Chicken Stroganoff

My husband was raised on comfort food dishes like this. 🙂 He loved this version, of course, but it was really my son who could have eaten the entire bowl on his own. Egg noodles are definitely a crowd pleaser!

This recipe was adapted from Cook’s Country. I actually doubled the recipe to make sure that we had plenty of leftovers. (The original proportions are included below.) I reduced the amount of butter and increased the amount of garlic.

Yield: Serves 4

• 12 ounces (6 cups) egg noodles
• 1 1/4 teaspoons table salt, divided, plus salt for cooking noodles
• 4 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon paprika, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine
• 4 to 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried
• 1 1/4 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry (can substitute with extra chicken broth or water with freshly squeezed lemon juice)
• 1/3 cup sour cream, plus more for serving
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, for garnish, optional

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add noodles and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain noodles, return them to pot, and toss with 1 or 2 tablespoon(s) of butter. Cover to keep warm.
2. Combine 2 tablespoons flour, mustard, paprika, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Add chicken and toss to thoroughly coat.
3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. (I used an enameled cast iron pan.)
4. Add chicken and spread into single layer, breaking up any clumps. Cook, without stirring, until browned on bottom, about 4 minutes. Stir and continue to cook until chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to large plate.
5. Melt remaining tablespoon (or 2) of butter in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat.
6. Add mushrooms, onion, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook until any liquid has evaporated and vegetables just begin to brown, 7 to 9 minutes.
7. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, thyme, and remaining 1 tablespoon flour and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
8. Stir in stock and sherry and bring to simmer, scraping up any browned bits.
9. Add chicken and any accumulated juices and cook until warmed through and sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute.
10. Off heat, stir in sour cream until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
11. Transfer noodles to a serving dish or individual shallow bowls and spoon stroganoff over top.
12. To serve, sprinkle with parsley and extra paprika, if desired. Serve with extra sour cream on the side, if desired.

Classic Macaroni & Cheese with Sourdough Bread Crumb Topping

This cheesy pasta lived up to its title as “classic.” The combination of cheeses gave it the perfect velvety texture. We ate it as part of my husband’s birthday feast this year. Everyone loved it!

The recipe was adapted from The New Best Recipe All-New Edition from the Editors of Cook’s Illustrated. The original recipe also notes that the recipe can be halved and baked in an 8-inch square baking dish. Great.

Yield: one 9×13-inch casserole: Serves 6 to 8 as a main course or 10 to 12 as a side dish

For the Bread Crumb Topping:

• 6 slices (about 6 ounces) good-quality white sandwich bread, torn into rough pieces (I used Trader Joe’s Sourdough sandwich bread)
• 3 T cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

For the Casserole:

• 1 pound elbow macaroni (I used Trader Joe’s)
• salt
• 5 T unsalted butter
• 6 T all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 5 cups milk (whole, low-fat, or skim okay)(I used 3 cups whole and 2 cups low-fat)
• 8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)
• 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)

To Prepare the Bread Crumbs:

1. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the bread and butter until the crumbs are no larger than 1/8-inch, about 10 to 15 pulses. Set aside.

To Prepare the Pasta & Cheese:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the broiler.
2. Place a 9×13-inch broiler safe baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet. (I also covered the enameled handles of my baking dish with foil to protect them from the heat of the broiler.)
3. Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Add the pasta and 1 tablespoon of salt and stir to separate the noodles. Cook until the pasta is tender (NOT al dente).
4. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water (for reheating leftovers). Drain in a colander and set aside.
5. In the now-empty Dutch oven, heat the butter over medium-high heat until foaming.
6. Add the flour, mustard, and cayenne; whisk well to combine. Continue whisking until the mixture becomes fragrant and deepens in color, about 1 minute. (I used a flat whisk.)
7. Whisking constantly, gradually add the the milk; bring the mixture to a boil. The mixture must reach a full boil to fully thicken.
8. After the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened to the consistency of heavy cream, about 5 minutes.
9. Remove from the heat and whisk in the grated cheeses and 1 teaspoon of coarse salt. Whisk until the cheeses are completely melted.
10. Add the pasta to the cheese sauce and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is steaming and heated through, about 5 to 6 minutes.
11. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and sprinkle the top evenly with the bread crumbs.
12. Broil until the crumbs are deep golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes, rotating the pan if necessary for even browning. (I set my oven to Broil+Max @500 degrees.) Cool for about 5 minutes before serving.