Can you believe it? July 4th already!
Yankee Doodle went to town
Riding on a pony;
He stuck a feather in his hat,
And called it macaroni – make that with dill please!
Nothing like a good batch of Mac & Cheese for a picnic or family get-together. Did you know it is listed as America’s top 10 favorite foods and even thought to be invented by Thomas Jefferson according to Wikipedia? So, with dill popping in many gardens, why not add some to the party for a little extra pizazz!
Dilly Mac and Cheese
Ingredients:
1 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
One 10 ounce bag fresh bagged spinach, roughly chopped
generous pinch of salt
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups grated Havarti cheese
1 tablespoon fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
One 8 ounce package feta cheese, crumbled
1 – 12 ounce jar black olives, chopped
2 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Directions:
1. Preheat oven broiler to low. In a large pot, cook the macaroni pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Swirl in 1 tablespoon olive oil and add onions. Saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute for an additional 2 – 3 minutes. Add spinach and salt. Continue to saute until spinach is wilted. Remove spinach mixture from pan and set aside.
3. Wipe the skillet dry and return to the stove over medium heat. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to skillet. When the oil is hot, whisk in the flour. Continue to whisk while adding a generous pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg. Whisk over medium heat until flour smells nutty and is a light golden color. Whisk in milk and bring mixture to a boil while stirring frequently. This mixture will thicken. Simmer for about 5 minutes then remove from burner and stir in the Havarti cheese and dill until the cheese is melted. Add feta and whisk, feta will get melty, but will stay in chunks.
3. Spoon in the sauteed spinach mixture, chopped olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. In a casserole dish, combine all of the ingredients with the macaroni. Mix well and top with bread crumbs. Brown under broiler for about 5 minutes before serving.
Oh Yummy! Enjoy your feast!