Gene's Super Bowl Mac and Cheese

Sunday's Super Bowl was, well, super! A great football game with two seasoned and gifted quarterbacks--and the outcome in doubt until the last 38 seconds. The game ending with a breathtaking catch in the corner of the end zone.

At my house the game was also great because I made one of my favorite comfort foods, Mac and Cheese. Super Bowl Sunday cries out for comfort food: chili, short ribs, beef stew, hot dogs and burgers, wings, dip and plenty of cold beer!

Over the years I've tweaked the basic Mac and Cheese recipe. It's a very adaptable dish easily made your own by varying the cheeses used and adding such things as a few dashes of Tabasco or Worcestershire sauce or including a few tablespoons of sun-dried or oven-roasted tomatoes. As long as you maintain the basic ratio of white sauce (1 quart of milk, six tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup of flour) to the number of cups of cheese (6) you will get a good result. Here's the latest incarnation of this American Classic.

Dining Around with Gene Burns
Macaroni and Cheese

• 1 pound elbow macaroni, cavetappi, fusilli or penne
• 1 quart milk
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 3 cups grated sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
• 2 cups grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated if possible
• 1/4 pound prosciutto, chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas (no need to thaw)
• A little extra of each of the grated cheeses, mixed together, to use as a topping before baking.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Heat the milk in a saucepan until it is hot but not boiling. Melt the butter in a pot large enough to hold all of the ingredients (4 quarts should do it), add the flour and cook while stirring with a whisk for two minutes over low heat.

Slowly pour in the hot milk while continuing to whisk. Cook for a minute or two more until thickened.

When the mixture is thickened, remove from the heat and whisk in the cheeses, black pepper, nutmeg, chopped prosciutto and frozen peas. Taste and check for salt and add some if needed. Stir in the cooked macaroni, mix well and pour into a greased casserole dish (a three-quart size should hold it). Sprinkle the extra grated cheeses on top. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes until top is nicely browned.

Enjoy!

Gene Burns