Baked Ham, Ina's Macaroni & Cheese and Peas

I always like to cook a homemade comfort food for The Nudge before he travels. He gets taken to restaurants all week and can eat anything he can't get often at home (like a steak or hamburger), so I cook him what he can't get in a restaurant.

The Shop-Rite had Truffle Butter 50% off and I wanted to try Ina's Mac & Cheese with truffle butter. What goes better with Mac & Cheese than Baked Ham?


I made one last month......get the recipe HERE.


I am using her recipe as a base and making a few minor changes because of items I have in my pantry.
It came out of the oven bubbling and gurgling, YUM.





Ina's Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* Good olive oil
* 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced 1/2-inch (I used dried & soaked shiitakes)
* 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced 1/2-inch (I used dried porcinis)
* 3 tablespoons cream sherry
* Kosher salt
* 1 pound whole wheat or corn/quinoa pasta
* 3 ounces white truffle butter (recommended: D'Artagnan)
* 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
* Soy milk and mushroom soaking liquid to equal 4 cups
* 12 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (4 cups)(I also used 1/4 cup Romano cheese)
* 8 ounces extra-sharp Vermont White Cheddar, grated (2 1/2 to 3 cups)
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 2 garlic cloves, chopped
* 3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
* 1 1/2 cups fresh WW bread crumbs or Corn Flakes, processed

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan, add the mushrooms, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until they are tender. Add the sherry and continue to saute for a few more minutes, until the sherry is absorbed. Set aside.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add the pasta and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until al dente. Drain well.
4. Meanwhile, melt the truffle butter in a large (4-quart) saucepan and whisk in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Slowly whisk in the hot soy milk and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the white sauce is thickened and creamy. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, the pepper, and nutmeg.
5. Combine the pasta, sauce, and mushrooms in a large bowl and pour them into a 10 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish.
6. Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until they're minced. Add the bread crumbs and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the crumbs over the pasta and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown. Serve hot.