Yummy Mac and Cheese

Well, I have planned to make a healthier Chicken Pasta dish tonight, but the cauliflower was icky, and I didn't feel like chicken.  I felt like indulgence.  So I made Mac and Cheese.  And Chocolate Chip Cookies.  But heck, I hiked for 2 hours today, gardened for 1, and cleaned house for an hour.  I earned it!

Mac and Cheese

Serves 6-8

4 Tablespoons butter

1 shallot, minced

4 Tablespoons flour

2 1/2 cups milk (or 2 cups milk and 1/2 cup white wine for a sophisticated flavor)

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon paprika

pinch nutmeg

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

4 cups shredded cheese (I like to mix them up.  Tonight I used Gruyere and smoked Gouda)(One key - I always buy cheese and shred it myself in the food processor.  Packaged shredded cheese is coated with chemicals that drain the flavor, I think.)

12 ounces dried pasta, cooked and drained

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.  (I like my Corningware French White)
2. Melt the butter in a large pan (I use my dutch oven) over medium-high heat.  Add the shallot and saute until tender.  Sprinkle the flour over the butter and stir until smooth.  Cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes.  (This gets rid of the "flour taste" of the roux.)  Whisk in about 1/4 of the milk. Whisk until smooth.  Add the remainder of the milk, paprika, nutmeg and mustard, and whisk until smooth.  Add the bay leaf and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat and stir in 3 cups of the cheese.  Stir until smooth.  Add in the pasta and stir well.  Pour into the prepared baking dish and smooth.  Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese evenly over the top.  Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, until bubbly and browned on top.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

What I love about this recipe is the variations that are possible.  First, you can play with the cheeses to create a totally different dish - cheddar and Gruyere, fontina and cheddar, smoked cheddar and Colby - they create a totally different flavor.  Nearly any semi-soft or semi-hard cheese can be used, as long as it melts well.  When you add the pasta, you can also add a variety of other ingredient combinations:  

• diced ham and cooked broccoli, 
  
• crumbled bacon and grape tomato halves, 
  
• shredded chicken and sauteed red bell peppers, 
  
• chicken or bacon and cooked cauliflower
  

The possibilities are endlessly delicious!