This is Food Revolution's Jamie Oliver's macaroni and cheese recipe. My daughter converted the ingredients from metric to American. So yummy, and with the added tomatoes, good for you!
JAMIE OLIVER'S KILLER MAC 'N' CHEESE
- - -
Ingredients:
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 stick butter
• 3 heaped tablespoons plain flour
• 4-6 cloves of garlic
• 6 fresh bay leaves
• about 2 cups semi-skimmed milk
• 1 box dried macaroni (16 oz)
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• about 1 - 1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• about 1 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
• a couple splashes Worcestershire sauce
• about 1 cup breadcrumbs
• olive oil
- - -
Get a large pan of salted water on to boil. Melt the butter in a large ovenproof saucepan over a low heat, then add the flour and turn the heat up to medium, stirring all the time, until you get a paste – this is your roux. Chop and add garlic. Keep cooking and stirring until golden and the garlic is nice and sticky. Add the bay leaves and slowly whisk in the milk a little at a time to ensure you get a nice smooth sauce.
Bring the mixture to the boil, then leave it on a low heat to simmer and tick away, stirring occasionally. Preheat your oven to 425ºF.
Add the pasta to the pan of boiling salted water and cook according to the packet instructions. Drain the pasta and add it immediately to the sauce. Give it a good stir and take the pan off the heat. Stir in your grated cheeses, Rotel tomatoes and thyme leaves, and Worcestershire sauce. Now work on the flavour – taste it and season it until it’s hitting the right spot. You want it to be slightly too wet because it will thicken up again in the oven, so add a splash of water if needed.
If you’ve made your sauce in an ovenproof casserole-type pan, leave everything in there; if not, transfer it to a deep earthenware dish.
Put in the oven.
While it’s cooking, mix together breadcrumbs and a few tablespoons olive oil. Put on top of macaroni and cheese and place back in the oven.
Bake until golden brown.
