Macaroni and Cheese – Outside the Box

So here’s the thing: originally, I was going to write up a post about the gazillion and one things you can do with cheddar cheese. But I kind of felt like I would be telling you guys things you already know, and so, why bother? Then we introduced this awesome new feature, Outside the Box, all about making things from scratch instead of buying that pre-packaged junk at the store, and I realized there’s really only one thing you need to do with your cheddar cheese, which is, make macaroni and cheese.

See, Portuguese people (because in case you didn’t know already, I live in Portugal) don’t appreciate cheese that isn’t Portuguese. Which is all well and good for them, but for me it sucks because cheddar cheese is hard to find, and expensive. Well, it was, because I recently stumbled upon a ridiculous bargain at a grocery store I normally never go to: white organic English farmhouse cheddar, on sale for 99 cents per brick because like I said, Portuguese people just don’t appreciate the stuff, so it was nearing the expiration date (when everyone knows that cheese doesn’t just go bad).

Being the shameless individual that I am, I now have nearly three kilos of cheddar cheese sitting in my freezer, and I’m ridiculously happy about that, because one of my favorite go-to meals is homemade macaroni and cheese.

When it comes to mac and cheese, I’m kind of a purist. Like I said, as far as I’m concerned, it needs to be made with cheddar cheese. No need to get fancy with gruyere or parmesan here. Also, aside from the macaroni and some flour to make the roux, for the sauce, I don’t want anything in it that doesn’t come from a cow. That means no mustard, no tomatoes, no bread crumbs, and for Pete’s sake, no onions. Salt and pepper don’t count, because they go into everything. Trust me, it’s much better without all those extra ingredients. So, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/2lb large elbow macaroni — you can use a different pasta shape, just don’t tell me about it.
• 4 tbsp butter
• 4 tbsp flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk — I use low-fat, but any kind is fine
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper

First, preheat your oven to 400ºF.

Get a large pot of boiling salted water going, and cook the macaroni until it’s almost, but not quite al dente. You should still see a little bit of uncooked dough in the center when you bite or cut it in half. Drain, place in a buttered 2-quart baking dish, cover and set aside while you make the sauce.

In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook together for a few minutes until well combined and bubbly. Now, if you’re like me and have problems with lumpy sauce, here’s an easy trick to circumvent that problem: turn the heat off and let it cool down for a couple of minutes. Then, stir quickly as you add the milk, a little at a time, and you should be lump-free. Turn the heat back on to medium, and keep stirring until it starts to thicken. Once it’s thickened, stir in 1 1/2 cups of cheese until melted and well-combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the sauce over the macaroni in the baking dish and mix well. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the top and pop it in the oven. At 400º, it doesn’t take long to get bubbly and browned on the top, 15-20 minutes max. All you need to add for a great meal are some simply cooked veggies like broccoli, green beans, or carrots, and a big green salad.

Clacked by Cate Cropp
on May 11, 2009 @ 10:00 EST5EDT