Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

Turns out I LOVE prepping foods 

I have kind of a love/hate relationship with macaroni and cheese, with an emphasis on the hate part. Or, at the very least, not like much. Martin, on the other hand, loves his pasta. In fact, one of his go-to meals during bachelorhood was...you guessed it, a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese. I'm sure I opened my share of those boxes to feed to the kids and/or Martin back in the day and I'm equally sure I probably ate portions of the unnaturally orange pasta end product that came out of those boxes, but we'll call that convenience eating, rather than anything approaching appreciation for Kraft's version of macaroni and "cheese".  Frugal Martin has often bragged about waiting until a sale came, buying ten boxes for a dollar, and then having at least ten nights of dinner just waiting to be easily cooked up. I say he overpaid for what he got.

As I've mentioned here, I'm always looking for a good macaroni and have, for years, used a particular recipe that came from an old Southern Living magazine. Since we are usually just the two of us and since the one of us doesn't really much care for macaroni and cheese, I usually wind up with lots left over. This means macaroni and cheese for a few nights in a row. And a few lunches. Martin isn't wild about leftovers unless they're artfully disguised and, as a rule, not served up the following day, and, herein, lies a problem since I don't think macaroni freezes well. And you thought retirement couple living was easy!

Last night, I decided to try Smitten Kitchen's stovetop macaroni and cheese as a nod to Martin's Krafty past AND as a means of cooking something he likes without having to make a giant batch of it. Substituting that weird orange powder for an actual cheese represents a bit of a gamble for my not so gourmet husband but I decided to take the risk anyway. Living on the edge.

The beauty of this recipe is that you really only make about one large or two smaller portions worth. I ate a couple spoonfuls just to see how it tasted. This is one of those wierdly paradoxical things about me and macaroni and cheese. While I will tell you with great conviction that it's not a food I care for, there is something of the comfort food element about hot cheesy pasta. Perhaps more so with something fresh out of the oven as opposed to prepared on a cookstove but, either way, macaroni and cheese can meet some kind of nostalgic need to recreate childhood or a simpler past.

This version of the dish is less nostalgic but definitely slightly elevated in the choice of a cheese other than mystery powder. Martin took a second helping, I got my taste, and there were no leftovers to store. Best of all, the process for making this macaroni and cheese is almost as simple as dumping a box of Kraft in a pot of boiling water so it could (and will be) whipped up many a night when there's a need for something quick to feed the hungry man living here.

QUICK ESSENTIAL STOVETOP MACARONI AND CHEESE
from Smitten Kitchen

INGREDIENTS
Kosher salt
4 ounces (115 grams) dried pasta, such as macaroni or another small twisty shape
2 teaspoons (10 grams) salted or unsalted butter (Note that this is teaspoons versus Tablespoons so you're not going to get the handy marker on your butter cube. According to Deb, there's no need to go crazy trying to measure two teaspoons from a stick. Just shy of the tablespoon mark will be about right. Or, if you don't read that note until typing up this recipe, you can get all fussy and weigh out the 10 grams. You choose)
2 teaspoons (6 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (125 ml) low-fat or whole milk
Many grinds of black pepper
1/2 cup (1 ounce or 30 grams) finely grated parmesan or pecorino cheese. (I used the pecorino but, in the future, I might take another suggestion from Deb and use a very sharp aged cheddar.)

DIRECTIONS
Bring a small-to-medium pot of very well-salted water to a boil and add your dried pasta. Cook it until firm tender, then drain. Return pot to stove and melt butter in the bottom. Using a spoon or whisk, add flour and mix until it disappears. Add milk, a tiny splash at a time, stirring constantly so no lumps form. Season with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and many grinds of black pepper. Bring sauce to a simmer. Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese until combined. Add drained pasta, stir to evenly coat. Scoop into a bowl and finish it with more black pepper, if you wish. Repeat as needed.