Creamy Macaroni With Sage Food

PASTA WITH BUTTER, SAGE AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; salt it. Cook pasta until it is tender, but not quite done.
• Meanwhile, place butter in a skillet or saucepan large enough to hold the cooked pasta; turn heat to medium, and add sage. Cook until butter turns nut-brown and sage shrivels, then turn heat to a minimum.
• When the pasta is just about done, scoop out a cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta. Immediately add it to the butter-sage mixture, and raise heat to medium. Add 3/4 cup of the water, and stir; the mixture will be loose and a little soupy. Cook for about 30 seconds, or until some of the water is absorbed and the pasta is perfectly done.
• Stir in cheese; the sauce will become creamy. Thin it with a little more water if necessary. Season liberally with pepper and salt to taste, and serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table if you like.

CREAMY BAKED MACARONI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. In a large bowl, combine the soup, milk, chives, mustard and hot pepper sauce. Stir in macaroni and cheese. , Spoon into a greased shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Combine bread crumbs and butter; sprinkle over the top. Bake, uncovered, until heated through and bubbly, 25-30 minutes.

CREAMY MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions. , Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add 1-1/2 cups milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in sour cream, Velveeta, Parmesan cheese, salt, mustard and pepper until smooth and cheese is melted. Add additional milk to reach desired consistency. , Drain macaroni; toss with cheddar cheese. Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Stir in cream sauce. , Bake, uncovered, 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

GRUYèRE MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• For the béchamel: Heat the milk, onion, and bay leaf in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until steam wisps start to rise from the milk (this is scalding the milk, the stage just before boiling), then turn the heat to low. Meanwhile, bring water to a rapid boil in a large saucepan; salt the water. Add the macaroni, immediately stir with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking, and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• As the macaroni cooks, prepare the roux: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat; then whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, to remove the raw flavor of the flour. Once the mixture is bubbling, turn the heat down to low as it continues to cook, about 5 minutes. Add a pinch of cayenne. Slowly add the scalded milk, whisking vigorously after each addition until sauce is smooth. (Discard the onion and bay leaf.) The sauce will thicken as it heats, so be sure to whisk continuously to avoid burning. When all the milk is incorporated, bring to a simmer again before taking the saucepan off the heat. Drain the cooked pasta thoroughly.
• Whisk the cream into the béchamel and season with salt and pepper. Place the macaroni in a large bowl and add 2 cups of the Gruyère. Pour the béchamel on top and stir well to combine. Season to taste with salt.
• Assemble and bake the macaroni: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pour macaroni into a buttered baking dish and top with the remaining Gruyère, then sprinkle on the panko and Parmesan. Bake until the top is lightly browned and cheese is bubbly, 20-30 minutes.
• Remove macaroni from the oven and set aside. Chop chives and parsley and garnish before serving.

CREAMY MACARONI WITH SAGE

Steps:

• Fill a 4-quart kettle three fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil for macaroni. Cook macaroni in boiling water until al dente and drain in a colander.
• While macaroni is cooking, in a non-stick skillet heat butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and add bread crumbs, sage, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook bread crumb mixture, stirring, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. In a large bowl stir together mascarpone and Parmesan. Add macaroni and salt and pepper to taste, tossing to combine.
• Divide macaroni between 2 bowls and sprinkle with seasoned bread crumbs.

SAGE BUTTER MACARONI AND FOUR CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to broil and arrange rack in top. Butter a flameproof 9 by 9-inch baking dish and set aside. Melt 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter and mix in a medium bowl with 1 cup of the Parmigiano and all the bread crumbs until thoroughly moistened; set aside.
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for half the time indicated on package.
• Meanwhile, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it starts to foam, add sage and cook until crisp and butter begins to turn golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside until pasta is ready. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain pasta.
• Return pasta to pot and place over low heat. Stir in sage butter, reserved pasta water, remaining 3 cups Parmigiano, Gruyere, Cheddar, mascarpone, and salt, and season with freshly ground black pepper. Stir constantly until cheeses are evenly melted and the pasta looks well coated. Turn pasta into baking dish and evenly top with bread crumb mixture. Place under broiler until mixture bubbles and top is browned, about 1 to 2 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

BEST CREAMY MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring water and salt to a boil in a large Dutch oven.
• Stir in macaroni and return to a rapid boil.
• Cook 8 to 10 minutes or until tender.
• Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again.
• Combine macaroni, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise.
• Spoon into a lightly greased 11"x7"x1 1/2" baking dish.
• Sprinkle with crackers and bake at 325F 30-35 minutes.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH & SAGE MACARONI CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Toss two-thirds of the butternut squash with the olive oil and seasoning, and roast for 20 mins until nearly tender (it will finish cooking later). Chop the remaining squash coarsely, put in a heatproof bowl with 100ml water and cover with cling film. Microwave on High for 8-10 mins until tender. Drain and mash.
• Fry the onion in a knob of butter until softened but not browned, about 5 mins. Stir in the chopped sage and cook for 1 min more, then add the remaining butter to melt. Stir in the flour and mustard powder, and cook for 1 min until it forms a paste. Gradually whisk in splashes of milk (you can add in bigger additions as you go) until you have a smooth sauce. Bubble, stirring constantly, for 3-5 mins until thickened. Take off the heat and whisk in the mashed squash, 200g of the cheddar and half the Parmesan. Season to taste.
• Cook the macaroni following pack instructions. Drain well, then stir into the sauce with the roasted squash. Tip into a baking dish and scatter with the remaining cheese and sage leaves. Can be made up to a day ahead at this point - cool and keep in the fridge. If freezing, don't add the whole sage leaves.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 again. Splash the sage leaves with oil and bake for 40 mins until bubbling and golden on top.

BROCCOLI & SAGE PASTA

Steps:

• Boil the spaghetti for 1 min. Add the broccoli and cook for 4 mins more.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and add the shallots and garlic. Gently cook for 5 mins until golden. Add the chillies and sage to the pan and gently cook for 2 mins. Drain the pasta, mix with the shallot mixture in the pan, then scatter with Parmesan, if you like.