28 March 2018 - Macaroni & Cheese, Everybody Freeze

Macaroni and Cheese

"The next time you make this 'All American' favorite for the family's main dish or for a company casserole to accompany meat, try our version."

Pasta and cheese casseroles have been recorded as early as the 14th century.

The oldest medieval cookbook, Liber de Coquina, featured a dish of parmesan and pasta.

One of America's presidents, Mr. Thomas Jefferson, encountered macaroni and cheese in Paris and Italy. He liked it so much that he made a sketch and took notes on the dish. In 1802, He served "macaroni pie" at a state dinner.

In 1824, a Macaroni and Cheese recipe appeared in the cookbook The Virginia Housewife written by Mary Randolph.

In 1937, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese hit the shelves marketing "make a dinner for 4 in 9 minutes".

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Today, you can purchase an array of boxed mac and cheese products!

Our Almanac gives a recipe but I kind of like mine better, so I will share it with you today.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

1 clove garlic, minced 

1 1/2 cups of milk

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella 

1/4 cup shredded parmesean

2 cups cooked elbow macaroni

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup parmesan

Salt and Pepper to taste 

Method

1. Heat a saucepan on medium heat. Put butter in pan and melt. Add flour and stir to create a roux. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.

2. Slowly add in milk and whisk together your milk and roux mix. Bring to a slight boil and immediately reduce to a slow simmer. If your mix is too thick add more milk a small amount at a time. It is ok if it is thin, the cheese will thicken the sauce later. Add some salt and pepper to taste.

3. Add in your cheeses and mix well. Then add the cooked macaroni and mix together.

4. Transfer your macaroni and cheese to a casserole pan.

5. Mix together the bread crumbs and parmesan. Top this mixture on top of your macaroni.

6. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or until the breadcrumb topping is golden brown.

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I hope you enjoyed a little culinary history lesson and if you ever try this recipe let me know in the comments!