasta, the sauce, the cheese and some cooking tips. Most important it features the Classic Macaroni and Cheese which forms the basis for the other recipes in the book.

Vegetables: recipes include Roasted Asparagus and Pecorino, Butternut Squash and Sage, caramelised Onions and Smoked Cheese, Jalapeno, Tomato and Monterey Jack, the gourmet Truffle and Cheese and Aubergine Parmigiana.

Fish: recipes include Crab Gratin, Tuna and Mushroom, luxurious Lobster Thermidor, and Smoked Haddock and Spinach

Meat: recipes include Spicy Beef, Greek Lamb, Chorizo, Sweet Pepper and Manchego, Ham Hock and Mozzarella, BBQ Chicken and Two Cheeses and Serrano Ham, Smoked Paprika and Spanish Blue.

Aubergine Parmigiana Serves 6-8

A handful of coarse sea salt (I didn't use this much)

500g/1lb macaroni

4-5 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1tsp dried thyme

1tsp oregano

1tsp dried rosemary

3 garlic cloves

1x 400g/14oz can chopped tomato

1 medium Aubergine/eggplant, sliced

125g/1 cup shredded mozzarella

leaves from 2-3 sprigs fresh basil, coarsely torn

50g/1 cup breadcrumbs

fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Bechamel sauce

50g/3 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter

60g/6 tbsp plain/all purpose flour

625ml/2 1/2 cups milk

1tsp fine sea salt

100g/ 3/4 cup Fontina cheese

100g/1 and 1/4 cups grated Parmesan

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the coarse sea salt, then let the water return to a rolling boil. Add the macaroni stir well and cook according to the package instructions until very tender. Stir periodically to prevent the macaroni from sticking together. When cooked, drain, rinse well under running water and let drip dry in a colander.

2. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saute pan with a lid. Add the onion and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until just golden. Stir in the herbs and garlic and cook gently for 1 minute, taking care not to let the garlic burn. Add the tomatoes and 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt and simmer very gently for 20-30 minutes until very thick.

4. Arrange the aubergine/eggplant slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle over the remaining oil Roast for 15-20 minutes until tender and just charred. Remove, season lightly with salt and add to the tomatoes. Simmer gently while you prepare the bechamel sauce.

5. Preheat the grill/broiler to medium.

6. Prepare the bechamel sauce: Melt the butter in a a saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minutes. Pour in the milk in a steady stream, whisking constantly, and continue to whisk for 3-5 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. Season with fine sea salt. Remove from the heat and add the cheeses, mixing well with a spoon to incorporate. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

7. Put the cooked macaroni in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the aubergine/eggplant mixture. Pour over the hot bechamel sauce and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Transfer the macaroni mixture to a baking dish and spread evenly. Top with the mozzarella, the basil leaves and a good grinding of black pepper and sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the top.

8. Grill/broil for 5-10 minutes until the top is crunchy and golden brown. Serve immediately

Who is it for: It would be a great gift for someone who loves Mac n Cheese or for those who cook for hungry hordes of starvng teenagers and want to ring the changes.

Pros: as the book concentrates on one type of dish, it's a book that you can turn to for inspiration when you want to jazz up your Mac 'n' Cheese or if you are simply looking for a tasty supper dish. There is a full colour photograph for every recipe and the recipes are easy to follow, with ingredients listed in both US and European measurements. Each recipe also has a short intro with serving suggestions or other tips.

Cons: this is not a low fat, low cal book, so these recipes are special comfort treats.

Ease of Use: Although there are quite a few steps, none of them were particularly difficult

The Verdict: The Aubergine Parmigiana was delicous, creamy and tasty. The recipe made two large dishes which served about 8 generous portions and the book is full of great ideas for variations on Mac n Cheese. My only concern would be the fat content and it would have been nice to have some lighter versions that could be made and eaten more frequently.

Mac 'N' Cheese by Laura Washburn
Photography by Steve Painter
Published by Ryland Peters & Small
RRP £9.99

Many thanks to RPS for providing me with a copy of Mac N Cheese to review. I was not paid to write this review and all opinions are my own.

Posted with Blogsy

Labels: Aubergine, basil, Bechamel, Cook book review, Eggplant, Fontina, Laura Washburn, Mac n Cheese, macaroni, parmesan, Ryland Peters and Small, tomatoes

Saturday, 3 April 2010

He stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni!

Yesterday I made some more Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies. This time I did give them a little bit of shaping (with my fingers) but just a gentle pat and they came out more rounded. I think these may become my signature cookie!

I also made macaroni and cheese ( I refuse to call it mac-n-cheese) something that we rarely eat because of the high fat content, however I was in the mood for something like this. It's made with Lockerbie Cheddar, our local cheese. Scottish Cheddar can be either red or white, but somehow, for me, macaroni and cheese should always be a nice orangey colour lol! I added chopped up cold ham to the mix and some cherry toms on the top before an extra layer of grated cheddar.

I'm not going to post a recipe, I didn't use one and it's only a white sauce with cheese and a bit of mustard powder in it mixed with boiled pasta. It was delicious, though I say it myself.

Labels: chocolate chips, cookies, Lockerbie Cheddar, macaroni, peanut butter, tomatoes

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Farmersgirl Kitchen

Saturday, 24 January 2015

Pesto Chicken Macaroni Soup - Recipe Clippings

Saturday, 7 September 2013

Aubergine Parmigiana - Mac N Cheese Book Review and Recipe

Saturday, 3 April 2010

He stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni!

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