Baked Macaroni-n-Cheese

How could I pass up the chance to try and make baked macaroni and cheese? My mom was always the one to make baked macaroni and cheese. No measuring cups or spoons used, yet it came out the same every time she does it. Nice firm yet cheese layer with a crunch to the breadcrumb topping. My daughter, who is now a young adult, has been making my mom’s baked macaroni and cheese since she was 12 years old. Fortunately for her she has mastered making my mother’s baked macaroni and cheese. Unfortunately for me I fail at it miserably.

I still felt the need to accomplish making baked macaroni and cheese obviously since it a tradition. For someone who always want to see the upside in everything creating my own was worth a try. Plus it’s a tradition in my eye since every family gathering that involves food, my daughter and I bug my mom to make her baked macaroni and cheese.

Macaroni is a pasta shaped like a hollow C. It is commonly also called elbow macaroni. The synonym for macaroni happen to be “a dandy” or  “a vain young man.”  This pasta is so versatile it has become a staple food in the Western diet. It can be doctored up and introduced into a cold or hot cuisine.

Origin

Historically, dated as far back to first century C.E., the Chinese did the crafting of noodles. In the fifth century C.E, the Jerusalem Talmud Book makes mention of boiled noodles. Of course they enjoyed them any day except for Passover, adhering to their religious dietary restrictions. In the tenth century, purchasing noodles from vendors was mentioned in Arabic writings. A Venetian explorer, Marco Polo introduces them to Europe in the mid thirteenth century. Macaroni was a big hit making it a costly food and well known throughout Italy. Producing noodles by mass production started in Naples, Italy, early eighteenth century. Introduce by English colonist  is how it arrived in America.

By mid-eighteenth century it became available to the factory working class. Its popularity did grow once it became a staple in American middle-class diets. Once the nineteenth century rolled around macaroni became easily accessible. It can certainly be found on many menus from fine dining to fast food restaurants.

Ingredient Choice

Breadcrumbs: Italian style which made with fresh bread contains Italian Pecorino Romano grated cheese. It also contains salt, garlic powder, pepper, parsley. The wheat flour it contains is enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, and riboflavin. The brand used was Rienzi.

Butter: Using unsalted give the advantage to add or omitting salt.

Elbow macaroni: An Italian product, made from durum wheat semolina. Tubular Cs are great for some cheesy goodness. It was 365 Whole Foods Market brand which is low fat and sodium free.

Extra sharp cheddar cheese: Wanted a sharp more complex flavor profile. It was better to get a one-pound block and grate it using a box grater. It contain calcium, protein, and phosphorus.

Flour: Unbleached all-purpose often are enriched and not stripped of all its nutrients during processing unlike bleached. Its purpose is to add act as a thickener for the liquid and a bond for ingredients as well.

Gouda cheese: Cabot Creamery brand its creamy and sweetly nutty.

Milk: Add to the creaminess while not overpowering the cheese flavor profiles.

Nutmeg: There is just something about this ingredient with milk, the aromas are so pleasant. Yet it enhances the slight nuttiness of the gouda.

Salt: Kosher is much coarser. This allows it to hold up well during boiling and absorbs into elbow macaroni.

Tips

• Cook the macaroni to 5 minutes no longer it will be tender but still firm at this point. It will soak up more liquid as it bakes.
• You can either run hot macaroni under cold running water or dip it in an ice water bath while still in the colander.
• Make sure the heat is not too high as you do not want to burn your milk causing it to curdle.
• Stirring cold milk in with flour and butter, allow for the flour not to clump up.

Storing

Refrigeration: Place in an airtight container over baking dish. Then refrigerate at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or below for 5 days.

Freezer: Tightly wrap in plastic wrap individually, then place them in an airtight container. Store at 0° F or below for up to 3 months. Doing this just helps reduce the chances of freezer burn.

Purchasing

The purchasing price for 1 pound bag of elbow macaroni is approximately $2. An 8 oz of gouda cheese will be priced at approximately $3.50. One pound of extra sharp cheddar cheese can be around $7. All other ingredients individually such as Italian style breadcrumbs, kosher salt, nutmeg, unbleached all-purpose flour, and whole milk are priced range from $2 to $5.

All items are easily accessible at the local supermarket and specialty store. Places such as Walmart, Giants, ShopRite, and even Whole Foods Market. Or just order them from Instacart and have them delivered to your doorstep.

It’s pretty much a no fuss meal, really. Bake a meal in 30 minutes. Clean up before dinner is ready and enjoy your one pot meal. Have immediately or store it in the freezer for a later meal. I often top mines off with barbecue sauce, which is awesome on baked macaroni and cheese. But hey, that’s just my opinion😊. What would you put on your baked macaroni and cheese? What combination of cheeses would you use?