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| Shrimp mac and cheese. |
Baked mac and cheese is one of my favourite winter (/spring/summer/fall) treats. This isn't just because of the luxurious cheese-sauce, but because this basic dish is an amazing canvas for flavours. The classic noodle and cheese-sauce combination doesn't really maximize the nutritional potential of this dish, so I'm always mixing up different cheeses, vegetables, meats and grains.
The best thing about making mac and cheese is that you don't need a recipe at all (and you certainly don't need a box of
chemical powder cheese.) If you are using a recipe as inspiration, you don't need to follow it to the letter, you can add more or less of anything to suit what you have in your kitchen at the time.
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Bits of poached shrimp waiting
for their cheese bath. |
I don't limit my definition of 'mac and cheese' to just macaroni either, I am an equal opportunity noodle-user and I think it's important to experiment. For this dish, I used a spiral
Spelt-flour pasta. Spelt is an ancient grain so it's got less gluten than white or whole wheat, and it packs protein, B and E vitamins and other minerals. The crevices and curls of this noodle are like little holding tanks for sauce, which is ideal when you've got a melted blend of homemade chicken stock, parmesan rind, shrimp and aged cheddar.
Just before baking, I sprinkled ground almonds and grated parmesan (breadcrumb impersonators) over top of the pasta. When the top is browned, serve immediately with a small green salad and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
Get the recipe here.
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