From the Recipe Box
In an attempt to blog more regularly (even when there's not a whole lot going on), I'm going to try to post a recipe every week. If you'd like to share a recipe that you like making this time of year, leave it in the comments!
Tres's dad sent us this recipe (published in The Oregonian) when we were living in Barbados, after I'd gone on and on one day about how much I'd enjoyed the mac and cheese at another Portland restaurant. This turned out to be even better and, with a few tweaks of our own, has become one of our favorites.
Not the most appetizing photo, I'll admit
(I meant to get one before we ate it, but. . .)
Macaroni and Cheese (adapted from Noble Rot's recipe)(I meant to get one before we ate it, but. . .)
1 pound dry rigatoni (so technically, I guess this is rigatoni and cheese)
4 cups milk (the more fat, the more delicious - I've made it with skim, but it's better with 2%/whole)
1 bay leaf
3 allspice berries
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I never measure this - I just sprinkle it in until it looks like enough)
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons mustard (I like stone ground)
2 cups grated sharp cheddar
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for topping
3 garlic cloves, minced/crushed (I like it super garlicky; if you want to tone it down, add fewer or cut it out altogether)
Preheat oven to 400. Cook noodles until they are still quite firm (I find about 8 minutes works for rigatoni - just subtract a 2-3 minutes from your usual cooking time and test them) and set aside. In a medium pot, bring the milk, bay leaf, allspice, pepper flakes, and salt to a boil (keep an eye on this and stir regularly - it's easy to burn). While the milk mixture is heating, melt butter in frying pan over medium heat. Add flour and stir until pale golden. Whisk the roux (that's what you made in the last step) into the milk and cook until thickened, about 15 minutes (stir this often, or it will burn). Remove pot from heat and extract allspice and bay leaf (careful, it's hot!). Stir in mustard and cheeses. Put half of the noodles into an 8x8 dish (I've made this in all sorts of dishes, so this is just a suggestion - it will not fit in anything smaller, though) and sprinkle with half of garlic. Top with remaining noodles and garlic, then pour sauce over the top. Grate Parmesan over the top until the entire dish is covered in a thin layer. Bake 30 - 45 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbling.
Melina is quite the mac&cheese connoisseur and has spent years trying to perfect it. She does something very similar to this recipe, so I can tell it must be good. A couple of variations you can try out and see if they strike your fancy:
ReplyDelete1) Instead of the bay leaf/allspice/pepper flakes, try a few dashes each of nutmeg and cayenne.
2) Instead of putting the garlic in at the end, saute it in the butter before making the roux. You still get good garlic flavor, but a little less pungent and sharp.
3) Try substituting gruyere for some of the cheddar (about a third of it or so).
4) Top with sliced tomato and/or breadcrumbs before baking. You get a delicious top crust.
Miss you guys!
Thanks for the suggestions, Reid - they sound delicious!
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