Mac And Cheese From The Tummie's Kitchen

Another well loved classic this time from the U.S.A and another first for me at the tummies' kitchen. The last time I made mac and cheese was a good 10 years ago, using packet sauce of course. After my success with the shepherd's pies using those individual ramekins; I have been thinking about different ways of using them again, apart from several delicious pies I had in mind mac and cheese also made it to the list. Making white sauce for the first time was both exciting and nerve wracking, thank god it was a lot easier than I thought PHEW! I added some peas and pancetta for extra colour and texture. Do get good quality cheese for this dish it is after all named mac and cheese for a reason.

P.S with no particular guidelines, I cooked a whole packet of macaroni which will feed 6 hungry adults easily, so do adjust the ingredients accordingly.

Serves 6

you'll need;

oven preheated at 200 C

500 g of macaroni, cooked til al dende and drained

150 g of gruyere 

150 g of smoked cheddar 

100 g of parmesan

1 l of milk

3 tbs of butter

3 tbs of flour

1 onion, sliced and saute (optional)

250 g of pancetta or ham, cubes and fried (optional)

250 g of peas (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Prepare all the ingredients while the pasta is being cooked.

Cook macaroni with plenty of salted water til al dente and drain well.

To make the white sauce - melt butter in a pot then add in the flour, mix well and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on low heat. Slowly add in the milk and with a whisk, continue to stir and whip til the sauce is smooth and thicken. Remove from the heat and stil in the 3/4 of the cheeses. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix pasta, onion, peas, pancetta and cheese sauce in a large pot and mix well. Check for seasonings.

Fill individual ramekins or baking tray with pasta mixture, top with the remaining grated cheese and fried pancetta.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes til golden and bubbling.

Serve immediately with a green salad. Another first and another success at the tummies' kitchen, I'm very pleased with that!