Cook Like James

Louisiana Style Shrimp and Cheesy Grits

Celebrate Mardi Gras with this quick and easy dinner for two, inspired by traditional Louisiana cooking. Uglesich's Restaurant in New Orleans (Uglesich website) serves one of the best shrimp and grits that I ever tasted, although, just about everything there was incredible. This recipe, which follows a method from America’s Test kitchen, is pretty easy to throw together and makes a great quick dinner for two.

 Download Southern Style Shrimp and Grits for Two recipe

8 ounces shrimp (large size 31-40 per pound), peeled and deveined

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 minced garlic clove

pinch of Cayenne pepper

¼ - ½ tsp. Cajun Seafood seasoning

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 small onion minced (about ½ cup)

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, like Tabanero or Frank's RedHot

½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup Quick Grits (Quick not instant grits is key)

4 oz extra-sharp shredded cheddar cheese, shredded

1 green onion sliced thin

 

 1.  Adjust oven rack to the middle and heat oven to 375 degrees

2.  Toss the shrimp with the oil, garlic, cayenne, Cajun seasoning and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate will making the grits. 

3.  Melt butter in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until soften stirring frequently, 4- 5 minutes.

4.  Stir in water, cream, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and bring to a boil.

5.  Slowly whisk in grits, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring often until grits are thick and creamy, 5-7 minutes.

6.  Remove from heat and whisk in cheddar until combined.

7.  Lay shrimp on their sides in a pinwheel (circle the skillet with tails in middle) over the grits then press on them slightly to submerge about halfway down.

8.  Transfer skillet to oven and bake until shrimp are cooked through, about 5 – 7 minutes. Sprinkle with scallions and serve.

Seared Scallops with Fresh Cilantro Pesto

Seared Scallops with Fresh Cilantro Pesto

 These scallops make a great first course, but you can easily serve it as main course by mixing the pesto with pasta. I use cilantro  because it grows so well in the garden, but you can easily substitute your favorite pesto – basil or sun dried tomato would work well.

Download Seared Scallops with Fresh Cilantro Pesto

 1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves 

¼ cup fresh parsley or baby spinach leaves

1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts 

1-2 medium cloves garlic, chopped coarse

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Pinch of coarse kosher salt 

Pinch of ground black pepper 

1/4 cup olive oil 

 3/4 pound sea scallops, about 16, small side muscles 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1.    Pulse cilantro, pine nuts, garlic, zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in bowl of food processor until minced. With processor running, slowly add oil. Process until smooth; set aside.

2.    Sprinkle scallops on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat large (11-inch) sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot, about 1 minute. Add half the oil; swirl to coat bottom. Add butter and continue to heat pan until butter begins to turn golden brown. Add half the scallops, one at a time, flat side down; cook, adjusting heat as necessary to prevent fat from burning, until scallops are well browned, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

3.Using tongs, turn scallops, one at a time; cook 1 to 1 1/2 minutes longer, depending on size. Repeat cooking process using remaining half of oil and scallops.

4.    Serve 2-3 scallops on a small dollop of pesto. 

 

 

Perfect Thanksgiving Roast Turkey

 

I usually prefer to share recipes with my own photos, but decided to add my favorite Thanksgiving recipes and hope they’re helpful (I’ll add photos after the holiday!

Roast Juicy Turkey

Brining seems to be the most popular method to keep the bird juicy and moist. It’s a simple water/salt solution, but a few other additions can add a lot of great flavor. Brining bags are usually available at grocery stores, or use a large lobster pot with lid.

1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen or fresh young turkey

For the brine:

1 gallon water

1 ½ cups kosher salt

½ cup light brown sugar

½ cup maple syrup or honey

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1/2 tablespoon allspice berries

1 tablespoon candied ginger

2 oranges, quartered

2 lemons, quartered

1 gallon iced water

For the turkey cavity:

1 red apple, quartered

1 onion, quartered

4 sprigs rosemary

6 leaves sage

For the roasting pan:

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onions

Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve sugar, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 6- 8 hours.

A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees.

Scatter the carrots, celery, and onions a roasting pan with v-rack.

Remove turkey from brine and  rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.

Place bird on roasting rack over the vegetables, breast-side up, in the roasting pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck back wings and using kitchen twine, tie the legs together. This will make a compact shape and will create a great presentation. Coat the whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil.

Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees  for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil that has been sprayed with Pam, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 165 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 20 minutes before carving.

Download Roast Juicy Turkey
  

Traditional New England Baked Beans

Baked Beans are a staple of New England cooking - in fact Boston gets its nickname “Beantown” from a long history of making baked beans. Take a drive through some of the small towns in New Hampshire, Maine or Vermont and you’ll undoubtedly find signs for a “Bean Supper” at a local town hall or church. It's a fundraising ritual almost as old as the country, started by women's auxiliary groups during the years after the Revolution, as a way to raise money to pay the local minister. Boston Baked Beans are always slowly baked with molasses and a few other simple ingredients and traditionally served with Brown Bread (see recipe from Yankee magazine here-  http://bit.ly/uExc9O )

Download Traditional New England Baked Beans recipe

4 ounces salt pork, trimmed of rind and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 ounces bacon (2 slices), cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 medium onion, chopped fine

1/3 cup mild molasses

¼ cup maple syrup

1 ½ tablespoons Gulden’s spicy brown mustard

1 pound dried small white beans (about 2 cups), rinsed and picked over

Table salt

Water

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon mild molasses

 Ground black pepper

1. Adjust rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 300 degrees. Add salt pork and bacon to 8-quart Dutch oven; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and most fat is rendered, about 7 minutes.

2. Add onion and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 8 minutes. Add 1/3 cup molasses, maple syrup, mustard, beans, 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, and 9 cups water; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil.

3. Cover pot and set in oven. Bake until beans are tender, about 4 hours, stirring once after 2 hours.

4. Remove lid and continue to bake until liquid has thickened to syrupy consistency, 1 to 1 1/2 hours longer.

5. Remove beans from oven; stir in remaining tablespoon of molasses, vinegar, and additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

 

Easy Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

Easy Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought it was time to experiment with some turkey recipes. Some years I have a house full of people and often cook two big birds, but other times it’s just a small group and cooking a huge turkey just seems to be too time consuming. Roasting a turkey breast is a great solution for small gatherings and it makes a great dinner any time of year – not just at Thanksgiving! Most of the “experts” (Alton Brown, Emeril, Cooks Illustrated, etc.) recommend brining in a saltwater solution to season the meat and keep it moist, juicy and succulent and though it does add to the prep time, it’s really worth it.

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon minced rosemary leaves

1 tablespoon minced sage leaves

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 whole natural turkey breast (6 to 7 pounds), bone-in and skin-on, trimmed of excess fat and patted dry with paper towels (If using a kosher turkey breast - soaked in salt water during processing or self- basting turkey breast - injected with salt and water -  do not brine)

1 cup water or dry white wine

Brine the Turkey Breast

1. Dissolve 1/2 cup of table salt (or 3/4 cup of kosher salt) in 4 quarts of cold water in a large container; submerge the turkey breast in brine, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for three to six hours. (Do not brine the turkey breast any longer, or it will be too salty.) Rinse the turkey breast under cold water and dry it thoroughly with paper towels.

Roasting the Turkey

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix butter, garlic, minced herbs, lemon zest, and pepper in medium bowl with rubber spatula until thoroughly combined. Rub the mixture evenly all over turkey breast. You can also carefully separate turkey skin (avoid breaking skin) from meat over breast and rub butter mixture directly on meat.

2. Spray V-rack with nonstick cooking spray and set inside large roasting pan. Place turkey in rack with skin side facing up; pour water or wine into roasting pan.

3. Roast turkey for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Continue to roast turkey until thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour longer.

4. To ensure that the juices in the meat have time to redistribute, let the roasted turkey breast rest, covered loosely with foil,  for 20 minutes before attempting to carve it. Skipping this step will result in a flood of turkey juices on your carving board.

5. Slice and serve turkey with pan juices or make a pan gravy.

 

Classic Alsatian Onion and Bacon Tart

This is a very typical recipe from the Alsace region of France. I made over the weekend for a friend’s mother and she raved about it. Although there are just a few ingredients, it has outstanding flavor - perfect for a Sunday brunch. The secret is slow cooking the onions until they are very soft.f

Download Alsatian Onion and Bacon Tart recipe

CRUST

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon table salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 1/2-inch cubes and well chilled

2 - 3 tablespoons ice water

 

FILLING

4 ounces bacon (about 4 slices), halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces

1 1/2 pounds yellow or white onions, halved through root end, peeled, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices (about 6 cups)

1 sprig fresh thyme

3/4 teaspoon table salt

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of cayenne

2 large eggs

1/2 cup half-and-half

1/4 teaspoon ground white or black pepper

 

FOR THE CRUST:

1. Spray 9-inch tart pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in food processor with four 1-second pulses. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture; pulse to cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse sand, about fifteen 1-second pulses.

 

2. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and process until large clumps form and no powdery bits remain, about 5 seconds, adding up to 1 tablespoon more water if dough will not form clumps.

3. Scatter walnut-sized clumps of dough evenly into tart pan. Working outward from the center, press the dough into even layer, sealing any cracks. (Take your time with these steps, it will ensure that the dough does not crack during baking.) Work your way around the edge of tart pan and press the dough firmly into the corners with your index finger.  Go around edge once more, pressing dough up sides and into fluted ridges. Use your thumb to level off top edge. Use this dough to patch any holes. Lay plastic wrap over dough and smooth out any bumps or shallow areas

4. Place tart shell on plate and transfer to freezer for 30 minutes.

5. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Place frozen tart shell on baking sheet; lightly spray one side of 18-inch square extra-wide heavy-duty aluminum foil with nonstick cooking spray. Press foil greased side down inside tart shell, folding excess foil over edge of pan. Fill with pie weights and bake until top edge just starts to color and surface of dough under foil no longer looks wet, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully remove foil and weights by gathering edges of foil and pulling up and out. Return baking sheet with tart shell to oven and bake until golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Set baking sheet with tart shell on wire rack. Do not turn off oven.

 FOR THE FILLING:

1. While crust is baking, cook bacon in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain bacon through mesh strainer set over small bowl; transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate. Return 2 tablespoons bacon fat to skillet, adding vegetable oil to make up difference if necessary.

2. Add onions, salt, nutmeg, cayenne and thyme to skillet. Cover and cook until onions release liquid and start to wilt, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, covered, until onions are very soft, about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice (if after 15 minutes onions look wet, remove lid and continue to cook another 5 minutes). Remove pan from heat and let onions cool 5 minutes.

3. Whisk eggs, half-and-half, and pepper together in large bowl. Remove thyme sprig from onions; discard. Stir onions into egg mixture until just incorporated. Spread onion mixture over baked crust (still on baking sheet) and sprinkle bacon evenly on top.

4. Return baking sheet with tart to oven and bake until center of tart feels firm to touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack at least 10 minutes. When ready to serve, remove tart pan ring; gently slide thin-bladed spatula between tart pan bottom and crust to loosen, then slide tart to serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve. Leftovers should be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated. Reheat on a baking sheet in a 325-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Traditional Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)

 

Traditional Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)

My close friends, photographers Chris Makos and Paul Solberg (http://www.thehiltonbrothers.com/) are currently having an incredible time touring Sweden. They sent me this beautiful photo of Swedish meatballs prepared by Chef Tomas Lindh at the Hotel Skepps Holmen's wonderful restaurant. (http://www.hotelskeppsholmen.com) Chef Tomas Lindh unites "the best of Swedish cuisine with inspiration both of today's cooking and of traditional ingredients, with a modern twist, high quality and a bit of humor."   I was happy to learn from my friends that Chef Lindh uses a combination of pork and beef in his recipe, which I feel adds great flavor and texture to the meatballs. Of course there are probably as many versions for Swedish meatballs as there are chefs. Every Scandinavian cookbook has at least one recipe, usually several! One thing that rarely changes - the side dishes - which are most always Buttered Noodles, Pickled Cucumber and Lingonberries.

Download Traditional Swedish Meatballs with Pickled Cucumbers recipe

Meatballs

1 large egg

1/4cup heavy cream

1large slice high-quality white sandwich bread, crusts removed and bread torn into 1-inch pieces

8 ounces ground pork

1 small onion, grated on large holes of box grater (about 1/4 cup)

¼ teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon packed brown sugar

1 ½ teaspoons table salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

8 ounces (85 percent lean) ground beef

1 ¼ cups vegetable oil

 

Sauce

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons packed brown sugar

½ cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon

 

For the Meatballs:

1. Whisk egg and cream together in medium bowl. Stir in bread and set aside.

2. In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat pork, onion, dry mustard, nutmeg, allspice, pepper, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder on high speed until smooth and pale, about 2 minutes, scraping bowl as necessary.

3. Using fork, mash bread mixture until no large dry bread chunks remain; add mixture to mixer bowl and beat on high speed until smooth and homogeneous, about 1 minute, scraping bowl as necessary.

4. Add beef and mix on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl as necessary.

5. Using moistened hands, form generous tablespoon of meat mixture into 1-inch round meatball; repeat with remaining mixture to form 25 to 30 meatballs.

6. Heat oil in 10-inch straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat until edge of meatball dipped in oil sizzles (oil should register 350 degrees on instant-read thermometer), 3 to 5 minutes. Add meatballs in single layer and fry, flipping once halfway through cooking, until lightly browned all over and cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. (Adjust heat as needed to keep oil sizzling but not smoking.) Using slotted spoon, transfer browned meatballs to paper towel-lined plate.

For the Sauce

1. Pour off and discard oil in pan, leaving any fond (browned bits) behind. Return pan to medium-high heat and add butter. When foaming subsides, add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until flour is light brown, about 30 seconds.

2. Slowly whisk in broth, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits. Add brown sugar and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce is reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream and return to simmer.

3. Add meatballs to sauce and simmer, turning occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

 

SWEDISH PICKLED CUCUMBERS

1 pound pickling (Kirby) cucumber (3 small), sliced very thin (use mandolin if possible)

1½ cups white vinegar

1½ cups sugar

1 fresh bay leaf

1 teaspoon table salt

12 whole allspice berries

1. Place cucumber slices in medium heatproof bowl.

2. Bring vinegar, sugar, bay leaf, salt, and allspice to simmer in small saucepan over high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Pour vinegar mixture over cucumbers and stir to separate slices.

3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 15 minutes. Uncover and cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Pickles can be refrigerated in their liquid in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

 

 

Quick Easy Balsamic Glazed Seared Salmon

 
Quick Easy Balsamic Glazed Seared Salmon

I made this recently for my friend Robert and we both loved it. It’s incredibly easy to do and is perfect with rice or couscous and a nice green summer vegetable like zucchini or asparagus.Sometimes I serve it with Elie Krieger’s Whole Wheat Penne with Fresh Herbs and Zucchini (see recipe here - http://bit.ly/hvTUP0)

Download Quick Easy Balsamic Glazed Seared Salmon recipe

¼ cup high quality balsamic vinegar

¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tablespoons maple syrup (Grade B) or honey

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 sprig fresh rosemary (5-inch)

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

4 skin-on wild Alaskan salmon fillets, 6 ounces each, 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. Whisk vinegar, juice, maple syrup or honey, and pepper flakes together in small bowl, then add rosemary. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Season salmon with salt and pepper and cook, skin side up, without moving, until well browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip fish skin side down and cook until all but very center of fish is opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to platter and tent with foil.

2. Wipe out pan with paper towels and lower heat to medium. Carefully pour balsamic mixture into pan (it will splatter). Maintain a strong simmer over medium to medium high heat until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Remove rosemary sprig. Whisk in butter, season sauce with salt and pepper, and pour over salmon. Serve.

Hearty Turkey Tomato Sauce with Campanelle

 

Hearty Turkey Tomato Sauce with Campanelle

Ground turkey is a nice substitution for beef in this hearty pasta sauce. I often substitute it for the ground beef in my Chili recipe. Make sure to buy 93% lean turkey, any leaner and the meat with taste dry. I like Campanelle pasta for this dish, but any favorite pasta will work.

Download Hearty Turkey Tomato Sauce with Campanelle recipe

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

6 medium cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds 93% percent lean ground turkey (don’t use 99%)

1 can (6 ounce) Pastene tomato paste

1 can (28 ounce) Muir Glen Diced Tomatoes

1 can (28 ounce) Tuttorosso or Muir Glen crushed tomatoes

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 pound Campanelle pasta (or pasta of choice)

½ cup fresh basil, minced

1.  Combine onion, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and ½ teaspoon of salt in a large dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until softened, 10-12 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Add HALF the ground turkey and increase heat to medium high. Cook the turkey, breaking the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until the meat loses it raw color, about 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and continue to cook until the tomato paste begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in diced and crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaves, oregano, and pepper flakes. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

3. Stir the remaining ground turkey, breaking it up as you add it, and continue to simmer for another 30-40 minutes. Discard bay leaves.

4. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Stir in 1 tablespoon of salt, add the pasta, and cook according to package directions until al dente (about 10 minutes). Drain pasta, reserving ½ cup of pasta cooking water, and return pasta to pot.

5. Stir remaining tablespoon of olive oil and chopped basil into sauce, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss 3 cups of the meat sauce into the pasta, adding some of the reserved cooking water as needed to loosen sauce. Divide pasta among serving dishes and top each with a portion of sauce. Serve with grated parmesan cheese and extra basil, if desired.

Note: Extra sauce will freeze well for up to a month.

 

Rocco DiSpirito’s Lo Cal Macaroni & Cheese

I recently was in NY with a friend who was guest hosting on the Joy Behar show. Rocco DiSpirito was on to promote his best-selling "Now Eat This!" Diet book (Find it here). He suggested trying his innovative low calorie recipe for Macaroni & Cheese that uses Greek Yogurt and Cabot 50% Reduced Fat Cheddar. I’m always a little skeptical of low fat versions of comfort food, but was pleasantly surprised to find this dish incredibly tasty. Serve it with a mixed green salad and it makes a great lunch or light dinner.

Rocco DiSpirito’s Lo Cal Macaroni & Cheese

Nonstick cooking spray 
4 ounces whole-wheat pasta 
½ cup Onion-Garlic Puree (recipe below) 
½ teaspoon dry mustard 
Pinch of cayenne pepper 
1 cup shredded 50% reduced- fat cheddar, such as Cabot 
1/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt 
Salt 
¼ cup whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs, such as Ian's All-Natural 
¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray an 8×8- inch baking dish with 
cooking spray, and set it aside. 

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and 
cook according to the package directions, al dente; drain. 

3. While the pasta is cooking, bring the Onion- Garlic Puree, mustard, and cayenne to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. Whisk in the cheddar until it has melted. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the yogurt. In a medium bowl, toss the cooked macaroni with the cheese sauce to coat thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the macaroni into the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle the panko over the top. Top with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake until the cheese has melted and the macaroni is hot throughout, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Onion-Garlic Puree

1 large Vidalia onion, roughly chopped 

9 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 
½ cup water 
Salt 
freshly ground black pepper 

1. Combine the onion, garlic, and water in a microwave- safe bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and microwave on high for 10 minutes. 

2. Pour the mixture into a blender and blend until it is completely smooth. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours.