Classic Comfort

George Hirsch October 2, 2025

Autumn is here, a time of cooler days and crisp nights. Short days with less daylight are a primer for comfort foods. So, for those seeking comfort, Mac & Cheese might be the most popular comfort food on tonight's menu.

Macaroni and cheese is simple to make, and the secret is to use a mixture of good cheeses.

George’s Classic Jack Mac

Makes 6 servings

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2 Tablespoons Butter

1 onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1 teaspoon hot sauce

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

2 cups half & half

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup Jack cheese, shredded

2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1 1/2 pounds uncooked elbow, shells, or other small pasta

Melt Butter in a large soup pot or saucepan. Add onion and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly add the broth and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat, add the bay leaves, thyme, and hot sauce, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the half & half and heat to a simmer. Slowly add the Cheddar, Jack, and Parmesan cheeses, stirring until they melt and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the cooked pasta. Place in a serving dish and eat immediately, or sprinkle with Mac Topping (optional), and bake for five minutes in a 350-degree oven. See More Below

***Perfect Combo, Mac + Oven Fried Chicken***

For the Mac Topping

4 Tablespoons butter, melted

6 Tablespoons bread crumbs

2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

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Jack-n-Mac or Mac and Cheese ?

George Hirsch April 12, 2022

A pasta dish with so many names, its easily prepared either on your stove-top, and baked in the oven or grill. A perfect one-pot dish for almost any occasion, served straight from the sauce pan or guilded with a crusty topping. My spin on the classic is dressed up a bit for grown-up flavor and is just as welcomed for an elegant dinner or a casual backyard BBQ. Cheddar is the common cheese of choice, but I like using a mixture of cheddar and jack. Sometimes even a bit of Gruyere as well, to put a bit of bite in my baked mac; using a fifty-fifty cheese ratio. Feel free to use chef's poetic license and use more or less Cheddar if you like.

JACK-n-MAC SERVING SUGGESTION: Serve with my BBQ Sliders & Grilled BBQ Shrimp

George’s Cheddar Jack-n-Mac

Makes 6 servings

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2 Tablespoons Butter

1 onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1 teaspoon hot sauce

pinch fresh grated nutmeg

2 cups half & half

1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup Jack cheese, shredded

2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

2 Tablespoons fresh italian parsley, chopped

1 1/2 pounds uncooked elbow, shells, or other small pasta

Melt Butter in a large soup pot or saucepan. Add onion, and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the flour and mix with a whisk. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly add the broth, stirring with whisk and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, add the bay leaves, thyme, diced green chilies, hot sauce, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the half & half and heat to a simmer. Slowly add the Cheddar, Jack, and Parmesan cheeses, stirring until they melt and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the cooked pasta. Place in a serving dish and eat immediately or sprinkle with Mac Topping, and bake five minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Optional Additions:

1 cup each Chorizo or smoked sausage, chopped plum tomatoes, smoked ham, pancetta, pulled chicken or grilled shrimp to make your own home-spin.

For the Mac Topping

4 Tablespoons butter, melted

6 Tablespoons bread crumbs

2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

1 Tablespoon each fresh cilantro & parsley, chopped

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

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Low and Slow Beef Short Ribs

George Hirsch February 9, 2018

This is a warming, one-pot-dish which is so full of flavor. The key to this fall off the bone, melt in your mouth beef dish is a slow, and low braise. The delicious aroma it creates in the kitchen is an added bonus. Enjoy.

Low and Slow Beef Short Ribs

Makes four servings

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4 pounds Beef short ribs, bone-in

1/4 cup flour, for coating beef short ribs

1 teaspoon each dried thyme and oregano

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, sliced thin

1/4 sweet white onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup fennel, chopped

1 leek, whites-only cut into one-inch pieces

2 Tablespoons crushed red tomatoes

2 cups full-body red wine

1 1/2 cups beef broth

2 bay leaves

fresh ground pepper to taste

- Coat beef ribs with thyme, oregano, rosemary, sea salt, and flour, shaking off any excess.

- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

- Preheat a heavy gauge oven-proof braising or cast iron skillet on the stovetop to medium-high temperature.

- Add olive oil and sear beef short ribs until well browned, turning only once on each side. Drain any excess oil.

Lower temperature of pot, add garlic, onion, leeks, carrots, and fennel. Cook at medium heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

- Add tomatoes and cook two minutes, then add red wine, simmer, reduce down by half. Add beef broth and bring the temperature up to a simmer, add short ribs back into the pot. Bring the sauce up to a boil, cover, and place pot in the oven. Cook for 3 hours covered, then uncover for one additional hour, or until meat begins to fall away from the bone.

- When short ribs are fully cooked, allow the meat to cool and "rest" for 30 minutes inside the sauce. Remove meat from the pot. Skim any fat or grease from the top of sauce. Raise the temperature of the sauce to a low boil, reduce the sauce to naturally thicken.

- Serve with creamy mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables.

Tip:

Cooking short ribs low and slow at 250 degrees F keeps the flavorful juices inside the meat. If really pressed for time cook at 350 degrees, but there will be some loss of flavor as the natural juices boils out of the meat.

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