Mac 'n' Cheese with Leeks and Peas
I am eating leftovers for lunch, and they are delicious. In this time of frozen slush, I thought you all should know how to make yourselves something warm and delicious, too. So, a recipe (no amounts listed because I am a firm believer in intuitive amounts--sorry):
*Vegetarian, contains dairy and wheat
Ingredients
Leeks
Olive oil
Salt
Garlic
Cheese
Pasta
Sauce packet(s) or flour and butter to start a roux
Milk
Frozen peas
What to do
So, basically, get a couple of leeks, chop off the very ends, and then dice the green and pale parts up and sautee them in a bit of olive oil and salt.
Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta, and grate some cheese while you're waiting. I used extra sharp cheddar, which I think goes really well with leeks, but any cheese or cheese combo will do.
After the leeks have been in for a few minutes, add a few cloves of minced garlic, and stir that up at a constant clip for a couple more minutes. Your kitchen should smell really good by then. Set the leeks aside and let them spread their gorgeous, leeky aroma through your house. You will probably be forced to eat a few bites, and maybe some of the grated cheese as well at this time. It's inevitable.
Your water should be boiling now, so add the pasta and get that going.
Now, if you're using boxed mac 'n' cheese like I did last night (Annie's! Yum!), you can mix up the sauce packets with some milk while you wait for the pasta to be ready. If you're being fancy, this is a good time to start the roux for your cheese sauce, but only if you have someone else around who can drain the pasta or stir the roux for you when pasta draining time comes. I like to cook the pasta until it is just al dente because I know it'll soften more in the baking, so that only takes a couple of minutes. If you don't have a helper, you can just wait until the pasta is drained before starting your sauce.
Preheat your oven to 350.
You can make cheese sauce in a variety of ways. I usually do a basic bechamel and add cheese along with the milk (I wouldn't do nutmeg with this particular mac 'n' cheese, though), but you can do whatever you like.
Okay, so you have a pan of leeks, a pot of drained pasta, a pile of grated cheese (unless you used all of it in the sauce, but I would recommend reserving some for the top of the casserole), and some sauce. first dump the pasta into a casserole dish, then add the leeks and some frozen peas. mix all that up until it's nicely distributed, and then pour your sauce on. Mix some more and then sprinkle cheese over the top. Bake for half an hour or longer until it looks a bit brown and bubbly and delicious.
Note: I don't usually like putting egg in my mac 'n' cheese, though a lot of others do to make it stick together. I find the egg taste and texture distracts from the cheese. YMMV. If you do egg, the general recommendation is to temper the egg before adding and add it to the mixture at the end. This is supposed to give a more uniform distribution and avoid accidental scrambling.
Second Note: You can get a fiber and protein boost by using whole wheat pasta if you like (I did that last night, and it was super delicious. I don't always like whole wheat pasta, but in a casserole with cheese and veg, the grainy texture adds depth instead of feeling like eating sandy cardboard). Also, if you do the thing I did with the Annie's instead of scratch sauce, it's more delicious to mix some of the grated cheese into the casserole before sprinkling the rest on the top so that you have cheddary goodness throughout. For added tanginess, mix your Annie's sauce with yogurt instead of milk.
Yum! Okay, I have finished my leftover lunch (this mac 'n' cheese reheats really well, too), and should get on with work now.
*Vegetarian, contains dairy and wheat
Ingredients
Leeks
Olive oil
Salt
Garlic
Cheese
Pasta
Sauce packet(s) or flour and butter to start a roux
Milk
Frozen peas
What to do
So, basically, get a couple of leeks, chop off the very ends, and then dice the green and pale parts up and sautee them in a bit of olive oil and salt.
Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta, and grate some cheese while you're waiting. I used extra sharp cheddar, which I think goes really well with leeks, but any cheese or cheese combo will do.
After the leeks have been in for a few minutes, add a few cloves of minced garlic, and stir that up at a constant clip for a couple more minutes. Your kitchen should smell really good by then. Set the leeks aside and let them spread their gorgeous, leeky aroma through your house. You will probably be forced to eat a few bites, and maybe some of the grated cheese as well at this time. It's inevitable.
Your water should be boiling now, so add the pasta and get that going.
Now, if you're using boxed mac 'n' cheese like I did last night (Annie's! Yum!), you can mix up the sauce packets with some milk while you wait for the pasta to be ready. If you're being fancy, this is a good time to start the roux for your cheese sauce, but only if you have someone else around who can drain the pasta or stir the roux for you when pasta draining time comes. I like to cook the pasta until it is just al dente because I know it'll soften more in the baking, so that only takes a couple of minutes. If you don't have a helper, you can just wait until the pasta is drained before starting your sauce.
Preheat your oven to 350.
You can make cheese sauce in a variety of ways. I usually do a basic bechamel and add cheese along with the milk (I wouldn't do nutmeg with this particular mac 'n' cheese, though), but you can do whatever you like.
Okay, so you have a pan of leeks, a pot of drained pasta, a pile of grated cheese (unless you used all of it in the sauce, but I would recommend reserving some for the top of the casserole), and some sauce. first dump the pasta into a casserole dish, then add the leeks and some frozen peas. mix all that up until it's nicely distributed, and then pour your sauce on. Mix some more and then sprinkle cheese over the top. Bake for half an hour or longer until it looks a bit brown and bubbly and delicious.
Note: I don't usually like putting egg in my mac 'n' cheese, though a lot of others do to make it stick together. I find the egg taste and texture distracts from the cheese. YMMV. If you do egg, the general recommendation is to temper the egg before adding and add it to the mixture at the end. This is supposed to give a more uniform distribution and avoid accidental scrambling.
Second Note: You can get a fiber and protein boost by using whole wheat pasta if you like (I did that last night, and it was super delicious. I don't always like whole wheat pasta, but in a casserole with cheese and veg, the grainy texture adds depth instead of feeling like eating sandy cardboard). Also, if you do the thing I did with the Annie's instead of scratch sauce, it's more delicious to mix some of the grated cheese into the casserole before sprinkling the rest on the top so that you have cheddary goodness throughout. For added tanginess, mix your Annie's sauce with yogurt instead of milk.
Yum! Okay, I have finished my leftover lunch (this mac 'n' cheese reheats really well, too), and should get on with work now.