A very nice tasting gourmet macaroni & cheese entree for a chilly day!
Both smoked pork shoulder and smoked pork neck are popular in the Balkan region of eastern europe. I purchased some very nice Pushen Vrat (smoked pork shoulder) at the eastern european market in Las Vegas. The smoked pork should had nice fat marbling, so it was perfect for topping off a baked macaroni and cheese. At the same eastern european market, I purchased a wedge of imported Madrigal cheese that was cut from a huge wheel. Madrigal cheese comes from the Loire Valley in central France. Madrigal is a firm aged cow's milk cheese that has a nutty, slightly sweet, strong emmentaler (swiss cheese) flavor. The rind is dark and the cheese is a darker straw color toward the rind. The center of the wheel has a pale straw color. Madrigal has large holes like Swiss emmentaler. Madrigal cheese is often called Baby Swiss, but it is actually slightly stronger tasting. Madrigal is France's swiss cheese! Madrigal is popular in Bulgaria, eastern europe and the Balkan region. Parsnips have a flavor that goes well with smoke pork or cheese. Sauteed lightly caramelized parsnips have a complex sweet root vegetable flavor that is even better with smoked pork and cheese! Mushrooms are part of every eastern european cuisine. Fluting a mushroom with a paring knife does take some practice. For many years, I used a paring knife to flute mushrooms in restaurant kitchens, till one day, a French chef who taught culinary arts at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris said "Try this!" He handed me a Swiss Forschner fluting tool. Next thing you know, I was fluting mushrooms faster than lightning! There are average quality kitchen tools and there are high quality professional grade kitchen tools. If you purchase a cheap channeling tool from a low quality department store, then be prepared to do nothing but damage the flesh of mushrooms. Cheap channeling tools are dull and they are impossible to sharpen. The cutting edge on a cheap channeler is set at too steep of an angle. A Swiss Forschner Victorinox channeling tool is made of the best quality steel, it sharpens easily and the cutting edge is set at a precise angle. Mushrooms are easy to flute with a Swiss fluting tool. I rarely recommend specific names of kitchen tools, but every professional chef respects the high quality of Swiss Forschner Victorinox products. Pay a few dollars more and get the best channeling tool. There will be no regrets! That is the lesson of the day!
Macaroni: Boil 1 portion of macaroni pasta in boiling water, till it becomes al dente. Cool the pasta under cold running water. Drain the water off of the macaroni. Place the macaroni in a mixing bowl and set it aside.
French Madrigal Bechamel: The mother sauce for this recipe is basic bechamel. For a small portion of bechamel sauce, it is easier to just add a loose onion and a clove and then strain the sauce before serving. A small piquet of onion and clove does tend to fall apart and the sauce will need to be strained anyway. Bechamel can be any made to any consistency that is required by a recipe. Bechamel can be made so it has a very thin consistency for white wine creme sauces or it can be made thick and heavy for some dessert applications. A bechamel cheese sauce for macaroni should not be made too thick, or the sauce will be like glue after baking! Heat a sauce pot over medium/medium low heat. Add 4 pats of unsalted butter. Add an equal amount of flour, while constantly stirring, to form a roux. Stir till the roux becomes a white color, with very little hazelnut aroma. Add 1 1/3 cups of milk while whisking. Add 1/3 cup of cream. Stir as the sauce heats and thickens to a very thin sauce consistency. Reduce the temperature to low heat. Add 1/2 of a clove. Add 1 tablespoon of coarsely chopped onion. Add sea salt and white pepper. Add 1 small pinch of nutmeg. Gently simmer and reduce the sauce, till it becomes a medium thin sauce consistency. Pour the sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a second sauce pot. Place the sauce pot over low heat. Add 2 1/2 to 3 ounces of grated French Madrigal Cheese. Stir till the cheese melts into the sauce. Keep the sauce warm over very low heat.
Parsnips: Peel and trim a parsnip. Cut the parsnip in half lengthwise. Cut the parsnip into thick demilune (half moon) shaped slices. Only 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of the parsnip slices are needed for this recipe! Heat a saute pan over medium/medium low heat. Add 2 pats of unsalted butter. Add the portion of thick demilune parsnip pieces. Gently saute, till the parsnips become a golden brown color. Season only with sea salt. Place the lightly caramelized parsnips in a container. Drain off any excess butter and set the parsnips aside. Baked Macaroni & Madrigal Cheese with Parsnips, Pushen Vrat: Lightly brush a single portion casserole dish with melted unsalted butter. Add enough of the French Madrigal Bechamel to the reserved macaroni pasta in the mixing bowl to generously coat the pasta with sauce. Add the caramelized parsnips. Stir the ingredients together. Place mac & cheese mixture into the casserole dish. Sprinkle a little bit of plain fine French bread crumbs over the mac & cheese. Arrange 6 slices of Pushen Vrat (smoked pork shoulder) on top of the mac & cheese, so it looks nice. The Pushen Vrat slices should be 3/16" thick and the total portion size should be about 3 1/2 to 4 ounces. Lightly brush the Pushen Vrat slices with melted unsalted butter. Place the casserole dish on a baking pan. Bake in a 325º oven, till the cheese sauce starts to bubble and the bread crumbs become very lightly toasted. The Pushen Vrat should only be warmed and not browned. Allow the casserole to cool to a safe serving temperature. The fluted mushroom can be made while the mac& cheese bakes!
Fluted Mushroom Garnish: A mushroom has to be firm an fresh, or it cannot be fluted! Save the peelings for making stocks. Peel 1 medium size portabella mushroom. Remove the stem. Scrape the gills off with a spoon. Either use a paring knife or a sharp channeling tool to flute the mushroom cap. Heat a saute pan over medium low heat. Add 3 pat of unsalted butter. Add the fluted mushroom cap. Gently saute, till the mushroom becomes tender, and till a few golden brown highlights appear. Season with sea salt and white pepper. Keep the sauteed fluted mushroom garnish warm on a stove top. Baked Macaroni & Madrigal Cheese with Parsnips, Pushen Vrat and Portabella: Place the fluted mushroom garnish on the center of the baked macaroni and cheese. Sprinkle a little bit of minced Italian parsley over the mac & cheese. Place the casserole dish on a doily lined serving plate.
The flavor of this gourmet eastern european style Baked Macaroni & Madrigal Cheese with Parsnips, Pushen Vrat and Portabella is tasty, comfortable and rich! This is a nice looking mac & cheese too. Yum! ... Shawna
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