It has not been easy lately. You name it, we’ve had to deal with it this year. We’ve had money stress and family stress and travel stress and new friends and saying “this isn’t goodbye” to old friends and it has just plain sucked at times. This is before the walking garbage of the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings - and last week was rough on a lot of my friends because of that. But it was also my birthday, and it is important to remember how much I have to be grateful for, including the ability to eat food that just plain makes you feel good.

This is the recipe I am most often asked about. It is a crowd pleaser - good for 2 people (over like, 3 days) or more, it’s perfect for special occasions like Easter or Thanksgiving potlucks. Or, in my case, a week that basically makes you throw your hands up and say “F$%k it”.

It doesn’t need a complicated back story, or a grand theme. You make this to make yourself or someone else feel comforted and loved and so that they (or you) can relax for a minute.

Ingredients:

  • 1lb elbow macaroni (or any short, ridged pasta will do)
  • 5 and 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I prefer 4 cups of store brand sharp cheddar, white or yellow, and the remaining 1 and 1/2 cups to be split between a fancier, extra sharp cheddar and Gruyere)
  • 1/2 stick (4 tbsp) butter (plus some to grease a baking dish if needed)
  • 2 tbsp All Purpose flour
  • 4 cups Milk (whole milk is preferable)
  • Salt, Black Pepper, Paprika, (optional) Dry Mustard
  • whole Head of Garlic
  • lots of fresh Thyme (2-3 sprigs to infuse sauce, 2-3 more for garnish, and 2-3 for bacon jam, if desired)

For the bacon jam - 4 strips bacon, in 1 inch cubes, and 1 onion, diced, a little extra virgin olive oil.

To make

  1. pre heat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Pot on, lightly salted. No salt and the pasta does not taste right, and as much salt as you normally would for pasta and the dish tastes too salty. I’ve settled on a generous pinch of salt after much experimentation. Another note: you’re cooking this 2-3 minutes shy of the low number on the package. Drain, but don’t rinse.
  3. While that’s coming to a boil in a small sauce pan, put in the milk, 2-3 sprigs of thyme (whole is fine) and a whole head of garlic, paper and all over low heat. We’ll strain out the solids in a minute so don’t bother spending time on unneeded knife work.
  4. In a dutch oven, begin to melt the butter over low heat. This should be the dish you’re going to bake the macaroni in, but if you’d prefer to serve in a different dish, a large stock pot will work just fine for this step. You’ll just transfer from this into the baking/serving when this is done.
  5. Once the butter melts, slowly whisk in flour to form a Roux. This particular roux we want to be thin and blond, which is ironic given the calories in the dish. No coloration! No brown bits here.
  6. Once you have your blond roux, add the milk through a strainer. Voila you have a Beschemel, or milk gravy.
  7. Slowly add in 4 cups of the cheese, a little at a time. Do not just dump it in! That’s how you end up with clumps and cheese baked on to the sides of your pan. Add a little, incorporate it completely, repeat. Now you have a Mornay sauce. Look at you, monsieur e madame !
  8. Here’s where you’d add salt, pepper, dry mustard, and or paprika to taste. FWIW, I prefer a lot of paprika, not only for the smoky flavor but because the red color makes the dish look incredible.
  9. Add the pasta, and fold until every molecule of the pasta is cheesy and delicious.
  10. Put the dutch oven in to the oven, set a timer for 20 minutes.
  11. While that’s going, get a little olive oil heated on medium low in a small non stick saute pan. When the oil gets to temp, add the bacon and render out the fat. Then add the onion, until it gives up all of its moisture, and then reduce heat as the liquid reduces down into a delicious, carmelized syrup. You may add a little thyme to this.
  12. At the 20 minute mark, pull the oven out enough to sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. This is going to get golden brown delicious and crusty over the next 8-15 minutes, at which point you’re done.
  13. You may choose to let it cool just a minute or five, and then plate, topping with the bacon jam and a little more thyme.

If you are gluten intolerant, I’ve successfully made this substituting rice pasta and corn starch for the wheat pasta and flour.

Now, go and make yourself or a loved one feel better.