Cooking on the Quad: Comfort Food

On this episode of Cooking on the Quad, Joel and Annie tackle the frigid weather by making Matzah Ball Soup and Mac ‘n’ Cheese.

Matzah Ball Soup:

To save time, Joel uses low sodium, pre-made chicken broth. If you have the time and a whole chicken, you can certainly make the broth from scratch.

Place two quarts of low sodium chicken broth in a large soup pot, along with three celery stalks, three carrot sticks, and three small sweet potatoes, all cut into large chunks. Add herbs — Joel uses Italian herb mix and bay leaves, but fresh thyme would also be a welcomed addition. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Allow to cook for at least one hour.

For the Matzah balls, Joel also uses packaged mix. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for one batch of Matzah balls. Form the balls to be about the size of a ping-pong ball, because they will expand in the soup. Drop the balls into the simmering soup and allow to cook for at least 20 minutes, but they could cook all day.

Before serving, taste the soup and add salt and pepper accordingly. Also remember to fish out the bay leaves. Enjoy!

For the Mac ‘n’ Cheese:

Cook one box (16 oz.) of a short, textured noodle (Macaroni, Campanelle, Ziti) according to the manufacturer’s instructions — cook for about a minute less than suggested so the noodles remain firm.

Meanwhile, melt four tbs. butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Once the butter has melted, add four tbs. flour, stirring constantly over the heat. Add about one cup milk, but only as much as needed to give the sauce a creamy consistency.  Add 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, and 1/2 tsp. paprika. Whisk, adding more milk if necessary. Stir in eight oz. shredded cheeses (Annie uses four oz. cheddar and four oz. pepper jack). Stir until the cheese had melted.

Drain the pasta, but do not rinse it. Place the pasta back into the pot and immediately add the cheese sauce. Spoon the pasta into a baking dish. In a separate bowl, mix three tbs. melted butter with one cup breadcrumbs (Annie uses 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs). Spread the breadcrumb mixture over the pasta, and place under your broiler for about one minute, rotating the pan if it does not brown evenly. Watch the pasta inside the broiler to make sure it does not burn. Bon Appetit!

Camera – Gabe Stein

Editor – Joel Kahn

Music – Persson (via Creative Commons)