Prime Cuts

If you’re looking for a light, healthy, low-carb, low-fat dish then you’ve arrived at the wrong recipe today. This baked macaroni and cheese with cherry peppers and bacon screams not healthy but is a soul-warming, hearty, cheesy, wonderful delight that will have everyone at your kitchen table begging for more. Never again will you eat boxed macaroni with fake cheese powder!

The great thing about this recipe is that it is fairly easy and straightforward to make, except it does require a bit of prep time. It’s a great dish to make with your spouse or kids so that you can divide up the tasks such as the shredding and chopping.

Baked Mac N Cheese with Cherry Peppers and Bacon Recipe

Ingredients

Mac N Cheese

• 1/4 lb shredded Fontina cheese
• 1/4 lb shredded Asiago cheese
• 1/4 lb shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 lb chopped bacon
• 1 lb Cavatelli pasta – you could substitute elbow macaroni or any spiral pasta that you prefer which will hold up to a heavy cheese sauce
• 1/3 c Hot cherry peppers (or to taste) – seeded and sliced into rings
• 2 c milk
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 4-5 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Breadcrumbs

• 1/2 French bread – chopped into squares
• 4-5 cloves of garlic – finely chopped
• Small handful of finely chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp butter
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Topping

• 1 large tomato sliced thin

Preparation

Mac N Cheese

Bring water to a boil, add pasta and cook for 6-8 minutes until just before reaching al dente. Since the pasta is going to continue cooking once added to the cheese mixture and then will be baked, it shouldn’t be cooked fully at this stage.

In a small pot, add the milk and bring to a simmer but avoid burning.

In a larger pot, preferably a heavy-bottomed pot such as a dutch oven, cook the chopped bacon over medium to medium-high heat until crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside for later. Add the onions to the bacon grease and cook 2-3 minutes until the onions become translucent. Add the butter and stir with a wooden spoon until melted. Whisk in flour for 1-2 minutes and then whisk in warmed milk and let come to a simmer until it begins thickening. Slowly add the cheese and continue stirring with a wooden spoon until it is fully incorporated. Add the pasta, cherry peppers, bacon, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Fold in all of the ingredients and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Spoon the macaroni and cheese mixture into either a large glass baking dish or, even better, gratin dishes.

Breadcrumbs

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and place chopped French bread onto a baking tray for approximately 8-10 minutes or until the bread is crunchy. Remove the bread from the oven and place into a food processor and pulse the processor until finely crumbled. If you don’t have a food processor, you can always finely chop the bread but it is definitely easier with a food processor.

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and add the chopped garlic. Allow the garlic to cook for 1-2 minutes, add the breadcrumbs, parsley, salt and pepper. Incorporate together and cook for another 1-2 minutes then add the Parmesan cheese. Remove from the heat and sprinkle evenly over the macaroni and cheese.

Add 2-3 tomato slices across the top, depending on the size of your baking vessels, and bake in a 350 degree pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and the cheese bubbly.

Remove from the oven and serve either as is or transfer to a serving dish.

Enjoy!

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Are you looking for a fun appetizer that you add to your Super Bowl menu?  Wouldn’t it be great if it was something different than the regular wings, cheeses, dips, salsas and cracker variations that we’re all used to?

Even if it’s not for the Super Bowl, this is a fast appetizer to make as a snack or to bring to dinner parties. We make them all the time and they have been a hit every time we’ve brought them to a party.

Not only will your appetizer be the talk of the party but it is incredibly easy to prep and doesn’t even involve any cooking!

Prosciutto and Grana Padano Cheese Stuffed Hot Cherry Peppers Recipe

Ingredients

• Whole cherry hot peppers – try to get a brand that are a bit firmer and larger of a pepper as it will hold up better when you stuff them
• Prosciutto
• Grana Padano cheese – if you can’t find Grana Padano, you can substitute with Pecorino

Preparation

Total prep time: Approx. 10 minutes – depending on how many cherry peppers you’re preparing

Cut off the top of the cherry peppers just below the stem. Using your fingers or a small knife, cut out the seeds and rinse out the pepper to remove any remaining seeds.

Cut small squares of the Grana Padano or Pecorino cheese just big enough to fit into the pepper once wrapped with the prosciutto. While you don’t want to cut it too big, you do want to cut it big enough so that it will fit snug inside of the pepper.

Take the prosciutto and cut it into strips that will be long and wide enough to wrap around each piece of cheese a couple times around. This doesn’t have to be an exact cut and you can usually use your fingers to tear strips of prosciutto to use.

Take your prosciutto, wrap it around the cheese and then stuff inside of the cherry pepper. Place on a nice tray or plate and you’re ready to enjoy!

See, told you it was simple!

Enjoy!

Note: Usually there would be an enticing picture of the recipe but I accidentally ate them all before snapping a photo…they’re that good!

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Most people will laugh at how simple this recipe is, but this simplicity is what I want to come through here.  Argentine food is best when uncomplicated and to me the most influential recipes have always been those with very few ingredients. When this is the case, quality is of the utmost importance as is the attention to which the chef pays to cooking. For this dish, and for Argentinean cooking in general, the two most important factors are having a well-seasoned cast iron griddle or pan and having a comfortable working relationship with Medium/High heat.

Charred-Aged Provolone with Oregano and Tomatoes (a.k.a “Provoleta”) Recipe

Ingredients

Aged provolone cheese, cut into rounds 1/4″-1/2″ thick (Note: Get the best, most dense provolone you can find from your local Italian deli or market, and have your deli man slice it for you to your desired thickness, as a smooth flat surface is the key here.)
Extra virgin olive oil
Diced tomato
Dry oregano
Sea salt

Special Equipment

Cast-iron griddle or pan

Preparation

• Preheat your oven to 350.
• Get your cast iron skillet evenly heated to Medium/High, or just before the point of smoking.
• Lightly oil your provolone, one side only, and wipe off any excess, you want it well lubricated but not saturated.
• Carefully place your provolone firmly, oiled side down, on your cast iron griddle.
• Let sear for about one minute or until the corners of the cheese start to brown lightly and lift from the griddle.
• With a flexible metal spatula carefully lift the provolone off the griddle, being careful not to disrupt the seared surface, it will require some scraping to get underneath but with a little careful nudging, should not stick to seasoned cast iron, and should be light to medium golden brown, too much searing will result in a darker color and a bitter taste.
• Place the provolone seared side up in an oven safe casserole dish, and bake for about 5-10 minutes, until cheese begins to bubble and is soft in the middle.
• Remove from the oven and drain off any excess oil/grease and top with a pinch of diced tomato, oregano, and a little olive oil, season lightly with a small pinch of sea salt.

Provoleta is best when eaten still warm, with some crusty bread.  It is a very filling appetizer and contrasts nicely with a mixed greens salad dressed with simple vinaigrette.

Again this may seem like a lot of words for such a simple recipe, but the key is in the technique. I can honestly say that all my friends, family, and regular customers who come to Caminito and eat Provoleta, say it is the best cheese appetizer they have had. It is in my opinion certainly more flavorful and interesting than another fried mozzarella stick!

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Photo Credit: Justin Levy

Read enough of the things that I write around Prime Cuts, and you’ll notice something. I have a preternatural obsession with comfort foods. I love their warmth. Their smells. The memories which they evoke. I love a chi-chi fa-fa dinner as much as the next guy, but I’ll take comfy cooking over that stuff any day.

One of the things that conjures up the best feelings for me is my mom’s cheese fondue.

When we were living abroad (when I was but a baby), we spent a short time in Lucerne, Switzerland. While there, my parents frequented a small restaurant that overlooked the lake and which served delicious wines, raclette and incredible cheese fondue. They spent so much time there, in fact, that they befriended the owner, who was kind enough to share his recipe. My mom’s been making it every winter since.

I remember how excited I’d get upon discovering that it was “fondue night”. There’d be a forest of tall, French baguettes and a host of otherworldly cheeses, whose names seemed exotic and adventurous. The house would come alive with laughter and the smells of simmering garlic, warm bread and cheesy goodness. There was something wonderful about everyone gathering around the pot of hot, bubbling cheese and twirling pieces of bread around in it. It was the ultimate conversation starter (early-adoption of social media).

When I was about 19 and was home from college, I wanted to make the fondue for my friends. And thus, the torch was passed. Now, I make it for my family and friends (and, of course, my mom and dad, when they visit) and still revel in the rich, warm goodness of it all.

Today, I’m going to share the recipe with you. It’s not something that you can make often, but on a cold day (which are certainly not in short supply right now), it’s a meal that can’t be beaten. I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as mine does.

Case Family Cheese Fondue

Ingredients

2 cups dry white wine (Chablis is a good choice)
2 large cloves of garlic, smashed
2 pounds Emmenthal Swiss cheese, grated
1 pound Gruyere cheese, grated
1/2 pound Appenzeller cheese (if you can find it), grated
1/2 cup Kirschwasser
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 French baguettes, cut into cubes

Preparation

In your fondue pot, over a medium-high flame, combine the wine and the cloves of garlic. Once the wine has come to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about three minutes. Remove the garlic. Add the cheeses, one handful at a time and stir until it’s melted. In a measuring cup, add the cornstarch to the Kirschwasser and stir to combine. Once all of the cheese is in the pot (and it’ll be very liquidey) and melted, add the Kirschwasser mixture and stir until the cheese has thickened.

Transfer the pot to your fondue flame. Skewer cubes of French bread on fondue forks and dip into the cheese.

Eat & enjoy!

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“Do you know any great appetizer recipes?” I get asked this question all the time, especially around The Holidays. People have guests popping in left and right, and the thought of serving up one more veggie tray, one more jalapeno popper, or one more nut-covered cheese ball is enough to make anyone’s head explode.

Psst! I’ll let you in on a little secret. Lean in a little closer (it’s OK … I won’t bite). You don’t have to dish out that cookie cutter, boring, tired out old stuff. There are worlds of goodness out there to be explored without having to resort to … that.

The Holiday Season is the perfect time to indulge a little. The frostiness in the air lends itself to all things warm, bubbly and gooey. So, why not surprise your guests with something a few steps away from the everyday? Serve them something that’ll have them licking their fingers and begging for more. Give them something that’ll make them salivate with anticipation for your next “do”!

First up: Manchego-Quince Skewers

This is so simple, I find it hard to even call it a “recipe”. That said, this is fast, easy, has remarkable flavors and people will gobble these up so fast that your head will spin. Here’s what you need:

Ingredients

1 pound Manchego cheese
1 pound Quince Paste (you can get this at most upscale/specialty markets**)
1 bunch of Watercress
Toothpicks.

**If you can’t find Quince Paste, a piece of dried apricot will do in a pinch.

Preparation

Cut the Manchego cheese and the Quince Paste into 1” cubes. Skewer one cube of each on a toothpick with one watercress leaf. Serve. That’s IT. The creaminess of the Manchego works beautifully with the tangy sweetness of the Quince Paste and the subtle peppery quality of the watercress. Easy-peasy.

Second: Baked Brie with Caramelized Apples

This one takes a little more time, but you’ll reap loads of accolades and smiles, so it’s worth every second.

Ingredients

1 small wheel of Brie
1 tube refrigerated crescent roll dough (the “leading” brand now makes this in big sheets, so you don’t have to contend with seams and the like)
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup brown sugar (either light or dark is fine)
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I like almonds or pecans, but walnuts would work, too)
A handful of dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
English Water crackers, for serving

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Unroll crescent roll dough onto a cookie sheet. Place the brie right in the center. In a skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and cook til it dissolves and gets all melty and caramelly. Add the diced apples, nuts, cranberries and cinnamon. Cook until the apples are just soft and the cranberries just begin to plump up. Spoon this mixture on top of the brie, then wrap the whole package in the crescent roll dough, making sure to seal the seams well.

Bake for about 13-15 minutes, or until it’s golden brown. Remove from oven, transfer to a platter with the English Water crackers and serve. It’s melty, it’s savory, it’s sweet, it’s GOOD.

Don’t settle for the ordinary when you can have something EXTRA-ordinary.

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Photo by: sean dreilinger

One of my mom’s favorite stories about me is this: one Saturday morning, when I was about three years old, she awoke to strange sounds at about 7 o’clock. She tiptoed downstairs, only to find me sitting, still in my nightgown (hair freakishly tousled), in front of the television, watching Julia Child and eating bleu cheese straight out of its packaging.

This explains a great deal about me, actually.

Ask anyone who knows me, and they’ll tell you that I don’t often do things the way you’re “supposed” to do them. I like to be different. The way I cook and eat is no exception. I love a little adventure. It’s something that’s brought a lot of fun and enjoyment to my life, so, when I had kids, I wanted to expose them to the same types of experiences.

So often I hear people say things like, “You can’t give that to a kid!” My general response is, “Why on Earth not?” Give a kid nothing but bland, cookie-cutter foods, and that’s all he’s ever going to want. If you give a kid nothing but one flavor, don’t be surprised when he complains if you ever try to serve something new for dinner. Is there anything wrong with having plain cheese pizza or chicken nuggets? No. But don’t let that be all they know. To my mind, the more interesting things to which our kids are exposed, the better off they (and you) will be.

One of my favorite ways to get new tastes and flavors in my kids’ diets is by taking a mainstay kid dish and putting a new twist on it. You’d be surprised at how receptive they are to the “new” version. So, instead of mac n’ cheese (not that there’s anything wrong with that), why not make … Cheesy Orzo? Mmmm.

Cheesy, Creamy Orzo

Ingredients

1 pound Orzo
2 tablespoons olive oil (you don’t need extra-virgin for this)
1 shallot, minced
1 clove chopped garlic
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes (well-drained)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt & freshly-ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

In a large saucepan filled with boiling, salted water, cook the Orzo according to the package directions (usually 8 minutes or so). Drain.

While the Orzo is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. Add the chopped shallots and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes. Briefly remove the skillet from the heat, add the tomatoes (tomatoes can REALLY spatter when you add them to a hot, hot pan) and saute for about 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes are nice and tender. Stir in the cream, peas and cooked Orzo. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, until each bit is cheesy, creamy goodness. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

This is a delicious, easy, nutritious meal that’ll expose your kids (and you) to new flavors and textures. Another bonus is that it’s QUICK, which makes it the ideal choice for a school night.

Whip up a batch tonight. I promise your kids will be begging for more (I know mine always do).

When she’s not chatting about creamy goodness on Prime Cuts, Melissa DelGaudio is the principal over at Honeybee Consulting. Visit her there, or catch her over on Twitter, where she’s often very, very cheesy.

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There are times in life where having a nice cut of beef for dinner is great but then there is the time when you have the tri-tip trifecta. What is the tri-tip trifecta you ask? It starts with a glorious cut of beef stuffed with sausage and two types of cheeses. This my friend, is something of glory. By no means is this meal my “last meal” but it comes pretty damn close. It all started one summer evening over drinks, we were talking about how one could make one great meal even better, that’s when I heard about the tri-tip trifecta. My friend Nicolette told us what it was and when we heard about it our mouths watered, we almost went to the market to make it right then.

We first tried with two different tri-tips, one stuffed with mild italian sausage and the other with hot italian sausage; the hot was better. We used sharp, white english cheddar and gouda; both were awesome. The first time we tried it we made an amazing coffee-based rub for it, it was amazing but we thought we could do better. The second time we replicated the trifecta and made a brown sugar and scotch wet rub; this was absolutely ethereal.

The best part about the trifecta if done right is that both meat flavors are balanced well, the cheeses are strong but not overpowering and the rub will be tasted subtly in every bite. This is a meal you should come hungry to, you should skip lunch, maybe even breakfast. The trifecta needs to be paired with something great to drink, I decided to pair it with a nice 18 year old scotch, pair it right and you will not be disappointed. As amazing as the trifecta was, it needed to be balanced with fingerling potatoes and grilled asparagus. This mixture was the right amount of texture, starch, and love. As we gathered around the table to eat there was moment of silence as each person was served, it wasn’t in awe of the trifecta itself but that the complexity and fullness of the meal just made sense. Everyone ate pausing for moments, to understand and take in all of the flavors that was being presented in an almost perfect succession. This meal wasn’t fancy, it wasn’t a Michelin star dish, it was simple cooking perfected by people who really love the journey and the taste of food. By people who love sharing their lives around the table one meal at a time. The tri-tip trifecta brought us to the table but we stayed because of each other. Make it, enjoy it, love your friends and family.

Ingredients

Rub
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp paprika
3 tbsp chili powder
3 tbsp garlic powder
3 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp crushed coriander
pepper and salt to taste
1/2 cup fine scotch (the better the scotch, the better the rub)

Trifecta
3lbs. tri-tip
2lbs. hot italian sausage
1/2lb. sharp white cheddar
1/2lb. gouda
kitchen string

Preparation

Rub
Mix contents until fully mixed, this is all about your personal taste, I started with small quantities until I found something I liked. I like heat and scotch so my recipe definitely reflects that, rework accordingly.

Trifecta
Make two cuts along the side of the tri-tip, almost like you’re going to butterfly it. You’ll have essentially two pockets, this works better as the tri-tip stays together better.
Cut the sheathing off the sausage and remove it. Stuff the sausage into the two pockets.
Cut cheese into small cubes, mix and stuff. (At this point the tri-tip should be about twice it’s original size)
Tie the tri-tip so it holds everything in, you don’t want the cheese melting out onto the grill or your oven.
Apply the rub evenly and allow it to rest for at least an hour before cooking.
Cook at 350 until desired doneness is achieved.

Last night I got an email from Justin saying something to the effect of “Hey bro it’s national grilled cheese month, lets do a post on that”.  Well I knew right away what I would write about for this one.  In fact it’s something that I do everyday in the restaurant, and no, there isn’t any steak in it.  It’s not grilled cheese in the sense of some melted butter between two toasted pieces of bread-type sandwich.   It is, in essence, a deconstructed grilled sandwich, with much nicer cheese and bread as well as a few other subtle flavors.  Now that you’re curious I will tell you the name of the grilled cheese that I’m beginning to wax poetic about – Provoleta.  Unless you have an Argentine background, or a well traveled palate, you may not know what this is.

Provoleta is a favorite appetizer or first course in many Argentinean asados or barbeques, and it literally is grilled cheese…provolone to be specific.  The best provolone is aged in the form of a roped cylinder which is hung to dry for certain lengths of time.  As it dries the flavor intensifies and becomes a bit sharper.  The provolone we use at Caminito is dried almost to the hardness of a young Parmesan.  We use this type of provolone because it’s easier to grill.  The provolone is sliced into ½” thick discs, coated lightly with vegetable oil, and then over a hot and clean fire is grilled for anywhere from 15 seconds to a full minute to achieve a crisp grill marked surface.  The density and hardness of the cheese allow it to be grilled without melting through the grates, and also play a role in the ultimate goal of achieving melted cheese with a crispy surface.

In order to achieve the melted half of the equation, the grill marked cheese is simply placed in a shallow casserole dish, grilled side up, and baked in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes (again depending on the hardness of the cheese) until thoroughly melted, but not dry.  The provoleta is then sprinkled lightly with oregano, diced tomato and then drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.  It’s served while still meltingly soft with ample amounts of crusty dinner rolls (the good kind of crusty of course).  The overall flavor is naturally that of a pungent provolone but it is mellowed comparatively by the intensity of the char from the grill marks and smoothed by the addition of the olive oil.  The tomatoes and oregano play what I call a “friendship role” in the overall flavor as they tend to compliment any Italian cheese nicely.

The way I like to eat my provoleta is to break a dinner roll in half, place inside a nicely charred and seasoned piece of melty provolone and then use the top half of the roll to mop up a little oil and cheese juice from the dish thus completing my personal favorite grilled cheese sandwich!  Now that I told you what my favorite grilled cheese is, what’s yours?  How are you going to celebrate National Grilled Cheese month?

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One of Justin’s favorite salads lately has been any combination of apple, pear, walnut, dried cranberry and blue cheese in a salad.  So, Justin has put together this recipe for you which combines all of these great flavors into a single salad.  There are no specific measurements for this salad as it should be based on what flavors you like more than others.  As always, we hope you enjoy

Apple and Walnut Salad with Blue Cheese Crumbles

Ingredients

Spring Mix
Red Onions, cut into thin rings
Granny Smith Apples, cored and cut into bite-sized chunks
Pears, julienne
Dried Cranberries
Unsalted Walnuts, chopped
Blue Cheese crumbles
Apple Cider Vinegar, drizzle
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Lightly toss salad to ensure all ingredients are thoroughly mixed together with the apple cider vinegar and serve.  If you don’t like apple cider vinegar, you could substitute a cranberry walnut dressing or anything similar to that flavor profile.

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Photo by: Suviko