Thursday, February 13, 2014

Mac n cheese

Final dish to go with your smokey ribs and seasoned up collard greens. Saute half a cup of chopped onions and a quarter cup of chopped green bell peppers in 2 tablespoons of butter.  Add some salt and pepper...creole seasoning for us of course and a minced clove of garlic. Whisk 1/4 cup flour into 2 cups of milk. Slowly add this to your pepper and onions mixture. Stir constantly over medium heat until it thickens. Add 1-2 cups of shredded cheese ( cheddar or smokey gouda are excellent) a little at a time and stir well.Add your cooked elbow pasta (1/2 of a 16 oz box) and mix until all pasta is coated with the creamy cheesy goodness. Pour into a baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs and more cheese on top. Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Words cannot describe...

Collard greens

I used a bag of already washed and cut greens. I sauted a half cup of chopped onion in some olive oil and then added a cup of smoked sausage (We prefer andouille, but you can use any smoked sausage or bacon) sliced into bite size pieces. If you are going meatless, just omit. I added a teaspoon of minced garlic and continue to saute about 2- 3 minutes total. I added a tablespoon of chopped chipotle in adobo. Some folks add a pinch of sugar..I added about 2 tablespoons of dry sherry which gave the greens a nice sweet taste.  Add your greens in batches. As they cook down a bit, add more. Season with salt and of course we added some creole seasoning. Add about 2 cups of water or chicken broth and cover. Simmer for an hour stirring occassionally. These go good with ribs or a pork roast.

Comfort food

Ribs cooked in the crockpot. St. Louis ribs cut up to 2-3 ribs each. Put in crockpot and season with your favorite spices. I used some Tony's creole seasoning and added 2 tablespoons of chopped chipotle in adobo. I added one bottle of dark beer; but you could use water. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. I added BBQ sauce right before serving. The were fall off the bone smokey and oh so good! Not the best picture, but the ribs were good!