Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
Yes this is actually made with fusilli—I didn’t have actual macaroni on hand, and to us uncouth Americans macaroni and cheese is more about a short pasta with a cheese sauce than it is about actual macaroni noodles. The reason this is made with fusilli is only because one of my favorite einkorn brands, Jovial Foods, doesn’t make macaroni with einkorn flour, and it’s the einkorn which makes this dish really healthy compared to common wheat which contributes to a host of metabolic illnesses (due to the hardy gluten type it contains), not to mention the horrible stomachache you get from it. Einkorn is easy to digest, and making homemade sauce is also a joy, really easy to do, and doesn’t take more than five minutes longer than emptying a packet of that processed stuff, which doesn’t actually have any cheese in it. Because of the carbs, good fats, calcium, phosphorus, and other nutrients this dish is sure to get your heart rate up and your metabolism burning.
Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
1 box einkorn or spelt macaroni or other short pasta
1 cup whole milk (preferably non-A1)
10-14 oz cheese, shredded, preferably something mildly sharp like cheddar or manchego.
2 tbsp einkorn or spelt flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
4-5 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground pepper
2 eggs
Set a large pot of water to boil and add pasta. Meanwhile, smash garlic and add to a shallow pan with olive oil, salt, and bay leaf over medium-low heat (the bay leaf is what really makes this dish, garlic will brown very quickly so once the butter starts to sizzle drop the heat to very low and stir frequently). After about six minutes add the flour and pepper turn the heat back up a little. Cook the flour for just 2-3 minutes, careful not to brown it, using a whisk to keep it moving, then remove from heat and discard bay leaf. Add shredded cheese, milk, and eggs and mix until incorporated. RIGHT BEFORE draining pasta, add one ladle of pasta water to the sauce, then drain. Add the pasta back to the large pot, then add the sauce and turn the heat back to medium. Continue stirring pasta and sauce together, then remove from heat when the sauce thickens. Season for taste. If you want to take a trip back to your childhood, add slices of bratwurst, andouille sausage, or other high quality sausage or frank.