It occurs to me that I haven't had a What's For Dinner post in a long time. This coincides with my decision to lose weight, and consequent change in eating lifestyle. So my dinners are FAR less creative and complex, and are for the most part plain and repetitive.
Cue chicken ad nauseum.
But sometimes I still grab the old chef knife and try do make something edible. My latest was for Sandy's farewell party, where I made some good ol' Mac and Cheese.
The recipe I stole from Cooks.com, but very slightly modified to account for the Japanese paucity of cheddar cheese.
Best Macaroni and Cheese (Original recipe HERE)
230 g fusilli macaroni
1 stick butter
1/2 an onion, diced
3 packs of 1/2 bacon
3 tbsp. flour
230 ml. of milk
200 ml. cream (nama cream)
1/2 c. dry white wine
100 g. grated Hokkaido cheddar
150 g. shredded Japanese "natural" cheese
200 g. fine bread crumbs (topping)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
Bring 4 qt. salted water to a rapid boil and cook the macaroni until not quite tender. Drain macaroni and set aside.
Fry bacon till crisp, pat try with paper towel, remove the grease from the pan. Dice the bacon into bacon-bits sized pieces.
In a saute pan, melt 1/2 the stick of butter (or 4 tablespoons). When melted, stir in the breadcrumbs and toast just until lightly browned. Remove breadcrumbs from pan and set aside. Wipe pan clean with paper towel and re-use for next step.
Melt remaining butter, add onions, and stir over low heat until onions are just translucent, but not browned. Stir in the flour and seasonings. Continue to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add the wine, then gradually stir in the milk or cream. Add bacon bits.
Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly until the sauce is thickened and smooth. Add cheese and continue stirring until the cheese melts.
Combine the macaroni with the cheese sauce. Turn out into a generously buttered casserole dish (approximately 1 1/2 quarts). If you have any extra grated cheese, you can sprinkle this on top along with the 1/2 cup of buttered, toasted bread crumbs.
Bake in a preheated 170 degree Celcius oven for approximately 20 minutes or until heated all the way through and golden brown on top.
No pictures, sadly. I was rushed at the end and didn't get a chance.
3 comments:
Having tasted this, I can confirm it is delicious. The crumbled bacon was brilliant. You can't go wrong by adding pictures.
Yeah, you need a pic, but with 2 blog posts in one day, who am I to nag.
You know, I meant to write "you can't go wrong by adding bacon" but it's late and my mind is fuzzy.
Hmmm, bacon and Mac & Cheese. Two great things in my books.
... when is lunch again?
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