Tomato Macaroni Cheese

We hosted a gathering of friends the other evening, and being that our place is a tiny little studio, I wanted to make something that would be easy enough to eat from small plates while standing. I introduce to you: Jamie's Tomato Mac and Cheese. It was easy, flavorful with just enough reminiscence of childhood to make dinner whimsical and fun. Since the recipe indicated that this dish would serve 4, I decided to double the quantity. Looking at 3 casserole dishes later my astute friend Marcell commented that these must be 4 "American" size servings (which is funny with Jamie being British). Between the 7 of us we barely finished 1 of the 3 casseroles. I had the foresight to at least freeze the 3rd, but Bry and I ate Macaroni and Cheese for a few days.

This was a delicious recipe with enough unsuspecting ingredients (anchovies, basil, sun-dried tomatoes) to make this childhood classic a bit more elegant, with torn bits of mozzarella scattered over the top and a finish of fresh bread crumbs, thyme and parmesan. Jamie's recipe calls for a quick cream sauce (really just half and half spiked with nutmeg) as opposed to a more laborious white sauce, which made for a lighter meal. I kept with the "flashback" theme and served Rice Krispies for dessert. Perfect. All in all, I think everyone enjoyed it and I would make this again for a large gathering.

Stephanie

(Note: this image is actually from the leftovers the next day... sorry, I was too busy enjoying it to whip out the camera!)

Cheddar-Corn Spoon Bread

Yes, looks can be deceiving... this spoon bread taste much better then it appears! I decided to make this Cheddar-Corn Spoon Bread to accompany our Stuffed Poblano leftovers. This was almost like a soufflé with the whipped-in egg whites, and while I would have preferred more corn flavor and less egg, this was very tasty and I will make it again. I may even try spicing it up with diced jalapenos or Oretga chilies.

Stephanie

Stuffed Poblanos

Or so I thought. Who knew the great debate happening long before my first encounter with the so-called Pasilla pepper. This is how it began:
I received our new cookbook at my office, eagerly flipped through the colorful pages and settled, rather quickly, on the delicious looking "Stuffed Poblanos" recipe (maybe it had something to with the smell of Chile Relleno in the office... one will never know). I used my lunch break to gather the ingredients at the store, but came to a confusing stop when the pepper that I recognized at site as a poblano, was labeled at the market as a pasilla pepper. "Eh?" After looking up and down the produce for any other identical pepper called poblano, I realized I was on a time crunch, so I grabbed these "pasillas". At the check out the lady looked at me and confirmed, "Pasilla?"..."I guess?!".
So to settle the debate I thought I would simply google the two peppers (in secret of course, because now all my self-proclaimed culinary prowess was coming into question). Come to find out, I was not the only one confused... It appears that this mis-labeling of the poblano as a pasilla is a California quirk that has been noted by such knowledgeable Mexican cuisine chefs as Rick Bayless. Phew!

So, to get on with the actual recipe...

This was a delicious dish: quick, easy, fresh, flavorful; completely doable on a weeknight after a long day of work. This recipe made enough for me to split into 2 medium casserole dishes, so I froze one (prior to baking) for a quick go-to meal in the upcoming weeks.

I made Spanish rice to accompany the stuffed poblanos, which worked well to soak up the slightly-spicy tomato sauce.

Overall, a great vegetarian-friendly meal that's satisfying when you are having a hunger for Mexican food, but won't leave you feeling weighed down with grease. Looking forward to leftovers!

Stephanie