This is a tricky, but very tasty meal if you get it right. Macaroni and cheese (mac and cheese for short) is a favourite of children all around the world; but most especially in America. However, the majority of people who consume this, do so out of a microwaved packet. It’s better to make macaroni and cheese from scratch; it has a more natural flavour and you can decide to create varieties. This here, is a recipe for plain-old, regular macaroni and cheese.
Ingredients.
2 tbsps butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
15 g all-purpose flour
2 cups of milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 pack of elbow macaroni
300 g Cheddar cheese, shredded
224 g Gouda Cheese, shredded
Procedure
1. Pre-heat the oven to 175°C (about 350°F).
2. Melt the butter over medium heat slowly in a saucepan.
3. Saute the onions in the melted butter for 2 minutes, until soft.
4. Slowly stir in the flour, making sure the mixture doesn’t burn. Stir for 1 minute till smooth.
5. Stir in the milk, salt, pepper and mustard. Stir constantly and bring the mixture to the boil.
6. Simmer till it thickens, making sure it doesn’t burn. Turn off the heat.
7. Stir in the cheeses, (except a quarter of it) into the white sauce, until all the cheese is melted.
8. In a separate pot of boiling, salted water, cook the macaroni for about 8 minutes till it is al dente. (This means “to the teeth”. It’s how you know he pasta is well-done.)
9. Drain the macaroni.
10. Mix in the pasta with the cheese sauce until all of it is properly coated. Pour into a baking dish and top with the rest of the cheese.
11. Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
