This week, Roy decided that it was time to show his friends how to cook macaroni cheese, from scratch. He was horrified to learn that so many people use jars of sauce to make macaroni cheese today, or use commercial varieties, and thought it was really important to show everybody just how easy it is to actually make this dish. His macaroni and cheese is the delux version, with some bacon, garlic and onion added for extra flavour, but you can easily leave these out! So this week, Roy Creates Macaroni Cheese.
You Will Need:
- 250 grams of dry macaroni
- 50 grams of butter
- 2 tablespoons of plain flour
- 1 brown onion (Roy also had a leek so he threw this in a too. You can add whatever you like)
- A clove of garlic
- 4 rashers of bacon
- 3/4 of a teaspoon of worchestershire sauce
- Cayenne pepper to taste
- 2 cups of milk
- 2 cups of grated cheese (Roy used a combination of cheddar and parmesan because he likes the flavour, but you could use whatever you like)
- 2 pieces of bread, crusts removed and made into breadcrumbs. If you are using a large loaf or thick slice one piece would do.
- Cheddar and parmesan, extra, to cover
- Paprika, for sprinkling
Optional:
- Tomatoes - Roy used a punnet of baby tomatoes
Method:
- Cook the macaroni according to the packet instructions in a big pot of rapidly boiling salted water (do not use a lid). You need a big pot so that it has room to move around while it is cooking.
- Drain thoroughly and then set aside.
- Chop the onion, garlic and bacon and fry off in a little olive oil. You can use the same large saucepan you used for the pasta. When they are cooked, remove them from the pan and set aside.
- Melt the butter in the same saucepan (this makes sure you keep the nice juices from the onion and bacon), then add the flour. Fry them off until the flour is slightly browned and cooked, then take the pot off the heat and slowly add the milk, stirring all the while, until you have a smooth white sauce.
- Put the sauce back onto the hotplate over a medium heat and cook until it has thickened and is smooth, stirring constantly. If you have lumps you can use a stick blender to smooth them out.
- Add the cheese and stir until it is melted and you have a smooth cheese sauce. Add the worchestershire sauce, onion, garlic, bacon, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
- Add the pasta back into pot with the sauce, stir to coat the macaroni and then pour the mixture into a greased baking dish.
- Slice up the tomatoes and lay them onto the top of the pasta. You could also put the tomato on the bottom or through the sauce itself.
- Combine the breadcrumbs, cheese and a little paprika in a bowl. Sprinkle over the macaroni and and gently press down.
- Bake at 180 degrees celcius for 20 to 30 minutes or until crisp and golden on the top.
- Serve with salad or steamed vegetables.
- Serves about 4 to 6
