A few weeks back someone had asked me to do Mac and cheese. This isn’t something I make very often, but when I do make it, I “Tonyfi” it- to use my wife’s word. Simply put, there are millions of versions of Mac and cheese out there. It really is a dish that can be made in a plethora of ways, so take my method and do with it what you will. I can’t say this is the best out there, but it is definitely one of the better out there.
A few tips first: SHRED YOUR CHEESE, don’t use that bag stuff. Also, make sure your shredded cheese is room temp before you add it to the cream sauce. Do not let your cream sauce come to a hard boil, or it will separate. And lastly, make sure you cook the flour taste out of your roux.
As far as what cheese to use: use what you like: I rarely use the same cheese combinations twice, but I like to use any combination of: Swiss, sharp cheddar, Gruyère, Gouda, Colby, jack, pepper jack. Any of the soft creamy cheeses work well.
For pasta I like to use cellentani pasta. It appears to have more body than elbows or shells and more space to carry the cheese sauce.
Essentially the method is fairly straight forward, make a roux, add milk and cream, bring to a soft boil, or simmer; then add in the cheese and pasta.
To season my Mac and cheese, I keep it simple with just salt, black pepper, paprika, cayenne and sometimes a little bit of crushed red pepper.
In summary we will need:
1 pound of cellentani pasta
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup flour
2-3 cups of whole Milk
1-2 cups of cream: the combination is determined by how your roux comes out.
24 ounces of any cheese or cheese combination you like.
Paprika
Cayenne
Salt
Pepper
First thing to do is melt a stick of butter in the pan. Once melted add in the flour and work into a blonde roux, until the flour smell is gone; this is also time to add in some paprika, pepper and cayenne. Add in the milk and cream until you get a thick smooth consistency. Be sure not to completely boil it, but get it just to the edge so that you can accurately gauge how thick it will get and how much milk and cream to add. Once that’s done, check your seasoning and add if need be then add in the cheese and stir constantly until everything is worked together. Only use about half the total cheese, the other half will go on top. When all the cheese is added in, check the seasoning again and add in the cooked pasta. You want to have the pasta aldentè here, so cook it short 1 minute from package instructions. Fold everything together and top with remaining cheese.
Bake it covered for 12-15 minutes at 375, remove the top for the last 5 minutes.
For the chorizo:
I do this differently; because the kids don’t care for it. However, if I were making this for just my wife and I; I would do this part ahead of time, and add it in when I add the pasta above.
You’ll need:
4 links of chorizo sausage with the casing removed
1/2 and onion diced
1 jalapeño diced
1/2 a bell pepper diced
Butter
2 toes of garlic minced
Lime juice
In olive oil, sweat down the onion and peppers, then add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Once fragrant add in the lime juice and sausage. Cook until chorizo is browned.
As I stated above, the kids don’t like the spice side of the sausage so I make this separately. I’ll fold in the sausage mixture with the Mac and cheese for my wife and I and leave the kids pasta untouched. However, these meaty addition helps make this a terrific meal. Another tip: you can also add in some black beans and corn with the chorizo for another dimension of flavor.