Ok. I know I said only boozy recipes, but this one was too good not to share. I’ll make it up to you with some wine-drenched meatballs and maybe some boozy brownies. I’ve got some flour and cocoa, eggs and butter, an open bottle of cheap enough wine and Trader Joes has a pound of beef for $1.99. Forgive me, and without further adieu…
MOZZ CHEESY MAC WITH BROC
Being out here can be tough on a person, especially if that person loves the greatness that is southern mac and cheese. This great American comfort food has many many variations but there are two major camps when it comes to preparing such a delicious dish: the creamy béchamel style or the baked casserole style.
The béchamel style uses a light roux of butter and flour combined with cheese and milk to form a creamy and cheesy sauce that you toss the cooked pasta in and then serve (think velveeta or that godawful blue box “dinner” for which my roommate seems to have a taste).
The other, correct way of preparing macaroni and cheese is to bake the pasta with butter, cheese and milk so that all those flavors come together with the pasta and form a crispy crust on top. This mac and cheese method is heaven.
And normally I am all about some medium and mild cheddar cheeses, but this week Mozzarella and ricotta were on sale, so we’re doing a white, italian style mac and cheese. Also at the store, I picked up some frozen broccoli two for one, and I borrowed a cup and a half of milk from my roommate (which I will repay, of course).
RECIPE: Mozz Cheesy Mac with Broc
Time: <1 hour
Amount: a lot, but I’ll say one portion because that means I don’t have to share.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups Uncooked Pasta
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 4 cups Grated Mozzarella Cheese
- 1 cup Ricotta Cheese
- 1.5 cups Milk
- 1 cup Broccoli (or more)
- 2 tbsp Breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Salt and Pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
- Cook Pasta to al dente firmness. Don’t forget to salt the water. Drain.
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- As the Pasta is cooking, combine the Butter, Milk and Ricotta Cheese in a bowl. Whisk until smooth. Normally I’d add an egg in here too in order to help bind the ingredients together as they bake, but I tend to prefer this version without. The Ricotta does a pretty decent job of keeping everything together.
- Toss Pasta with Broccoli and put in a casserole dish. I used a 9x9 pan. Sitr in 3.5 cups of Mozzarella Cheese. Note for the Broccoli: don’t cook frozen Broccoli before using them, they will cook in the oven; if you have fresh Broccoli, you might want to blanch it in the boiling water for a minute before you put the pasta in it. It will bring out some of that bright green color.
- Pour liquid mixture over the top of the Pasta. Make sure it gets all the way to the bottom. Top with Breadcrumbs and Parmesan Cheese. For my cheddar Mac and Cheese, I refuse to use breadcrumbs, but with Mozzarella and Broccoli, it just seemed like a good idea. Also I have a loaf of wheat bread that is like two days from starting to mold, so I wanted to use some of that.
- Put it in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. The liquid should start to bubble.
- Take it out and add that last 1/2 cup of Mozzarella Cheese and bake for another 10 minutes or until the Mozzarella on top starts to brown.
- Let the dish rest! If you cut it up too soon, the cheese is going to be too gooey. In about 10-15 minutes, it will be perfect.
