Frugal Friday: Bacon Mac & Cheese Casserole

The Friday fridge & pantry options seemed even more limited than usual, and my first inclination was that I either needed a quick early stop at Whole Foods or to call for pizza. But then I remembered the great bacon I sampled from a small Vermont producer, still waiting in the fridge. I took a peek and saw half a block of cheddar nearby...and we were ready to go!

Bacon & cheddar are frequent partners in omelettes, but we don't have eggs in our house due to food allergies. So I opted instead to use the bacon/cheddar combo as the foundation for a casserole, which would also allow for using up the bit of veggies we still had around. (frequent readers of this Frugal Friday feature will note pasta is often featured here--but I have whipped up some non-pasta Friday dishes lately, like spinach & mushroom quesadillas, that I didn't write up.)

This casserole came out quite well, though I think with some tweaking it could be improved. All the great chefs always talk about quality ingredients being the foundation of good cooking, and so I give a nod to the VT farm that produced the bacon that gave this dish its savory & smoky quality. I'll write this up the way I did it (more or less), then speculate on some tweaks that might improve it. I prepared this with my 4 year-old sous chef, who prepared his own little casserole--dairy (b/c of allergies) & spinach (b/c he's 4) free.

4 slices bacon (about 4 ozs total)

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

2 cups baby spinach

1 cup peas, thawed if frozen

1/4 cup white wine

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp herbes de provence

10 ozs elbow macaroni or other short pasta

3 tbsp or so breadcrumbs, enough to coat (we make our own, a fun project for little sous chefs!)

3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Begin boiling water for the macaroni. Heat a large skillet on medium. Cook the bacon until it's good & crispy, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from pan, place on a paper towel to cool. Pour the bulk of the bacon grease into a receptacle for disposal, but don't worry about getting it all up...a bit of that remaining is nice for sauteeing your veggies for more of that bacon flavor!

Put the skillet back on medium heat, add a tbsp of the olive oil, then the onion. Let them begin to soften, then add the garlic & red pepper. Cook for a minute or two more, then stir in the wine, herbes de provence and pepper to taste. Cook veggies for about 5 minutes, and start cooking the macaroni al dente (don't want to overcook macaroni for a casserole as it will cook more in the oven). While the veggies cook, break the bacon into bite sized pieces and try to refrain from eating it all up as you do this!

After 5 minutes of the veggies cooking in the wine, add the peas and spinach. When the spinach beings to wilt remove pan from heat. Drain the macaroni if you haven't already, and combine it with the veggies. Stir in the bacon, 1/2 cup of the cheese, milk and the other tbsp of olive oil. Scoop the macaroni and other good stuff into a large casserole dish. Spread the remaining cheese on the top, the spread the breadcrumbs on top. Use a cooking spray (I like canola or olive oil) to lightly coat the top, this helps with the browning.

Bake covered for 15 minutes, then remove cover and bake for 5 more minutes. If you want to brown it a little more, switch to broiling for a couple minutes but watch it closely to avoid burning. Remove from oven & enjoy!

As I said, this was quite good but a few tweaks could improve it. I think a gruyere or smoked cheddar perhaps might enhance the smoky quality of the bacon. And perhaps sage might be the optimal herb to use here? Open to ideas!

We have a small casserole dish which was perfect for B. to use to make his own casserole--to address both the allergy and green veggie concerns! Casserole making affords a number of good hands-on opportunities for kids to help with and getting to make up their own version is fun.

Wine pairing: I sampled this first with a bit of chardonnay, then wanted to try red. In the frugal spirit, that was our "house wine" of late, the 2007 Espiritu de Argentina Malbec. It was OK, but I think the optimal match for this would be a smoky Syrah.

Food Quest Follow-up

Blogging about why I haven't been blogging has a Seinfeldesque quality to it, but here goes. I'm in one of those stretches where work (our biggest annual fundraiser, the Social Capitalist Luncheon is coming up on April 7) and other things leave limited bandwith for writing here. But fear not, we're still eating well and enjoying some good wines, as you can see through my Tweets (140 characters are easier to compose than paragraphs especially when busy!). I do have rough notes for about 1/2 dozen articles, some of which I do hope will see the light of day at some point.

I did want to give a quick follow-up report on my "February Food Quest"where I discussed my efforts to do my weekly shopping at Whole Foods without spending my "whole paycheck". Well, all was going along swimmingly the first 3 weeks, and I was a bit under budget going into the final weekend. Ah, but then we were hosting an Open That Bottle Night gathering...I didn't feel like I was going over the top at the store, but on the other hand it seemed silly to scrimp for a meal to accompany some great wines. So some steak, extra cheese, this and that, and the bill was quickly overbudget for the week, throwing me a bit off goal for the month.

But so far in March I've been making amends, and am well under my food budget for the month (and even OK when factoring in certain, ahem, cost overruns in the wine department). The February quest though pointed out the importance on keeping an eye on the budget consistently throughout the month and not letting up, so I won't get too excited about the March numbers yet. Will be back after month's end with an update on that!

Meanwhile, will continue enjoying good meals here, though you might not hear much about them in this space for a few weeks!

Wine Monday @ L'Espalier a "Staycation" Highlight

For only the second time since B arrived 4.5 years ago, Jodi & I had planned for an overnight getaway for the two of us. We initially planned to head to a a spot in Lenox, but the 2+ hour drive into the Berkshires seemed like not such a great idea in light of snow that was forecast. We started looking at options closer to home; and of course a nice dinner option figured into our decision making. So when I read about L'Espalier's Wine Monday, that pretty much sealed the deal. We'd stay very close to home, Downtown Boston, and head to L'Espalier for dinner. I'll focus here on the dinner and may take up elsewhere the benefits of staying close to home for a one-night trip.Photo courtesy of L'Espalier.

We hadn't been to L'Espalier before, daunted by their reputation for high prices. But this Wine Monday, and some of their other programs (such as a very good lunch deal), certainly represent great values. Wine Monday features a four course meal, each paired with a glass of wine around a certain theme. In a nod to President's Day, they were featuring wines from Washington state during our visit. I was enthused about this opportunity to try more Washington wines, as I've read good things about it, but haven't found too much beyond Chateau St. Michelle in local shops.

Our visit to L'Espalier started as we ascended in the elevator past glass walls displaying their impressive collection. From the outset, the restaurant sends a message they are serious about their wine! Reaching our destination, we were whisked into a small private dining area, cozily decorated as a personal library, books lining three of the walls (the ones not devoted to wine). We settled into our table and eagerly anticipated the first course. We were a bit early, so I ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc from Burgundy, something I hadn't come across before. It showed nice minerality that you'd expect from the more typical Chardonnay from the region, but had the lighter body of Sauv Blanc, making it a nice first glass. As we were finishing our first glass, servers began whisking in the first course and wine to match. Here's a recap of our tasting adventure:

First Pairing: The dinner started with a '07 DeLille Cellars "Doyenne" Roussanne from Columbia Valley, paired with salt cod brandade with confit salmon & arugula salad. The Roussanne grape is typically associated with white Rhones. Our host explained that unlike France, most Washington vineyards rely on irrigation, allowing this Roussanne to get riper, showing more fruit. This medium bodied wine was tasty sipping alone, and a great match for the fish--the cod was in a fish cake form; the richness balanced nicely by the zesty salad and salmon confit.

Second Pairing: A good deal of thought went into the pairing of the '07 Waterbrook "Melange"with the lemon sole with fennel and white chocolate veloute. I'm going to let our host for the night, L'Esapalier's Erich Schliebe,in his own words his strategy for this pairing, as it was quite a nice match:

"With the white chocolate, I was looking for a wine that had some sweetness and richness to it, but was also aromatically interesting. Thus the Waterbrook Melangé. Chocolate is tricky because it can be both sweet and bitter, and can make wine taste sour or dull. We used the white chocolate like butter, and had fennel and other herbal flavors play off the sweetness of the velouté, so I wanted a wine that could mimic that interplay."

Third Pairing The'05 DeLille Cellar "Doyenne" Syrah was paired with braised short ribs served with pommes puree and roasted brussel sprouts. Mmm, this dish might not have matched the previous one for creativity, but the hearty goodness was wonderful. Slow cooked ribs and pureed potatoes being good isn't too surprising I suppose, but I especially liked the way the brussel sprouts went with the other food and wine. Will have to try this. The Yakima Valley Syrah tasted of cherry fruit, nice pepperiness and showed good structure. Stood up well to the rich dish.

Fourth Pairing Cadence "Coda" Meritage from Red Mountain was the choice for the cheese course. This Bordeaux style blend had a dense muskiness to it, and paired well with the selection of Boucheron, Comte and Form d'Armbert cheeses. I'd take a savory final course like this over sweet again any day (especially with such a good wine!).

While of course each course was a bit smaller than a regular entree would be, the portions were certainly generous enough such that after the cheese course, there wasn't much room for anything sweet. Wine Monday was certainly a wonderful centerpiece for our little get-away, and we'll certainly be back for another rendition of this fun event!

Open That Bottle Night (OTBN) Dinner Round-Up

Well, the money has been spent, the dishes done and the much anticipated big day has passed for another year. Christmas? No, Open that Bottle Night (OTBN) of course. Dreamed up by Wall Street Journal Writers Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, the premise is that anyone with any interest in wine has at least one bottle that has long been languishing for that "special occasion" that never seems to arrive. Well, OTBN gives you permission to open it!

We did perhaps veer a bit from the original intent this year. One bottle was saved specifically for OTBN for some ten months, and I believe 2 were purchased recently for this night. While these didn't qualify as having been "languishing" they are true to the idea that we ought to enjoy a special bottle from time to time.

Special wine of course calls for good food. My friend John teamed up with me on the cooking, and between us we made quite a nice meal for 4 to accompany the wines. Here's a round-up of what we tried in both the wine & food departments for our OTBN.

2008 Coteaux du Languedoc Picpoul de Pinet This was my first sampling of the the grape Picpoul Blanc. This medium bodied white had a touch of citrus, was fitting for appetizers. Tasted a a bit like Sauvignon Blanc. This bottle was actually the closest to the original theme, as I had it lying around for awhile, not knowing much about it and thus what to have it with. Served with homemade guacamole and cheese/crackers.

2007 Les 3 Lunes Jean Louis Tribouley Cotes du Roussillon Villages Tribouley has definitely earned a spot near the top of my list of favorite producers, and this big wine with plenty of fruit and earthiness didn't disappoint. Blend of Syrah, Carignan, and Grenache. Served with pan fried sausages and an assortment of mustards.

2000 Palazzo Altesi Vendemmia This Tuscan red from Montalcino (the town of Brunello fame) was recommended to serve with the gnocchi John made (more on that to come). You can't go too wrong pairing wine and food from the same region, and this certainly proved to be a good match. John has brought gnocchi over a number of times, and it's always been good. But thanks to practice and tips from Barbara Lynch, he's really perfected the art of making them so they have a lightness to them, but still enough substance to stand up to the hearty Bolognese they were tossed with.

2005 Vieux Telegraphe La Crau Chataeuneuf du Pape I read about Vieux Telegraphe in Kermit Lynch's Adventures on the Wine Route, and splurged for a bottle some time last spring. Despite the warning that it would be best in "5-10 years", I wasn't confident it would keep well that long in our cellar and planned on it for OTBN 2010. Despite a few hours in the decanter, it was still a bit tight and somewhat of a disappointment. I haven't had enough experience tasting wines intended for longer term aging to judge, but I imagine this will improve with time as suggested. However, I do wonder based on my tasting of it if there is enough potential for it to compare with some of the Chat Du Papes I've enjoyed the most, such as the 2003 Chateau La Nerthe. Served with Porterhouse Steak topped with a Garlic Shallot Wine Sauce and a side of roasted fennel & green beans.

My previous post here reported on a four course pairing meal at L'Espalier, which was quite wonderful. Now, I don't know if our home cooked pairing meal can quite compare with a top restaurant like L'Espalier, but we did pretty well for a couple of (serious) amateurs I must say! Looking forward to OTBN 2011!