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Fettuccine alfredo, one of the author’s favorite dishes. It’s made up of just three ingredients: cheese,butter and pasta. (Credit: John Ross)

We experience cheese, one of the world’s first convenience foods, in many ways: on an appetizer cheese board, in a salad, in a sandwich or on a burger. But especially in the summer, cheese makes a delicious and comforting entrée. 
We are also very fortunate to have some excellent cheese produced here on the North Fork and some excellent retail stores that feature artisanal cheese from around the world.

Our go-to cheese entrée is always macaroni and cheese, perhaps the world’s best comfort food, but here are some other cheese dishes to enjoy this summer:

Eggplant Rollatine  (using local sheep and goat cheese)

Purchase 2 packages of Catapano chèvre along with 1 package each of Peconic Bel and Sundancer cheese. Buy 2 large local eggplants and 4 fresh beefsteak tomatoes.

Peel the eggplants and slice them lengthwise into quarter-inch-thick slices. Place the slices on a rack inside a sheet pan and sprinkle 1 tablespoon kosher salt over them. Turn them over after 20 minutes and sprinkle another tablespoon of salt over them. Let sit for 20 minutes and rinse under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. (This process is called purging and it removes the bitter taste.)

Cut the cores out of 4 tomatoes and plunge them into boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove, peel off the skin and cut each in half. Squeeze out some of the juice and seeds before dicing them with a chef’s knife.

Place 1/4 cup good olive oil in a saucepan and add 2 tablespoons minced garlic. After 5 minutes add the chopped tomatoes, 2 teaspoons coarse salt and 1 teaspoon ground pepper. Let simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons tomato paste and 1/2 cup chopped basil and remove from the heat.

Place the chèvre in a bowl and stir in 1 egg. Grate half the Peconic Bel and half the Sundancer cheese into the bowl with the chèvre. Add 1/2 cup chopped basil and gently fold together and refrigerate.

Measure 1 cup flour into a shallow casserole and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Break 4 eggs into a bowl beside the casserole.

Heat a large sauté pan and add 1/4 cup olive oil. When hot, dip each eggplant slice into the flour, then drag it through the eggs, then into the hot sauté pan. Cooking in batches of two or three, brown each eggplant on both sides and remove to a paper towel-lined sheet pan.

To assemble, ladle one-third of the sauce into the bottom of a large casserole dish. Place 2 tablespoons of cheese filling on the end of each eggplant slice and roll it up from end to end. Put it into the casserole and repeat until the filling is gone. Ladle the rest of the sauce on top of the rolled eggplant and sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over all.

Cover with foil and cook in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook another 15 minutes, or until bubbling hot.
Serves 4-6.

Spaetzle with Appenzeller Cheese and Applewood Smoked Bacon

To make the spaetzle, combine 3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk 1 egg and 4 egg yolks together and stir them into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon. It will be a lumpy, thick batter. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, grate 8 ounces of Appenzeller cheese (or substitute Gruyère) into a bowl and refrigerate.

Place a cast-iron skillet on the stove and cook 6 strips of applewood smoked bacon until crisp. Remove and set on a paper towel-lined plate.

Chop 2 red onions and add them to the bacon fat in the skillet. Let them cook at medium heat until they caramelize, about 10 minutes. Remove the onions and set aside.

To cook the spaetzle, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a pasta pot and add 1 tablespoon salt. Using a potato ricer, place 1/2 cup spaetzle batter in the ricer and squeeze it over the boiling water. Repeat until all batter is used.

Let the spaetzle cook another 2 minutes and drain. Plunge it into ice water to cool and drain again. Stir 1 tablespoon olive oil into it to prevent sticking together. (A colander can be used instead of the potato ricer if desired.)

To assemble, combine in a large bowl the spaetzle, grated cheese, chopped bacon and onions. Place them into a casserole and cook, covered with foil, in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook another 15 minutes.

Serves 4-6.

Fettuccine Alfredo

Begin by making the homemade pasta. Place 3 cups flour on a board and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center and add 4 raw eggs. Using a dinner fork, break the yolks and gently stir the eggs into the flour to make a coarse dough.

Scrape the board clean, wash your hands and dust the dough with flour. Knead the dough with your hands for a full 10 minutes to arrive at a smooth elastic ball of dough. Wrap it in plastic film and let rest for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough into quarters and flatten them into discs. Roll the dough out using a hand crank or other pasta machine and cut it into fettuccine ribbons.

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Grate 1/2 pound of Parmeggiano-Reggiano cheese into a bowl and dice 1 pound of cold butter.

Place all of the pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 5 minutes. Ladle off 1 cup of the cooking water before draining the pasta.

Place a large saucepan on the stove and add the butter along with 1/2 cup of the cooking water. When the butter melts, add the pasta and the cheese. Remove from the heat and toss with wooden spoons and serve.

Note: I wrote about this recipe in a 2011 column. This was the original fettuccine alfredo recipe as cooked by Alfredo DiLelio in Rome in 1914. I thought it was worth repeating, as it is one of the best cheese recipes ever.)

John Ross, chef and author, has been an active part of the North Fork food and wine community for more than 35 years. For contact information, go to his website, www.chefhjohnross.com.

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