Smoked Salmon Penne and Cheese

Photo by Rob Robitaille

Yesterday it snowed.  Not a lot, but enough to require shoveling and snow blowing.  As I trudged up my driveway after work, I made the decision to take care of it while I was already cold from the walk home. Then I would take refuge in my warm house for the rest of the day.  So, after blowing snow in the wind, and having to stop and replace an auger bolt that sheared off when my snow blower found that chunk of 4x4 I forgot to pick up when I could actually see it when there wasn't snow on it the day before, I finished the job and went inside.  I changed into something warm and started thinking about what to have for dinner.  Actually, I usually start thinking about what to make for dinner when I am getting ready each morning, which may explain a lot about me.  But, the cold and the snow definitely guided my choice a bit to something that I always love on a cold day.  Mac and cheese.  Although I rarely use elbow macaroni, we still refer to it as mac and cheese.  But, it seemed more appropriate, since the dish included smoked salmon, to refer to the specific pasta as well.  I used penne.  Why?  Because I have a boat load of it in my pantry, and I already decided I wasn't leaving the house for the rest of the day, so penne was the lucky winner.  I also decided to use Havarti since dill goes so well with both Havarti and smoked salmon.  It turned out fantastic and was just what I needed.  Here is the recipe, as best as I can approximate.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 TB minced shallot
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 3 TB butter
• 4 TB flour
• 4 C warm whole milk
• 2-3 tsp dried dill weed
• fresh ground white pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 - 2 C shredded Havarti, depending on how cheesy you want it
• 1/2 C shredded smoked salmon (or however much you would like)
• salt to taste
• 1 LB prepared penne
• garnish with a bit of dill weed and smoked salmon if you like

In a large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium low heat and add the shallot and garlic.  Cook until the shallot and garlic is soft, but not brown.  Increase the heat to medium and add the flour.  Whisk for a few minutes.  We are looking to cook out the raw flavor of the flour but not add any color to it.  Next, add the milk, dill weed, and pepper.  Increase the heat and keep whisking.  The sauce won't thicken until it starts to simmer.  Keep the sauce at a simmer and keep whisking.  I whisk the sauce for about 20 minutes because it will make a smoother sauce.  If you don't, the sauce will be grainy.  Taste it several times along the way*. 

Now, remove the pan from the heat and start whisking in the Havarti a little at a time paying attention to your whisk to make sure all the cheese is incorporating.  Repeat until all the cheese has been added.  Trade your whisk for a wooden spoon and add the salmon, gently folding until incorporated.  You don't want it to fall apart into small specks.  Now, adjust your salt if needed.  Add the penne by starting with half of it and fold it in.  Add more if there is too much sauce for your taste.  Serve with a garnish of smoked salmon and dill weed.  Enjoy!

*In fact, taste your food often throughout the cooking process.  It will help you understand what is happening to it along the way and give you opportunity to adjust seasonings.  The only seasoning I wouldn't mess with too much until the end is salt, because we are going to add  cheese and smoked salmon, which are unknown variables.  And, since this is basically a liquid, you can add salt at the end.