Hello!
The weather has been running hot and cold here. Literally! I guiltily turned the central air on last week when the house just didn't cool down enough for our preferred sleeping temperature.
After sleeping for 10 years above an uninsulated front porch (the "summer porch" a lot of older homes had, which is basically a room that's almost all windows, so you can catch a breeze in the summer heat), we REALLY have come to like a cold room. This is definitely not the usual November weather- some days have been in the high 60's, and today is a much colder 34.
During one of the cold days, Jeffrey decided to write up a recipe we've been enjoying for a year or so. This is his own recipe, arrived at through trial and error. Every batch was just a little bit better!
Cajun Macaroni and Cheese is definitely not an inexpensive comfort food because of all the cheese, but the taste is so good that every time I bring a container for lunch, someone in my office comments on how good is smells. It tastes even better!
And as usual, we make massive amounts, because even with all the cheese, this recipe freezes very well. If you're going to go to all the trouble of putting this together, you might as well be able to enjoy your hard work for awhile!
-Juli
Cajun Macaroni and Cheese
yield = 14-16 servings
Topping:
5 -6 slices fresh bread
1 cup grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
4 tablespoons minced parsley
½ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
½ teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
¼ teaspoon sea salt
4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
24 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced
1 large onion, minced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 pounds elbow macaroni
Sauce:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
6 cups milk, divided
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded
1 pound American cheese, shredded
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¾ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Directions:
Prepare two 9x13 casserole dishes by spraying with
nonstick cooking spray.
Topping:
Process bread into unevenly-sized crumbs. Combine bread crumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano,
parsley, black pepper, paprika and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Pour the melted butter on top of the bread
crumb mixture and stir to combine. Set
aside.
Melt 1 tbsp butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sliced Andouille sausage and onion and
cook, stirring frequently, until the sausage is lightly browned and the onion
is translucent (5-6 minutes). Add garlic
and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Transfer sausage
mixture to a bowl, cover and set aside.
Start water boiling and prepare the macaroni according to
package directions. Preheat oven to 375
degrees.
Sauce:
Start at about the same time you start the water boiling
for the macaroni.
In the same Dutch oven used to cook the sausage and
onions, melt 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat. When the butter is bubbling, add ¼ cup of the
flour and whisk to combine. Whisk in the
rest of the flour, ¼ cup at a time, to make a roux. Whisk in one cup of milk and whisk until
smooth. Whisking constantly, add two
more cups of milk, one cup at a time, until smooth. Cook until slightly thickened (about 2
minutes), then add the final 3 cups of milk and cook, whisking constantly,
until the sauce starts to thicken (about 10 minutes).
Reduce heat to medium-low, then add the grated cheddar
and gruyere cheeses 1 cup at a time, whisking until smooth before adding the
next cup. Repeat until all of the
cheddar and gruyere are incorporated into the sauce, then repeat with the
American cheese. Whisk in the Worcestershire
sauce, mustard powder, paprika, cayenne, black pepper and salt. Remove from heat.
Assembly:
Drain the macaroni.
Divide the macaroni and the sausage mixture evenly between the two
casserole dishes, add half of the sauce
into each casserole, then stir to combine.
Sprinkle half of the topping mixture over each casserole, then transfer
to the preheated oven.
Cook for 35 minutes, rotating the casserole dishes once
during cooking. Remove from the oven and
let cool 10 minutes. Serve.
We like to package the leftovers into sandwich-sized freezer-safe containers. This size is good for an individual work-day lunch. Microwave and enjoy!