Cook Like a Rock Star - Anne Burrell [47]
2 Use tongs to remove the lobsters from the pot and set them aside (save the cooking water!). When the lobsters are cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the shells and add the shells back to the lobster pot; simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the shells and veggies from the cooking liquid. Voilà—you’ve made lobster stock! If you’re using this right away, keep it hot. If not, freeze it.
3 Cut the lobster meat into bite-size pieces and reserve.
FOR THE FARROTTO
1 Coat a large wide pot generously with olive oil, add the onion, and season with salt. Bring the pan to medium-high heat and cook the onion until soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes.
2 Add the farro and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the wine; it should cover the surface of the farro. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the wine is totally absorbed, 5 to 7 minutes.
3 Add enough hot lobster stock to the pan to cover the surface of the farro; stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Cook, stirring frequently, until the lobster stock is absorbed, repeat this process two more times, then add the peas.
4 After the last addition of stock has been absorbed, taste the farro. If it’s firm or dry, add a little more stock and cook a little longer.
5 When the farro is tender, add the lobster meat, mint, oregano, butter, and Parm and stir vigorously. REALLY WHIP IT! This will set the perfect texture of the farro. Taste to make sure it’s delicious and serve.
Farrotto—it’s FAR out!
Killer Mac & Cheese with Bacon
SERVES: 6 TO 8 • TIME: ABOUT 50 MINUTES
Everyone thinks of mac and cheese as comfort food, but there’s a lot of bad mac and cheese out there, and frankly, that food makes me UNcomfortable! Great mac and cheese should be creamy and tangy and luscious—it should get me excited with every bite. I promise that this recipe is what mac and cheese should be. And it’s got bacon! What could be better?
MISE EN PLACE
Extra virgin olive oil
6 slices bacon, cut crosswise into ½-inch strips
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
Kosher salt
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 quart whole milk, plus more as needed
1 pound shells or other short pasta
2 cups freshly grated Cheddar cheese
2 cups freshly grated Fontina cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano
¼ cup Dijon mustard
Tabasco or other hot sauce, to taste
1 Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a large saucepan, add the bacon, and bring the pan to medium heat; stir the bacon occasionally. When it’s brown and crispy, 6 to 8 minutes, remove it from the pan, drain on paper towels, and reserve that deliciousness. Do not discard the bacon fat!
2 Add the butter and onion to the pan with the fat, season with salt, and cook until the onion is soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes or until the mixture looks like wet sand. Slowly whisk in the milk, season with salt, bring to a boil (BTB), and reduce to a simmer (RTS); cook over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes more or until the mixture is slightly thicker than heavy cream.
3 In the meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute less than the instructions on the package suggest. Taste it: It should be toothsome with just a little nugget of hard pasta still in the center—this is al dente. Drain the pasta and reserve.
4 Add the Cheddar, Fontina, and Parmigiano to the milk mixture and whisk to combine. Add the mustard and a few shakes of Tabasco; taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, adding a little more milk if the mixture seems too thick. Stir in the cooked bacon and pasta. The mixture should be very creamy and flavorful. Serve immediately