Macaroni Cheese (Edmonds)

Last Tuesday was my last Te Reo class. (I can't believe how fast the term went!) And, since it was our last day, we had it as more of a social, take-a-plate event. I really wanted to make butter tarts for everyone, but the instructor had said "no chips, no sweets, no lollies", so I was worried that it was meant to be all savoury, dinner-type stuff. In the end, I decided to make the butter tarts anyway, since they're such a Canadian thing. But I opted to throw together a quick mac & cheese as well, so that I'd have something savoury to contribute to the table. Just in case.

This isn't my favourite mac & cheese. But it's a good, solid stand-by. And it is easy to throw together on short notice. And you could certainly gussy it up with some extra inclusions. Edmonds suggests bacon as an option. (Although I didn't end up adding any since I knew that there were at least a couple of people in the class who couldn't eat pork.) I think a bit of Worcestershire sauce and/or a few veggies (maybe some carrots or peas) wouldn't go amiss either. Just a little something to amp up the flavour a bit and give it a little more variation in each bite. Still, this version was completely fine and a nice, safe, reliable option. And the Kidlet loved it! I'm pretty sure she managed to cram about half the tray into a single bowl and wolf it down all in one sitting. So, definitely no complaints from her!

Photo goes here.

Macaroni Cheese

Slightly adapted from Edmonds

Ingredients

• 2-3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
• 2 c. milk
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne (optional)
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. sweet paprika (optional)
• 2 c. grated cheese¹, divided
• 1 c. frozen peas (optional)
• 1 c. diced carrots (optional)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 300-500g macaroni², cooked
• 2 Tbsp. dry breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsely (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F) and lightly grease a 23x23cm (9x9") pan.
2. Melt the butter over medium heat.
3. Reduce heat, add the onion, and cook until softened (5-10 minutes).
4. Add the flour and cook until foaming, but not yet browning (2-3 minutes).
5. Add the mustard, sizzle for a few seconds.
6. Whisk in the milk and continue stirring until mixture becomes smooth.
7. Mix in the Worcestershire suace, cayenne, and paprika (if using).
8. Stir in half of the cheese (~1 c.).
9. Add the peas and carrots (if using).
10. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens.
12. Stir pasta into sauce and mix well.
13. Pour pasta mixture into prepared baking dish.
14. Combine breadcrumbs and parsley (if using) with remaining 1 c. of cheese.
15. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta.
16. Bake at 190°C (375°F) until top is nicely crispy and pasta is heated through (15-20 minutes).

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¹ Edmonds calls for "tasty cheese", which, as far as I can tell, is New Zealish for "old Cheddar". That said, I think mild Cheddar or even a mix of Cheddar and mozzarella would also work reasonably well here. ^Back
2 Edmonds called for 2 c. of cooked macaroni. I cooked a whole box of noodles (I forget whether it was 400 or 500g) and then, once they were cooked, measured out 2 c. of the cooked pasta and stirred it into the sauce. It was nowhere near enough! I tried adding more pasta, a little at a time, until it looked about right. But, by then, I'd added nearly all of what I'd cooked. So, at that point, I figured I might as well add the whole box! That said, if you're planning to add lots of veggies, I'd probably skip (or at least scale down) the amout of pasta being mixed into the sauce. Maybe just 300g + a bunch of veggies; just to keep the ratio of sauce to everything else nice. ^Back