How I Do Cooking

Tag: food

  • Lobster Mac and Cheese

    I didn’t grow up eating Mac and Cheese, so it’s not comfort food for me. The wife did, and she loves it, and what she loves is the revolting instant stuff.

    This is my riff on a version I tried at a local restaurant, and it’s Michigander-approved.

    SERVES: 6
    PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES
    COOK TIME:35 MINUTES

    Ingredients

    16oz/454g elbow pasta
    1-2lbs cooked lobster meat
    1/2 cup all-purpose flour
    5 tbsps butter (a stick)
    2 cups of whole milk
    8oz Gruyere cheese (2 cups)
    8oz Cheddar (2 cups)
    Salt & pepper

    Method

    Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C.

    Cook the pasta.

    Melt the butter in a skillet, and whisk in the flour till there are no lumps left. Still whisking, add the milk and cook for about 2 minutes, until it starts to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in the Gruyère and Cheddar until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper.

    Add the pasta to a 9×13″ baking dish. Scatter the lobster meat in, and pour the sauce on top.

    You can go ahead and scatter half a cup of Parmesan over the top if you like, or breadcrumbs. That’s not my style.

    That can go in the oven for twenty-five to thirty minutes.

    Notes

  • Any Fish Pie

    A pie made with fish.

    Ingredients

    About a pound of potatoes
    About a pound of whatever fish you have on hand
    1 leek
    1 tbsp flour
    1 medium onion
    1 cup of full-fat milk – and none of that UHT shite either
    4 tbsp butter
    Salt & pepper

    Method

    Cut the potatoes into same-sized chunks, and boil in salted water until forkable. Drain, and mash with a splash of milk and two tablespoons of butter.

    Thinly slice the leek, and dice the onion.

    Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.

    Cut any uncooked fish into bite-sized pieces, and poach in milk.

    How?

    Chuck in a pan, cover with milk, heat to an almost-boil, reduce the heat, and leave it simmer for about five minutes. Take care not to overcook.

    Strain the fish and reserve the milk.

    In the same pan, melt two tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the onion and leek to soften, then sprinkle in the flour bit by bit, stirring with a wooden spoon as you go. Add the reserved milk in, and stir until it starts to thicken. Take off the heat and mix in the fish.

    Spread the mixture in your preferred oven dish and top with potatoes.

    That’ll do in the oven in about twenty-five minutes.

    Notes

    Let’s talk about fish for a mo’. I did really mean ANY fish you have to hand: cod, pollack, haddock, salmon, tillapia, orange roughy, swordfish….

    Shrimp? Let’s have some of those. Cockles, mussels, scallops…

    For me, smoked haddock is a taste of home. Herself is not a fan, but she’ll go along with it because she loves me. For this, I use Acme Smoked Fish Smoked Whitefish because I don’t have to wait for the postman to deliver it. It can be bought at the local supermarket, ‘proper’ smoked haddock cannot.

    If you’re adding a pre-cooked fish to the mix, add it after you’ve cooked your fresh ingredients, lest they be rendered thrice.