Macaroni and Cheese Part 2 – A Traditional Recipe

11. December 2007, 14:00 UhrRecipes, South AfricaSam   4,530 Views

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As promised in Macaroni and Cheese Part 1 – A South African Recipe, to follow is a recipe for the traditional or “Béchamel” Macaroni and Cheese.

Just a couple of notes before we begin:

You will see that the recipe encourages you to prepare all ingredients first and set them aside. The reason for this is that the white sauce is by far the most important component of the recipe and it requires your (my!) full attention. Sucky white sauce = sucky Mac and Cheese! Now I taught myself how to make white sauce and it is probably the one thing that I have really struggled to perfect. Fluffy rice is the other. I purchased a rice cooker to solve the latter issue, but I have yet to find a “White Sauce Cooker”! My problem was that in the past it my white sauce would end up with a grainy grainy consistency…not very pleasant at all. I asked around and everyone had a different theory: some said that I overcooked the sauce, others said that I let the butter and flour get too hot before adding the milk. Yet others said that adding flour to very hot butter would cause it. So, having done my social research, I went did some nerd research online. I looked up some forums on the issue and, whilst I have still not nailed down exactly what the problem is, I have succeeded in incorprating some suggestions people made and it seems to have worked!

So here is the recipe with a rather detailed white-sauce section:

Ingredients

  • 250g macaroni or elbow macaroni
  • 1 medium/large onion
  • 150g lean bacon
  • 200g grated “Extra Tasty” cheddar cheese (or equivalent outside Australia)



    • White Sauce

  • 3 cups low-fat or full-cream milk
  • 6 Tbsp plain flour
  • 6 Tbsp butter



    • Topping

  • ¾ cup breadcrumbs
  • 3 Tbsp butter
  • 50g “Extra Tasty” cheddar cheese



    • Preparation

  • Preheat the oven to 160° C
  • Grease a 25×20×5cm casserole dish
  • Finely chop the onion and fry until transparent. You do not want caramelised onion! Set aside.
  • Finely chop the bacon and fry until very crispy. Set aside.
  • Melt the 3 Tbsp of butter in a pan and add breadcrumbs. Stir until golden brown (careful here – the breadcrumbs burn easily). Set aside.
  • Cook the macaroni according to package instructions until al-dente or just undercooked. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.



    • The White Sauce

  • Heat the milk in a pot on low heat. Do not let it boil. You want it to be at medium heat when you add it to the butter and flour mixture.
  • In another pot (preferably non-stick) melt the 6 Tbsp of butter on medium-low heat.
  • Slowly add the 6 Tbsp of plain flour, while stirring the entire time. Make sure you get rid of all lumps (you can even use a whisk). Continue stirring for about 2 minutes (this apparently eliminated the floury taste of some white sauces).
  • Slowly add the warm milk to the mixture – about a half cup at a time.
  • Continue stirring until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat.



    • The Meeting

  • Add the cooked macaroni, onion, bacon and 200g cheese to the white sauce and stir it all together.
  • Pour mixture into the greased dish.
  • Sprinkle with buttered breadcrumbs and remaining cheese.
  • Place in oven and remove when the cheese and bread-crumbs on top are golden brown.

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    If you would like a truly South African experience, dice about 6 Peppadews and add them along with the onion and bacon. This wonderful African fruit lends the dish a sweet and peppery flavour that I adore!

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    You can read about Peppadews here, purchase them at any South African shop or order them online here. Please let me know what you think of this unique addition to the dish!

    Image Source

    5 comments:

    1. Sam’s View » Crunchy Salad (Pingback), 28. December 2007, 9:39
       

      [...] pretty much add whatever you like, but it is really healthy (hopefully making up for my previous Macaroni and Cheese escapades). We often have it on its own or with some chicken on the side. My version is slightly different to [...]

       
    2. Melody Spiller, 25. January 2008, 3:36
       

      Mushrooms are also great if added to the bacon & onions! Mmmm…. my favorite :-)

       
    3. Sam, 25. January 2008, 7:58
       

      My fiance is crazy about mushrooms, so I should definitely try that, Melody. My only concern is that they may make the dish watery. I will report back soon on my findings!!

       
    4. Melody Spiller, 29. January 2008, 11:20
       

      My Mom has always made it with mushrooms (fresh NOT canned) and it was always one of my favorite dishes! I’m interested to know if yours will turn out watery, I’ve never had that problem :-) Let me know how it goes…

       
    5. claudette, 19. November 2009, 2:19
       

      made it and it is delicious,and it did not come out watery,
      really a delcious recipie

       

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