A better mac 'n cheese....

[Guest guest]

I have been on a quest. A quest for a better mac 'n cheese.

Let's face it -- the stuff you buy in the store is just awful. It has zero

nutritional value and isn't even really cheesey. The Velveeta based stuff

just tastes awful. Sure, you can make a mac 'n cheese in the oven but I

want to make it on the stove top. SO what's a guy to do when faced with a

remake of the ultimate comfort food?

First off, a caveat. This is NOT a low fat product. (Hey, it's COMFORT

food.)

To start, I put a pot of water on the stove for my pasta. In this case, I

decided to go with about a box and a half of spelt shells. (I could have

gone with elbows but I like the shells better.)

With the water started, I moved on to the sauce.

First, I made a roux. 4 tablespoons of butter were melted and to this I

added 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour (winter rye in this case). I stirred

this for about 5 minutes on low heat.

Next, it was on to the bechamel. I warmed 2 cups of milk and slowly added

it to the roux, whisking it in as I went. I kept this at a simmer and

continued stirring it regularly as it thickened. Along the way (maybe 10 or

so minutes in), I added some kosher salt, a little freshly ground pepper,

and a little freshly ground nutmeg.

After 15-20 minutes, in went 2 cups of 2% shredded sharp cheddar. I added

this just a little at a time to ensure it melted into the mixture. After a

few minutes, I had a nice and creamy sauce.

While all this was going on, I had of course added the spelt shells to the

boiling water and taken them off, done.

The sauce and shells were mixed together and I had mac 'n cheese.

This was pretty good stuff. It was also the first time I had successfully

made a cheese sauce this way (after a few tries). I'm pleased to say that

it was not only creamy but did not at all taste like flour. By cooking the

roux a little longer and giving the bechamel 15-20 minutes cooking, the

flour taste is cooked out.