Mac and cheese Sunday!
It still happens on a very regular basis that I come to the realization that there are still quite a few dishes out there, that I have eaten and that I know but that I never made myself. Well… Duh… Is what you’re probably thinking… Knowing that it’s virtually impossible to make all the dishes in the world right?
And I know that but there are still a few classics that I think have to be ‘done’ at least once! A good spaghetti bolognese, homemade fries, tiramisu or… Well the list is endless. But Mac and cheese is one such dish that’s known worldwide.
And I had this brilliant idea for the Wednesday evening. The last night of being home alone and because Tom is not a cheese lover at all, the chance of me making one at a later point was somewhat slim. So you guessed it; I made my own version to this classic dish. Starting with the notion that Mac and cheese is all about macaroni and cheese… So that’s what’s in it.. Lol.
And for the rest: it’s a super simple recipe so I spiced it up a little bit. If it was a succes? Yes, it was good but I’m gonna think about an alternative version as all. I suspect one with more cheese. I chose to use farmers cheese as the cheddar they have here is bland and not very tasty, but I think a more mature cheese for next time would give way more flavor and it can do with a but of extra power in that area.
Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 200 gr pasta to choice
- 100 gr grated cheese I used a cheese that wasn't very old, but I will go for a more mature cheese next time
- 25 gr blue cheese I used Danish blue
- 45 gram butter
- 2-3 tbsp of flour
- 1/2 tl ground chili
- 1/2 tl fresh thyme chopped
- 100 gr green peas
- 400 ml milk
- 25 gram hazelnuts chopped
- 20 gram butter melted
- 2 tbsp panko
- pepper
- salt
- Preheat the oven to 200 C and cook the pasta according to package instructions
- Make a cheese sauce by melting the 45 grams of butter into a small saucepan and add the flour to it and keep stirring. Bake it for a little bit so the flour is cooked properly.
- Add the milk little by little and keep stirring in between so the milk gets incorporated well. You will end up with a thick sauce and you might need a little less milk or a little more milk. Just keep an eye on things and if you think it has the right consistency stop adding milk. It will be a bit like yogurt in thickness.
- Remove from the heat and add the chili, the grated cheese, the blue cheese (crumbled), the peas and the fresh thyme.
- In a separate bowl put the panko together with the 20 grams of melted butter and the chopped hazelnuts and mix it together.
- Add the cheese sauce to the drained pasta and stir until it is mixed well. Put into a ovendish and top with your panko mixture.
- Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until golden
Disclaimer
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
5 comments on “Mac and cheese Sunday!”
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Perfect! Comfort food at its best. I love that addition of hazelnuts.
Cheers,
Rosa
This dish is the ultimate comfort food, and it sounds like you’ve made an awesome variation!
Thanks so much Beth!
Wow that is some flavorful combo of ingredients and you are making me rethink my own mac and cheese. I love the ground chili and we usually now add that too to cheese dishes but I love the hazelnuts and the bleu cheese! And the peas! Okay I have to make a version of this this week!
Lol.. Yes I think the chili and the blue cheese really make a difference. I love chili!