Mac & Cheese

Last night we made comfort food - Mac & Cheese.  It’s so easy to make from scratch - and so delicious - you can free yourself from the boxed stuff forever.

When cousin Lorna was over we talked about making Mac & Cheese - so this recipe is dedicated to her and her boys.




The key, of course, is the cheese.  You have to buy the nippy cheese - it will have the words “sharp” and “aged” on the package.  I like to use the MacLaren’s Imperial Cheese Product.   The orange is unnatural so there’s gotta be colouring in it - but the taste is great. 

(This is the same cheese I use in perogies.  If you use regular cheddar - you won’t get the same satisfying results.)

If you are in a pinch - and don’t have nippy sharp cheese, you can do an acceptable substitute with a grated mixture of cheddar, mozzarella and asiago.  It’s a completely different taste and texture, but still better than the boxed version.

Start by using pasta that will have a good surface area for the cheese to adhere to.   I prefer penne, but the kids always like the bow-ties (farfalline) and wagon wheels (rotelle).

farfalline

rotelle

Comfort Mac & Cheese

1- 500 gram package of pasta (about 16 oz pkg)
170 g of MacLaren Imperial Cheese (6 oz) (2/3 of the 250 g container)

Bring the water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions.  (Usually about 7 minutes).

Drain the water and put the pasta back in the pot.

Chop up the cheese into small pieces so that it will melt faster.






 Add it to the pot of drained pasta and cover the pot.   Let it sit for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese, then stir vigorously with a wooden spoon.

Voila.  Mac & cheese.

Cleanup:  Soak the pot in hot soapy water for about 15 minutes and the pot will be easier to clean.


Save energy and reduce the time the water takes to come to a boil: Cover the pot.
Everyone knows a watched pot never boils, so problem solved.