Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Um, Sorry Martha.



When your morning starts out covered in snow, and your phone starts ringing with your co-workers telling you schools are closed, what do you do? If you're me , you tell them to bring the kids to work and start thinking about dinner. We often discuss this fascinating topic during work, preferably over our lunch of shared leftovers.

I bought the new Martha Stewart Living and glanced through. A recipe for a broccoli and pasta casserole caught my interest. When I got home I read it with serious intention and realized it was a healthy version of a richer dish. With 2 to 3 feet of snow called for this weekend, my body called out for more calories please. So I cooked a pound of fusilli as opposed to 8 ounces, I made a bechamel sauce with 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of flour and 2 cups of skim milk as opposed to the olive oil and 4 cups of skim the recipe called for. And then added the cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup of ricotta but threw in a 1/2 cup of gouda. The recipe asked for a cup of diced onion cooked in the bechamel, I sauteed the onion in a bit of butter and threw in 4 sliced mushrooms.

I seasoned the bechamel with paprika, nutmeg and a hint of cayanne pepper. All was combined into a bowl and then turned out if an 81/2 by 11 inch baking dish, sprinkled with bread crumbs and baked for 25 minutes at 400 degrees.

We ate this with a salad and mucho gusto. God, let it snow this weekend. I've got to work off my richer interpretation of a once healthy dish.

5 comments:

  1. Num. I've been doing some big cooking, too - all ad hoc (unfortunately not from the new Thomas Keller book), and all a little too high carb & cal. Oy, there'd better be some shoveling coming in!!

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  2. We'll work it off Valentine's Day, right?

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  3. After looking around your site... I am suddenly VERY hungry... off to the kitchen I go!

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  4. oh boy...yummmmmm


    this looks right up my alley..big time pasta love here too.....

    wish i was there...and your name is in the bucket for the tea cup draw....

    kary
    xx

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  5. yum, yum! that looks delicious. thanks so much for sharing.

    do have a great day.

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