Sunny's Kitchen (33 page)

4
Serve the potatoes.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and split each down the center with a knife, squeezing the ends to open the center. Flake each a bit with a fork, then fill with an equal amount of dressing and serve.

 

tips!
Make this into a warm German-style potato salad by using 2 pounds of Red Bliss potatoes instead and cooking them the same way, but with fewer pokes before the poach and a shorter poaching time. When you remove them from the oven, instead of splitting them, mash each individually by pressing once with the back of a spoon. Then combine with the dressing in a large bowl, toss, and serve warm.
•
Serve this family style by refrigerating the potatoes after baking; once cooled and firm, cut ½-inch slices and lay them overlapping on a platter. Drizzle the hot dressing over the top.

i
turn into a giddy kid when making, eating, or ordering spaetzle. This is Germany’s answer to dumplings, and they are a mouthful of chewy and pan-crisped starch. When I lived there as a child, spaetzle was my favorite side, but there was never a flavor, it was all about the texture and scooping some up with the gravy on my plate, usually from jaegerschnitzel (see my
BK Jaegerschnitzel
). Now, with my adult palate and the ability to cook spaetzle myself, I play with the flavors and enjoy this combo of lemon zest and fresh thyme. No plate gravy needed.
SERVES 4 TO 6

1
Make the batter.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, thyme, nutmeg, mustard, cayenne pepper, lemon zest, 1½ teaspoons salt, and black pepper. Gradually whisk in the flour to make a thick, tight batter. Add more flour by the spoonful until it has the proper texture. (It should feel stretchy and thick, like it wouldn’t drip through a colander whole, but could be pressed through and remain stringy, not doughy.)

2
Boil the spaetzle.
Fill a double boiler with a colander, or steamer, insert halfway with water and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and place the colander section over the pot. Add a heaping cup of spaetzle batter at a time to the colander, and with a rubber spatula, press the batter through the holes into the boiling water. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the colander between pressings and stir the spaetzle into the water so the next batch of batter doesn’t stick to the one before it. The spaetzle is ready 1 minute after it floats to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon and strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove as much water as possible (shake it!). Continue to work in batches, adding more spaetzle to the sieve and giving a shake each time to remove excess water.

3
Pan-fry the spaetzle.
In a large pan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set on a paper towel–lined plate. Add the butter to the bacon fat in the pan and allow it to melt, then add the boiled spaetzle. Water and oil can produce splatters, so be careful! Allow the spaetzle to build a golden crust, then toss and cook until it’s mostly golden all over, but still tender, 2 to 4 minutes. This may have to be done in batches depending on your pan size. If cooking in batches, use a slotted spoon to transfer the crisped spaetzle to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan for the next batch. When the last batch is done, add all the spaetzle and the bacon back to the pan and toss. Sprinkle with the lemon juice, and taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm.

 

tips!
Try these other flavor combinations for the spaetzle: cumin and cilantro, Hungarian or hot paprika and rosemary, garlic powder and oregano, or black pepper and sage.
•
If you don’t have a double boiler, try poking holes in a disposable aluminum pie pan with chopsticks or a pen. Place it over the top of the pot and use it just as you would a double boiler with a steamer.

i
’m a sucker for pesto. It’s a simple template—something green, some nuts, cheese, and olive oil. I like these loose boundaries in my kitchen because they allow for creativity. If you play with the pesto rules long enough, you’ll come up with something you absolutely love. That is how I came up with these hearty collards blitzed with their Southern counterpart of pecans. I’ve fallen in love with this pesto combo. I also like a pour of heavy cream at the end. I let it cook a bit more to thicken and smooth it out, but the dish is great without it too.
SERVES 4 TO 6

1
Blanch the collards.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the collards until they’re bright green, about 1 minute. Remove, shake off excess water, and transfer to a food processor.

2
Make the pesto.
In a dry skillet, toast the pecans until fragrant. Chop and set aside half. Transfer the other half of the pecans to the food processor with the garlic, the 5 ounces of chunked Parmesan, and all the olives. Pulse to combine and then, with the food processor on, drizzle olive oil in a slow stream until the pesto comes together. Taste and add salt only if needed (the olives and cheese often do the trick). Add a few grinds of black pepper to taste.

3
Start the sauce.
Heat the olive oil in a large straight-sided pan over medium heat. When it begins to swirl, add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are wilted, about 8 minutes.

4
Finish the pasta.
Add the pesto and pasta to the pan and stir to coat. Serve with the reserved chopped pecans as garnish.

 

tip!
This pesto is great smeared on bread for a sandwich or on warm crostini as a side to a bowl of soup, tossed with wings, or stirred into fluffed rice.

t
his is the dish that got me cooking for people and eventually started my catering company. I’d make it at home and then bring the leftovers to work, usually with some greens and brownies. It got me a crew of great friends who would soon ask me to hang out all the time, and they all expected me to bring the food. I like making people happy, so when the request was more than I could handle with my full-time job, I kept saying yes, but I started charging for the groceries, thinking they would ask less often because now it was costing them. That actually had the opposite effect, and I soon found myself with a catering business. This macaroni and cheese was always on the menu.
SERVES 6 TO 8 AS A MAIN DISH (OR UP TO 14 AS A SIDE)

1
Make the croutons.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and toast until light golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate and season with a pinch of salt. Set aside.

2
Prepare the pasta.
Butter the bottom and sides of a 13 × 9-inch casserole dish. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, toss together the Cheddar, Colby, and Jack cheeses. Put the cooked pasta in a large bowl and add two-thirds of the blended cheese. Set aside.

3
Make the custard.
Put the following ingredients in another large bowl, whisking between each addition to combine: flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, mustard, nutmeg, sour cream, egg, onion, heavy cream, and half-and-half. Pour the custard over the pasta and cheese blend. Toss to combine.

4
Bake the casserole.
Pour the macaroni and cheese mixture into the prepared baking dish. Cover with the remaining shredded cheese blend. Bake uncovered until the cheese is almost set and the top is just beginning to brown, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the croutons on top. Return to the oven and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes more.

p
ut down the various colored boxes of mac and cheese. Leave the microwave alone and give this a try. Because, I don’t know about you, but I could eat a box of the store-bought stuff all by myself and still not have the satisfying comfort of real homemade macaroni and cheese. I understand the reason for the box—childhood nostalgia and fast prep. So, I developed my own box-killing recipe. This is the real deal and it’s just as easy.
SERVES 4 TO 6