Julie Van Rosendaal - Comfort Food

With winter on the way, Julie shares some of her favourite comfort food recipes (soup and mac & cheese).

Michael Smith's Cheddar & Ale Soup

1/2 cup butter (or half butter, half olive or canola oil)
1 large or 2 small onions, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1/4 cup flour
1 bottle dark beer
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy 35% cream (or 18% coffee cream, or half & half)
2 cups grated old cheddar (or aged Gouda!)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
a dash of Worcestershire sauce

In a medium pot, heat the butter over medium-high heat and sauté the 
onions until starting to turn golden. Add the celery and carrot and 
continue to sauté for a few minutes more. Shake the flour overtop and 
stir to coat the veggies. Add the beer, stock and cream and simmer 
until the soup has thickened, about five minutes more. Add the grated 
cheddar, salt and pepper and Worcestershire sauce and stir until 
smooth. Serves 4-6.

Mac & Cheese with Bacon & Chard

1/2 lb. elbow macaroni
6-8 slices bacon, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large bunch Swiss chard, ribs removed and roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. canola or olive oil
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk
3-4 cups grated aged cheddar, Gouda or a combination
salt & pepper

Crumb topping:
2 slices bread, white or anything grainy
2-4 Tbsp. freshly ground Parmesan (or more Prima Donna)
1 Tbsp. canola or olive oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according 
to the package directions. Drain and return to the pot. Set aside.

In a heavy skillet or medium pot, cook the bacon and onions until the 
bacon is crisp and the onions are starting to turn golden. Drain any 
excess fat and add the garlic and chard; saute for a few minutes, 
until the chard wilts. Add the mixture to the pasta.

Return the empty pan to the heat and add the oil and butter. When the 
foam subsides, add the flour and stir, cooking, for a minute. 
Gradually whisk in about a cup of the milk, whisk until smooth and 
then add the remaining milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking often, 
until the mixture comes to a boil; let it boil gently for a minute or 
two, stirring constantly. Stir in the cheese, remove from the heat and 
stir until the cheese melts and the sauce is smooth. Season with salt 
and pepper. Add the cheese sauce to the pasta, bacon and chard and 
stir everything together.

Preheat oven to 350°F. In the bowl of a food processor, blitz the 
bread to crumbs; add the Parmesan and oil and pulse to blend well.

Pour the pasta mixture into an appropriately-sized baking dish (9"x13" 
is about right, or any casserole that will accommodate it), scatter 
the crumbs overtop and bake for 45 minutes, until bubbly around the 
edges and golden on top.

Serves 6.