How I Do Cooking

Tag: pasta

  • Guinness Short Ribs

    It’s a long-time favourite in our house. Cook it for two on a Friday and you’re halfway to Short Rib Eggs Benedict on Sunday morning.

    SERVES: 4
    PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES
    COOK TIME: 8 HOURS

    Ingredients

    2-3 lbs beef short ribs
    12oz Guinness Extra Stout
    32oz beef stock
    1 onion
    1 cup Worcestershire sauce
    2 or 3 cloves of garlic
    2 or 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
    2 tbsps olive oil
    2 tbsps tomato paste

    Salt & pepper

    Method

    Liberally season the ribs, then brown on all sides in a pan on medium heat. It should take you eight to ten minutes.

    With the ribs set aside, chop the onion, mince the garlic, and saute in the same pan till soft and fragrant.

    Deglaze the pan with Guinness and add with the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker: the onion, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, thyme, and Guinness. Add the short ribs. Cover with beef stock, and season to taste.

    Cook on low for eight hours.

    Remove the ribs to rest. Spoon off the fat, and strain half the cooking liquid into a saucepan. Reduce it over medium heat to create a sauce or use it to make gravy.

    Serve with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus.

    Notes

    If you don’t have a slow cooker, cook covered in a roasting pan at 300°F (150 °C) for 2.5 to 3 hours.

    I use Guinness for this because I can easily find it here, but any decent stout will work. Murphy’s and Beamish, are both fantastic. Forged Irish Stout is rapist’s piss.

  • 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

  • Silli Pasta

    My nieces never visit. They live in Co. Clare, and I live in New York. I’ve invited them many times. They’re six and four years old, and tell me that there isn’t as much money in flipping houses as there used to be: Times are tough, and the price of a flight is hard come by.

    That’s what they say.

    This is for them.

    SERVES: 4 ADULTS OR MANY, MANY YOUTHS
    PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES
    COOK TIME: 45 MINUTES

    Ingredients

    12oz/350g fusilli pasta – or any short pasta
    1/2 cup all-purpose flour
    4 tbsps butter
    2 cups of whole milk
    8oz shredded cheddar cheese – the supermarket stuff
    Salt & pepper

    Method

    Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C.

    Cook the pasta but stop about a minute shy of the box instructions, then drain, and set aside.

    Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is fully melted, sprinkle in flour and whisk, scraping the bottom to prevent burning. Allow it to cook until the butter is fragrant, and it doesn’t smell like flour.

    Slowly add the milk, whisking until there are no lumps left. Simmer for a minute or two. Dip a cold spoon in the mixture; if the mixture coats the back of the spoon, it might be ready. Run your finger across the back of the spoon; if it clears a path, it’s ready.  If the mixture flows back to fill the space, it needs a little minute.

    Once it’s done, knock off the heat and add about three-quarters of the cheese in small batches, whisking to a creamy consistency.

    Add the pasta and mix. Season with salt and pepper, then spoon into an 8×8-inch baking dish. Scatter the leftover cheese across the top and bake for about twenty-five minutes. When the top starts to look crunchy, and the edges are bubbling, it’s ready.

    Well, not really. Leave it on the counter, and play Magna-Tiles with the kids until it’s cooled enough, then serve.

    Notes

    If the butter starts to brown as it melts, the pan is WAY too hot. Turn it down a ways.

    I find I have an easier time of it if I sift the flour before adding it to the butter.

    I use Kraft Triple Cheddar Shredded Cheese straight from the bag for this recipe. Whatever you have in your fridge is fine.

    If you only have a non-stick aluminum pan, that’s fine, but for the love of God, use a wooden spoon instead of a whisk. It’ll be a little lumpy, but absolutely edible.