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| Amy Thielen, Host of Heartland Table |
From our friends at the Food Network...
Amy Thielen and Damaris Phillips Return to Food Network's Daytime Lineup with New Seasons of Heartland Table and Southern at Heart
Food Network’s March menu kicks off with new seasons of Heartland Table. Amy Thielen, chef and connoisseur of all things authentically Midwestern, is back in her charming cabin kitchen cooking some of the Heartland’s most delicious and often surprising dishes on Saturday, March 8th at 10:30amET/PT. From delicious home-cooked meals around her central wood stove and inventive recipes inspired by local ingredients, Amy explores the food, people and traditions of her region.
Amy Thielen, grew up a few miles from the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Minnesota and graduated from Macalester College. She spent seven years cooking professionally in New York under David Bouley, Daniel Boulud, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Shea Gallante. Since returning to Minnesota in 2008, she has written for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Men’s Journal, and Saveur, and won a James Beard Journalism Award in 2011. Her cookbook, The New Midwestern Table, a collection of 200 Heartland recipes, was published by Clarkson Potter in September 2013. Amy lives in the country near Park Rapids, Minn., with her husband and their son.
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| Stovetop Mac and Cheese (see recipe below) |
Heartland Table is produced by Tavola Productions.
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Stovetop Mac and Cheese
Recipe courtesy of Amy Thielen
4 ounces (about 3 to 4 slices) smoky bacon, cut into small dice
Salt, for pasta water
1/2 pound pasta, such as fusilli
2 tablespoons butter
2 ounces American cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)
2 ounces aged cheddar, shredded (about 3/4 cup)
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, optional
Heat a small skillet over medium heat; add the bacon and cook, stirring, until lightly crisp, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and set aside; reserve the bacon fat for another use.
Bring a 2-quart pot of water to a boil. Salt the water generously; it should taste like light seawater. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender to the bite, or al dente. Before draining, use a heavy liquid measuring cup to pull out 3/4 cup of the pasta water; set aside. Drain the pasta and return the pot to the heat.
Heat the butter in the pasta pot, then add the cooked pasta. Stir in 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Add the American cheese and stir until smooth. Add the cheddar, milk, pepper and the cooked bacon and mix well. Dribble in extra pasta water as needed to make a soft, creamy sauce. Garnish with parsley if using. Serve immediately.
Yield: 2 to 3 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Prep Time:
Ease of preparation: easy
Active Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
