Cheesy Beef Rotini

Pasta and cheese go together like yin and yang. Add ground beef and you get shamalama ding dang!

I bought a 3-pound package of ground beef on sale that I divided for three meals. The first of which was this scatch-made, hamburger-helper-esk pot of yummy goodness. I made this for dinner and two meals throughout the week but it will easily feed a family of four.

This is a very straight forward recipe with one element that needs special attention - the sauce.  The key to it is patience.

I use a roux made from the drippings of the ground beef as the base. Let the flour and fat cook together with the mirepoix for a couple minutes before adding the milk. It should turn a little browner during the process. The flour and fat need the heat to change chemically to become a thickener. Then add the milk and let the mixture simmer until it's noticeably thicker. Finally, add the cheese a little at a time and make sure it's completely melted before adding more. Nailing this processes will make this simple, kid-friendly meal a hit with everyone.

That's some Shamalama ding dang!

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Serves 4, 30 minutes
1 lb. Ground beef (73/27)
1 Onion, diced
1 Green pepper, diced
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 Tbs Flour
2 C milk
2 C Monterrey jack cheese, shredded
8 oz Rotini pasta

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain set aside.

In a 4 quart pot over medium heat, brown ground beef. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove to bowl with slotted spoon, set aside. In beef drippings saute onion and green pepper until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic, cook until fragrant, 1 minute.

Stir in flour, let cook 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in milk and simmer until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cheese a handful at a time, stir until melted, repeat until cheese is gone. Return beef to mixture and add rotini. Heat through, then serve.

Fettuccine Alfredo

Printable version

When I set out to make this dish I was going to recreate a recipe I had made for the print column more than two years ago, before I had even started this blog. My photography skills are so much better now. I have been trying to go back and re-shoot some of the recipes that I made in the beginning when my skills and equipment were less than adequate.

I was intending to make shrimp fettuccine alfredo but Meijer didn’t have any frozen raw shrimp with tails and shells removed, which is what was required.

Once I realized I was going to have to go somewhere else to find the shrimp I thought I would just make a basic alfredo recipe. It’s a good one to have around because you can add whatever is desired. The creamy Parmesan sauce is a flavorful binder that works with any type of noodle, vegetable or protein. Even without the meat it's a tasty and filling side to any meal. 

BEHIND THIS BITE
I made this last Friday. I was really banking on the shrimp because it’s Lent for us Catholics and I thought it would be a good non-meat dish, I forgot about this fact when I left the store and didn’t get any other fish to cook, which left me with just this for the main part of my meal for supper. It’s delicious but I was craving something else to round it off, it doesn't work by itself as a main dish without a protein, great for a side, but it needs some support for a full meal.

Had I thought about it, I would have bought some of the shell-on raw shrimp and cooked up a batch to go along side this but it didn’t occur to me.

Believe it or not, it does take some discipline to give up meat on Fridays during Lent. It’s so easy to forget and find yourself eating a Big Mac. Then, all of the sudden, you remember it's Friday! That's when the Lord's name is taken in vain – and off to confession you go.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Serves 4; 30 minutes
1/4 C Unsalted butter
1/2 C Onion, diced
1 Tbs Garlic, minced
1 C Heavy cream
1 C Parmesan cheese,fresh grated
8 oz Fettuccine

FOR GARNISH
Fresh parsley,chopped

Sauté vegetables
Start pasta, see below. In a sauté pan over medium heat, sauté onion in butter until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Make sauce
Add cream and heat until it simmers slightly. Stir in 1 tablespoon of Parmesan, let melt completely then repeat until cheese is gone.

Finish
Toss pasta and sauce together, place on a plate and garnish with fresh parsley.

THE FETTUCCINE
Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine, return to boil cook 10 to 11 minutes for al denté, then drain.

Bowtie Pasta in Mushroom Sauce

Printable version

I would rate this mushroom and bowtie pasta dish as a 7 on a scale of 10. It had good flavor, the noodles and mushroom were cooked spot on, and it worked as a side dish really well. I would be happy to put this out at any family get-together or eat with dinner anytime, which is why I thought I should publish it.

That said, it lacked the punch that I like to get with most of my dishes here at Behind the Bites. I think I needed a cream element to help make it more rich or some shredded beef for more hardiness in the overall recipe.

Any suggestions are welcomed here, please message me or make a comment if you see an easy way to put this dish over the top. It’s obvious that it could be beef and noodles. I think this dish could stand out in a different way though. I’m going to revisit this in the near future - in the meantime I’d like to here what readers think. Any creative solutions for knocking this dish out of the park?

All ideas are welcome. 

BEHIND THIS BITE
I really love making mushroom sauce, the earthy flavor found in mushrooms seems to make them ideal for sauces and gravies, it’s my favorite way to consume them. (Unless we are talking about morels – that's a whole different story)

I have a weird custom when I purchase mushrooms at the store. I can’t bring myself to buying them already sliced. That would take all the fun out of the process for me. There is something about washing and slicing them up. That goes for anything I make though, I would much rather do the slicing and dicing myself - it’s part of why I love cooking. Now, that goes for small amounts. If I need 20 pounds of mushrooms and can get them pre-sliced, I think I’d pay a little extra to avoid 2-hours of work. 10 minutes of work is cool, 2 hours – not so much.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Side for 6; 40 minutes
8 oz Mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbs Butter, unsalted
2 Tbs Flour, sifted
3 C Beef broth
1 Tbs Fresh thyme
12 oz Bowtie pasta

Suaté Mushrooms, add broth
Start pasta. In a sauce pan over medium heat sauté mushrooms until they have released their liquid, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add butter, let melt, then stir in flour. Let mixture cook 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in broth and thyme, simmer on low.

Make Bow tie pasta, finish sauce
Bring a quart of salted water to a boil, add pasta and return to boil. Let cook 12 to 14 minutes for al dente, then drain. Add pasta to sauce and let simmer until thickened slightly then serve. 

Chipotle Mac and Pepper Jack Cheese

Printable version

When I was 11, I used to love mac and cheese with sliced hot dogs, to me it was like gourmet sauce and pasta mixed with filet mignon. I could gobble down a bowl and ride my bike for miles through trails in the woods or go play second base in a little league double header.

At that age my palate preferred french fries, breaded chicken and the aforementioned macaroni with cheese sauce made from a packet of neon colored powder.

Then something changed.

Vegetables started to taste better, I began to get nervous around certain girls and some of the clothes Mom wanted me to wear made me feel like a freak at school. Things have just become more complicated ever since. One thing that hasn’t – my love for mac and cheese. I prefer a more sophisticated version these days, but nothing says comfort  on a cold winter day more than a bowl of elbow macaroni smothered in cheese sauce – add some bacon and heat from chilies, and I’m just a kid in a candy store.

BEHIND THIS BITE
This is the second time I have made mac and cheese for the print column. The first time was a more traditional dish, made from scratch of course, but nothing out of the box creativity-wise. This time I went for it. The smoky bacon compliments the chipotle, which along with the pepper jack, provides the fire.

I really liked this dish, and to my surprise, so did my niece. The kids have not warmed up to the idea of spicy food yet. Thankfully she actually tried it, then she kept going back for nibbles - I was pretty excited about that. I’m hoping the kids grow up to be adventurous eaters. She wasn’t adventurous enough to eat one of the whole jalapeño slices that garnish the dish, but the fact that she liked it is a great. It’s a start - Uncle Justin will have her sampling some habanero salsa by the time she can drive.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Serves 6; 1 hour
6 strips Bacon, diced
3 Tbs Flour
2 C Milk
3 C Pepper jack cheese, shredded
2 Tbs Chipotle peppers, minced
1/2 lb Macaroni
2 Jalapeño, sliced
1/4 C Parmesan cheese, fresh grated

Cook macaroni
Bring 2 quarts of salted water to boil in a large pot, add pasta, return to boil. Cook 7 to 9 minutes for al dente. Then drain.

Fry bacon, make roux
After starting the macaroni, In a large oven safe skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Sift in flour, wisk with bacon drippings until well incorporated then cook 2 to 3 minutes, stir often.

Make sauce
Add milk, bring to a simmer and let mixture thicken, 4 to 5 minutes, stir occasionally. Once thickened add two tablespoons of cheese, stir constantly until melted. Repeat until cheese is gone and a sauce has formed.

Finish
Stir in macaroni, bacon and chipotle peppers. Top with jalapeño slices and fresh grated parmesan cheese. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Remove and serve.

One of the Best Pork Chops You'll Ever Eat

My first experience using a brine resulted in the most delicious turkey I have ever eaten. My second experience was a culinary disaster.

I was at the family campground for a summer vacation from New York when I challenged my uncle to a pork loin throw down.

My uncle makes money on the side cooking pork for large parties with a giant cooker that he could tow to the Grand Canyon if he had to. He is a pork cooking samurai. I was not fazed by this. After all, I was the young blood in the family who was showing a lot of promise in the kitchen with the grilled pizzas and fresh herbs that my elders had been noticing.

My aunt had a whole loin thawing. I said let's brine it! She said no. My uncle would be cooking it in the roaster. This was where I got ahead of myself. I was still a couple of bits of knowledge away from really understanding how to experiment with food. But as any young and ambitious man would do, I decided to challenge a tribal elder. "Let's cut it in half. You take a piece and I'll take a piece. We'll serve it side by side tomorrow night at diner!" My uncle agreed.

The challenge was on.

My aunt gave me half and kept the other for my uncle. I proceeded to get a box of kosher salt and dump about 4 or 5 cups into a gallon of boiling water with some dried herbs. I let it cool completely, then submerged the pork for an all-night bath. I had visions of my family biting into succulent pieces of pork loin so tender and juicy that they thought they were biting into a rib eye at a high-end steakhouse.

The next morning, I removed the pork from the brine. I could tell right away there was something horrifically wrong. The salt hadn't created a surface barrier to lock juices in, it had cured the pork. It turned the entire chunk of meat into a salt-riddled mess. I had used about 10 times the amount of salt I needed for a brine. As I learned the hard way, the most important aspect of brining is the ratio of salt and/or sugar to water.

But I was determined. The show would go on!

Near dinner time, I took the pork from the fridge and sliced it into chops. I grilled them and served it along side my uncle's typical award-winning loin. The salt did me in. The final cooked product, which was grilled, was so salty that it was virtually inedible. I hadn't just served a lesser product in the competition.

I served a nightmare on a plate.

My relatives were polite and said things like. "It's different. I'm not sure if the brine really worked."

Hell no it didn't work! Two bites and you'd be dehydrated from the amount of salt in your body! I took my lumps. It was not my day for this round of culinary combat.

I would like to have a rematch sometime. My skills have matured and now I can actually serve up a mean pork loin, but for now my uncle still has the title.

THE COLUMN

In the paper these ran as two separate columns, both of which I was very proud of. The chops ran first and the next week were followed by the pasta salad. Space in print is limited and the meal had to be divided into two columns.

But the web presents a forum where space is unlimited!

For this post, I have created a visual recipe with no space limitations. It is a "poster" of the meal I intended to create. Instead of publishing my blog as individual blog post I redesigned and combined two columns as a "summer barbecue web exclusive." It just another adventure in the renegade world of being a visual food writer.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This piece has roughly 500 words and 19 photographs. I have been very pleased over the last year at how my style of visualizing a single recipe has evolved. Honestly, I'm stunned with how this turned out.The combination of two recipes that appear on a single plate takes the presentation to a new level. It's visualizing a meal – not just one tasty bite. I am going to start to model my column after this. I will keep featuring single recipes, I'm just going to do them in series like this that sometimes feature meals or spreads for a party. It seems to be the next logical step. ALONG with getting a book of my first 50 columns published, of course.

Eat well, cook often ...