From the Kitchen : Mushroom Mac and Cheese

...Mac... and ...cheese...

As the whispers from the radio seems to be on the airways, I am wondering why on God's green earth that KFC is selling mac and cheese. I mean I go to KFC for fried chicken eh? Or somehow I have lost the plot...

Nonetheless, if you are like me, who think that KFC should just stick to the FC part, perhaps you can try this recipe for yourself at home. Specially tailored for my Muslim readers for this month of Ramadan, I also made this vegetarian friendly so its fun for everyone. Well almost. Sorry vegans but you need cheese for mac and cheese right?

So here it is, my interpretation to an American staple. Note that this is a portion for 2.

Mushroom Macaroni and Cheese

200 gm macaroni 

180 gm cheddar cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

200 ml milk (best cold) 

120 gm flour

butter

3 cloves garlic

150 gm mushrooms

Steps: 

The one thing that starts it all. 

1. Boil the macaroni till cooked according to the pack. I mean its quite obvious right?

2. Saute the garlic and then later the mushrooms until slightly golden. Add some butter before cooking and midway to encourage some roasting process. You can add any seasoning you would like here. I have added some onion powder and thyme. 

Make sure you get enough colour on, as more colour means more flavour. Just do not burn it.

3. Remove the fried mushrooms and prepare a bechemel. Add more grease by adding butter into the pan. Once it is all melted, add the flour until you get some sort of paste. Add the milk soon after. The milk should be chilled and best, right from the fridge as colder milk will prevent lumps from forming.

4. Once you get a creamy white sauce, add in the cheddar cheese. Incorporate the cheese until it is well melted, under a medium low flame.

Time to get messy

5.  When the creamy sauce is ready, combine it with the pasta and the mushrooms. Once it is all combined, put them into a oven safe tray or bowl. You may cover it with more cheese here as well. I use a combination of sharp cheddar and mozzarella slices. Grated version of the mozzarella is better, but slices is what I got. 

Pre oven treatment. 

6. Bake it for 14 minutes under 180c in the oven and you are done!

Simple and satisfying, it is slightly tedious. But you can easily make a huge batch and it takes little effort to make this in bulk. And it never fails to impress. 

For abit of edge, I sprinkled some dried chillies on the top.