Grown-up mac and cheese
When I was a kid, my mom worked on the weekends so my sister and
I were left home with my dad most Saturdays. His solution for
feeding us most of the time was to drive over to my grandparents’
house for a visit right around noon. There my grandma would offer
us homemade tortillas, refried beans, soup and my grandpa always
had fresh-baked cookies. But on the days when my dad had to cook
for us himself the meal of choice was almost always Kraft Macaroni
and Cheese.
Grown-up mac and cheese
When I was a kid, my mom worked on the weekends so my sister and I were left home with my dad most Saturdays. His solution for feeding us most of the time was to drive over to my grandparents’ house for a visit right around noon. There my grandma would offer us homemade tortillas, refried beans, soup and my grandpa always had fresh-baked cookies. But on the days when my dad had to cook for us himself the meal of choice was almost always Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.
Once in a while he would open up two boxes and use two packets of powdered cheese for just one batch of elbow macaroni. We loved it with a little milk splashed in to make it a little creamier. My mom would usually cook the leftover pasta a few weeks later and toss it with Parmesan cheese, dried basil and some butter. We always liked this homemade version of mac and cheese so much better, but it almost felt like cheating not to make it from the box.
It wasn’t until I got older and started cooking myself that it even occurred to me that I could make macaroni and cheese without the help of Kraft. No offense to the blue box I grew up on, but after trying a few made-from-scratch recipes it is hard to go back to the old standby.
Here are two recipes that are perfect for the adult palate – they combine the comfort food qualities of old-fashioned mac and cheese with some grown-up flavors such as beer and jalapenos.
Mac and cheese dog casserole
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray
1 pound elbow macaroni
Salt
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 pkg. beef or pork hot dogs, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. all- purpose flour
1/2 c. beer, 1/3 of a bottle – whatever you have on hand, chicken broth can be substituted
2 c. milk
Pepper
1 rounded tbsp. spicy mustard
2 rounded tbsp. ketchup
3 c. yellow sharp Cheddar, shredded, divided
Boil a large pot of water for macaroni. Salt water and under cook macaroni, cook about 7 min. until just under al dente in doneness.
Preheat broiler and set rack 12 inches from heat.
While pasta cooks, heat a large deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add one tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, one turn of the pan, then add hot dogs and brown on both sides, four minutes total. Remove the dogs with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel lined plate. Add another tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, one turn of the pan, and the butter. When butter melts, cook onions four to five minutes, then add flour and cook another minute. Add beer and cook off completely, one minute. Whisk in milk and bring to a bubble, then season the sauce with salt and pepper and stir in the mustard and ketchup. Lower heat and add two cups of the cheese. Stir to melt, one minute. Adjust mustard, ketchup, and salt and pepper, to your taste.
Drain pasta well. Combine pasta and hot dogs with sauce and coat evenly then pour into large casserole and top with remaining cheese. Melt and brown cheese under broiler, two minutes. Serve.
Padma’s Mexican mac and cheese
Receipe courtesy of “Tangy Tart Hot and Sweet: A World of Recipes for Every Day” by Padma Lakshmi
2 tbsp. olive oil
½ c. diced shallots
3-4 pickled jalapenos or pickled Serrano chilies, minced
½ tsp. dried Mexican oregano
1/3-1/2 tsp. raw sugar
8 tbsp. butter (one stick)
4 c. whole milk
2 c. elbow macaroni
1 1/3 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 c. grated mild jack cheese
1/3 c. goat cheese
In a large ovenproof skillet, heat olive oil. Add shallots and chilies and stir. After two minutes, add oregano. Sprinkle sugar over the shallots, stir for three minutes. Once shallots begin to caramelize, turn heat to low and add butter.
After two minutes, add milk and stir. Add macaroni. Turn heat to medium. After another minute, sprinkle in one cup of cheddar cheese, jack cheese and goat cheese. Stir for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove skillet from heat and sprinkle rest of cheddar cheese on top. Put skillet in oven for 10 minutes, and then broil for three to four minutes, until cheddar is lightly browned.
