This first recipe is much simpler than the second and takes a lot less time. I may have picked it up from one of the chefs on Martha Stewart’s Everyday Foods, but I didn’t write it down; I just made it one day out of my head, consciously avoiding a lot of the work that goes into the second one here.
About 6 normal people.
| 1 lb | elbow macaroni |
| 2 tbsp | flour |
| ½ cup | milk |
| 4 tbsp | butter (say 50 grams) |
| 1 tbsp | finely minced onion (for flavor rather than texture) |
| salt | |
| pepper | |
| 2 cups | (loosely packed) grated cheddar |
| 2 cups | (loosely packed) grated mozzarella or Swiss-style |
| 2 slices | Wonder-style bread (untoasted) reduced to coarse crumbs in a food processor or by other means |
1. Preheat oven to medium hot (385°).
2. Cook pasta until not quite al dente (not quite done) as this dish will be baked anyway and the pasta will finish in the oven. Drain water leaving pasta in the sieve.
3. Melt butter in the same pan and sauté the onion for up to a minute; add in flour (to make a roux) for another minute. Season. Add milk and stir, then cheese to melt. Bring back to a good simmer.
4. Return the pasta to the pan. Mix gently to coat the pasta with cheese.
5. Pour macaroni and cheese into a baking dish (13x9 might be a little big and 9x9 might be a little small). Sprinkle bread crumbs to cover.
6. Put into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the bread crumbs get golden brown (and the pasta-cheese mixture finishes maturing into the tasty treat it’s going to be).
I don’t remember where I got this recipe for real macaroni and cheese, It’s very similar to the recipe at America’s Test Kitchen. I went to the trouble to make this once for children and they turned their noses up at it. They prefer that nasty stuff from the box.
| Macaroni | |
|---|---|
| ½ lb | elbow macaroni |
| 3 tbsp | butter |
| 3 tbsp | flour |
| 1 tbsp | powdered mustard |
| 3 cups | milk |
| ½ cup | yellow onion, finely diced |
| 1 | bay leaf |
| ½ tsp | paprika |
| 1 large | egg |
| 12 oz | sharp cheddar, shredded |
| 1 tsp | kosher salt |
| — | Fresh black pepper |
| Topping | |
| 3 tbsp | butter |
| 1 cup | Panko bread crumbs |
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook the pasta to al dente.
2. While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it’s free of lumps. Stir in milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
3. Temper in the egg. Stir in ¾ of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
5. Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top macaroni with the bread crumbs.
6. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.