Name: Baked Macaroni And Cheese (By Mark Bittman)
Cuisine: International
Ingredients: salt (to taste); 2 1/2 cups milk (low-fat is fine); 2 bay leaves; 1/2 lb pasta (elbow, shell, ziti, or other cut, I like rotini); 4 tablespoons butter; 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 cups grated cheese (like sharp cheddar or Emmental); 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese; fresh ground black pepper (to taste); 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, preferably fresh (can use more)

Ingredients

salt (to taste)

2 1/2 cups milk (low-fat is fine)

2 bay leaves

1/2 lb pasta (elbow, shell, ziti, or other cut, I like rotini)

4 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups grated cheese (like sharp cheddar or Emmental)

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

1/2 cup breadcrumbs, preferably fresh (can use more)

Method

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1.
Preheat the oven to 400°F Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Cook the milk with the bay leaves in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. When small bubbles appear along the sides, about 5 minutes later, turn off the heat and let stand. Cook the pasta to the point where it is almost done but you would still think it needed another minute or two to become tender. Drain it, rinse it quickly to stop the cooking, and put it in a large bowl. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter; when it is foamy, add the flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture browns, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves from the milk and add about 1/4 cup of the milk to the hot flour mixture, stirring with a wire whisk all the while. As soon as the mixture becomes smooth, add a little more milk and continue to do so until all the milk is used up and the mixture is thick and smooth. Add the cheddar and stir. Pour the sauce over the noodles, toss in the Parmesan, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to grease a 9 x 13-inch or similar-size baking pan and turn the pasta mixture into it. Top liberally with bread crumbs and bake until bubbling and the crumbs turn brown, about 15 minutes. Serve piping hot. Simpler Macaroni and Cheese. Here the ingredients are just layered and cooked together: Proceed with Steps 1-3 as directed. Butter the baking pan with an extra 1 or 2 tablespoons butter. Layer one-third of the pasta, sprinkle with half of the flour, fleck with half of the butter, cover with about 1/2 cup of the cheddar, pour half of the heated milk over the top, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat the layers, using the remaining flour, butter, and milk, and top with the remaining pasta, cheese, and bread crumbs. Bake until bubbling and browned on top, about 30 minutes. Rich Macaroni and Cheese. Super-creamy and decadent; make this even more special with some sauteed wild mushrooms: Reduce the milk to 3/4 cup.

Baked Macaroni And Cheese (By Mark Bittman)

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