Sauteed Mushrooms recipe, 1/4" dice and omit salt
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons corn starch
3 cups 2% milk
12 oz block Gruyere cheese, grated, divided
8 oz block smoked Gouda cheese, grated
4 oz block Cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (1/8 tsp if ground)
1 teaspoon of prepared mustard (I love Ingelhoffer stone ground mustard)
1 bunch Swiss chard, center ribs removed
2 lbs elbow macaroni
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Bring 6-8 cups of water to a boil over high heat.
Prepare Sauteed Mushrooms recipe while you wait for the water to boil; transfer from pan to small bowl or prep cup. It's kinda sad, really, that the trade-off for tremendous flavor is shrinking up so... Maybe two batches next go-round? Hmmm.
When the water boils, add the Swiss Chard leaves. Stir gently, then cook for one minute.
Remove from water with tongs and place in strainer to drain. Keep the water boiling and add some salt and about a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the elbow macaroni and cook as directed; drain.
Combine cold milk and cornstarch; set aside. Melt the butter in a large pan. (In retrospect I suggest rinsing and using the macaroni pot since you'll have to stir the pasta into the cheese sauce pretty soon.) Add the onions until they begin to brown. Quickly stir in the garlic, then gradually whisk in the milk/cornstarch mixture. Stirring constantly, let mixture begin to boil.
Continue stirring for about 5 minutes until mixture is nicely thickened. Whisk in the mushroom bits and grated Gruyere, reserving 3/4 cup Gruyere for later. Whisk in the Gouda, then the Cheddar, then the black pepper, red pepper, nutmeg, and mustard.
Add macaroni and stir to coat evenly. As you can guess, it did not happen in this fry pan; everything ended up convening in the pasta pot at this point.
Spread Swiss chard leaves on paper towels and press leaves with more paper towels to remove excess water. Give 'em a fine chop.
Lightly butter a 13x9 casserole dish (I used my seasoned stoneware casserole and had success without buttering), and press half the macaroni mixture into it. Sprinkle the Swiss chard on it.
Add the the other half of mac 'n cheese and top with remaining shredded Gruyere.
Sprinkle with additional grated nutmeg and ground red pepper, if desired. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until cheese lightly browns.
Serve hot.
Enjoy!
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons corn starch
3 cups 2% milk
12 oz block Gruyere cheese, grated, divided
8 oz block smoked Gouda cheese, grated
4 oz block Cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (1/8 tsp if ground)
1 teaspoon of prepared mustard (I love Ingelhoffer stone ground mustard)
1 bunch Swiss chard, center ribs removed
2 lbs elbow macaroni
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Bring 6-8 cups of water to a boil over high heat.
Prepare Sauteed Mushrooms recipe while you wait for the water to boil; transfer from pan to small bowl or prep cup. It's kinda sad, really, that the trade-off for tremendous flavor is shrinking up so... Maybe two batches next go-round? Hmmm.
When the water boils, add the Swiss Chard leaves. Stir gently, then cook for one minute.
Combine cold milk and cornstarch; set aside. Melt the butter in a large pan. (In retrospect I suggest rinsing and using the macaroni pot since you'll have to stir the pasta into the cheese sauce pretty soon.) Add the onions until they begin to brown. Quickly stir in the garlic, then gradually whisk in the milk/cornstarch mixture. Stirring constantly, let mixture begin to boil.
Continue stirring for about 5 minutes until mixture is nicely thickened. Whisk in the mushroom bits and grated Gruyere, reserving 3/4 cup Gruyere for later. Whisk in the Gouda, then the Cheddar, then the black pepper, red pepper, nutmeg, and mustard.
Spread Swiss chard leaves on paper towels and press leaves with more paper towels to remove excess water. Give 'em a fine chop.
Enjoy!