MACARONI AND CHEESE!

by Bob Levin, *Eat Life Before Life Eats You!

[Last update: 11.29.2017, 9:02 AM PST]
Proudly buying local and baking with products from Bobs Red Mill.
Bob Levin, nominated membership with the Heroes of the Mill since Nov. 2014.

Im an Italian-Jewish-American and jokingly remark that should I ever design a coat-of-arms it will
include a meatball and a matzo ball. Between baking and other activities I am writing my first tell-
all book Motorcycle of the Soul and a movie will follow. Hope you enjoy this recipe. Eat life
before life eats you!
Ingredients:
1 1 lb. Box of Elbow Macaroni.
1 Cup Bobs Red Mill White Flour [use enough to make a roux that is a heavy paste consistency].
1.5 Sticks of Unsalted Butter for Roux [plus 1/2 of a stick to melt and mix w/ panko].
3 Cups cold Cows Milk.
1/4 Cup of White Wine or Cooking Sherry.
6 Cups of Cheese.
Your choices of cheeses depending on American or Italian style. *Reserve enough cheese to cover the
surface before baking.
1/2 TBSP Black Pepper.
1/2 TBSP White Pepper.
1/2 TBSP Red Pepper Seeds [optional].
1 TSP Sea Salt [your preference].
1 TBSP Garlic Powder.
1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce.
1 TBSP Brown Spicy Mustard.
1 TBSP Italian Seasoning [optional].
1 Pinch Nutmeg [optional].
1/2 TSP Lemon Zest [recommend only adding when the entire quantity will be eaten at one meal].
1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs.

1st Evolution:
Boil the macaroni in salted and seasoned water with a little olive oil. Drain pasta
and set aside.

Continued
2nd Evolution:
Melt stick of butter and mix with panko bread crumbs until completely coated
then set aside.

3rd Evolution:
Make roux in large pan by melting 1.5 sticks of unsalted butter. Add flour and stir
constantly until the mixture forms into a paste.

NOTE: *DO NOT BE AFRAID TO REMOVE THE POT FROM THE HEAT DURING ANY PART OF
THE COOKING PROCESS UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO CONTINUE. DOING SO WILL NOT
AFFECT THE END PRODUCT.

4th Evolution:
Add the cold milk into the roux mixture. Add wine or cooking sherry to prevent
the cheese from knotting. Add salt, pepper, spices, herbs, Worcestershire sauce,
and mustard. Add six cups of cheese. Dont worry if a few lumps of cheese
remain.

5th Evolution:
Combine cheese mixture and precooked elbow macaroni pasta. Fill combined
ingredients into a greased and floured lasagna pan.

6th Evolution:
Cover the surface layer with remaining cheese.

7th Evolution:
Cover the surface cheese layer with buttered panko bread crumbs.

8th Evolution:
Place the lasagna pan on a larger cookie sheet or aluminum foil to prevent drips
and bake at 350F until the surface turns golden brown. Let stand and cool
before serving.

NOTES: For the American version I principally use sharp cheese, but also will
combine cream cheese, Swiss, and whatever else looks good. Dont use ricotta
cheese until you learn to tweak the quantities to compensate for moister content
and volume. Cooking is like a lab experiment. Some sour cream is also a taste
tweaker. *Swiss cheese changes the flavor quality when combined with other
varieties and will often make the combination taste like it has more types of
cheeses than it actually does. When I make 5-cheese quiche it only has cream
cheese, sharp and Swiss.

PHOTOS: First set of images is an American style with panko bread crumbs,
which includes two cups of Swiss, four cups of sharp and one cream cheese.
Second set of images are of an Italian version without panko bread crumbs,
which includes Romano, cream cheese, ricotta, provolone, mozzarella, and Swiss.
Third set of images are an American style without panko bread crumbs.
Melt butter and mix with panko bread crumbs then set aside
Make the roux by melting butter, then adding flour to make a heavy paste
Proudly buying local and baking with products from Bobs Red Mill. Bob Levin
Another set of images of an earlier American style macaroni and cheese with
panko bread crumbs
PHOTOS: Second set of images are of an Italian version without panko bread
crumbs, which includes Romano, cream cheese, ricotta, provolone, mozzarella,
and Swiss.
PHOTOS: Third set of images are an American style without panko bread
crumbs, which includes two cups of Swiss, four cups of sharp and one cream
cheese.
Proudly buying local and baking with products from Bobs Red Mill. Bob Levin