Se Hace Camino Al Andar

Earlier this week, I made a batch of bechamel, using a recipe from the October 09 issue of Everyday Food, with the intention of using it in two different recipes. The first recipe was creamed spinach, and even though I knew I wouldn’t be using the whole batch for the spinach, I added nutmeg to the bechamel anyway, without really thinking about it. Nutmeg and spinach go so well together!

I put the rest of the bechamel away, to be used the next night for tuna noodle casserole. When I made the casserole, I didn’t taste the nutmeg at all and forgot about it. Fast-forward to lunchtime today. I decided to finish off the batch of bechamel since it only keeps for a few days.

One of the best uses for bechamel is baked macaroni and cheese. For a long time, I used my mother’s mac and cheese recipe, in which she used a sort of custard instead of bechamel, beating together eggs and milk, then pouring it over the macaroni before baking. Once you discover the taste difference in using bechamel, it’s hard to go back! (Sorry, mom!) Today, the finished result included a hint of nutmeg, which surprised me… I’d forgotten all about it, after all! Man, what a difference. It took the mac and cheese to whole new level, along with the addition of diced carrots. (I made a mini mac and cheese today… just scoop the macaroni mixture into a greased muffin tin, top each one with some cheese and breadcrumbs, and bake as usual. It’ll probably need ten less minutes than a whole pan.)

Homemade Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Bechamel sauce (If your cookbook doesn’t have a recipe, try this one. Whichever recipe you use, add a dash of nutmeg to it.)

A box of elbow macaroni

2 or 3 carrots, diced

A bag of shredded cheddar cheese (or shred up a block)

Breadcrumbs (I like panko but regular ones work, too)

Butter

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Boil macaroni, and throw in carrots during last minute of cooking.
3. Drain macaroni and carrots, and return to the pot.
4. Stir in bechamel sauce, just enough to coat and then some.
5. Stir in half the cheese.
6. Pour the macaroni mixture into your baking dish.
7. Spread out evenly and top with remaining cheddar cheese.
8. In the microwave, melt 2 or 3 tablespoons of butter. When melted, stir in breadcrumbs and spread breadcrumb mixture over the top of the macaroni.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes (cheese should be melted, breadcrumbs should be browned.)
10. Let rest for ten minutes before serving.

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