Sunday, April 27, 2008

Another revamped Mac and Cheese

Every now and then I have random half used ingredients in the fridge that I like to mix up and create something with. For lunch today, I decided to weed through the meat/cheese drawer to make JJ's lunch. I found some pancetta, sun-dried tomatoes, and cheeses. I asked him how mac and cheese sounded, and of course, he gave me the thumbs up. I had to pick a pasta out of the pantry, and I chose the O's that I got at Trader Joe's. They were an impulse buy...I thought they were so cute, but had no idea what to do with them. I did see they were imported from Italy, though. I noticed that all of the ingredients I had were Italian, and the color of Italy's flag, so I came up with...


Italian Flag Mac and Cheese

1/2 lb. pasta, any cut
1/8 c. pancetta, cubed
1/2 yellow onion, grated
2 tbsp. flour
1 c. milk
1/2 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. provolone cheese
1/2 c. parmiggiano reggiano cheese
1 c. mozzarella cheese
6 sun dried tomatoes, chopped
10 basil leaves, torn
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Pinch oregano
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs

Cook pasta according to directions, drain, and set aside.
In a large skillet, cook pancetta over medium-high until fat is rendered out. Grate in onion, and sprinkle in flour. Whisk to cook flour. Add in the milk and stock, bring to a low bubble. When thickened, add in cheeses, stirring. Turn heat to low. Add in tomatoes, basil, and season.
Pour into ramekins, and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, or until browned on top.

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