When I was a child I was afraid of mince. So I preferred the nights of macaroni and cheese to spaghetti bolognese. There is nothing wrong with spaghetti bolognese, don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a brilliant recipe. So here is my favourite food, it was also the very first dish I ever learned to make and it remains my favourite to this day. There is this old nursery rhyme that also comes to my mind when I think of macaroni:
Yankee Doodle came to town,
Riding on his pony,
He stuck a feather in his head,
And it called it macaroni!
Ingredients
One pack of Macaroni
¼ Block of grated cheese (it is up to you – cheddar, mozzarella and Edam, they all work well!)
Two large sliced tomatoes from the vine
Salt and pepper for taste and cooking
Oil for cooking
1 Egg
Paprika
For the white cheese sauce you will need:
125 ml White flour for a white sauce
¾ Grated cheese from the block of cheese
Pinch of salt
1 Cup of milk (you might need some more)
Tablespoon of butter
Method
1. Boil in a large saucepan enough water to cover the macaroni and add oil and salt to the water. Cook until moderately firm or as the Italians would say “andante”.
2. Strain the macaroni and put aside, you can start making the white sauce while the pasta is cooking.
3. In a smaller saucepan melt the butter and mix the flour and salt in until it becomes a paste. Now gradually stir in the milk and wisp while cooking. Add ¾ of the block of grated cheese to the boiling sauce and stir continuously. If the sauce is getting to thick, add some more milk to it.
4. Mix this sauce into the macaroni and put into an oven dish. Beat the egg and pour over the sauce and macaroni mix. Take the rest of the cheese and sprinkle it on top of the dish. On top of the cheese place the tomato slices with pepper and paprika, to add flavour and colour.
5. Place in a preheated oven 180˚C and bake in oven for 30 minutes.
Serve with something like salads and garlic bread and enjoy!
