Dear readers, please do not be overly critical at my decision to feature another pasta dish this week. In all honesty, it's the end of term exams, coupled with the advent of numerous kids' Christmas assemblies and plays therefore sadly one's wit and good humour is in shreds! But I must assure you this dish is not an ordinary pasta dish, it is not your typical cheesy mess, it will in fact appeal to your spicy tastebuds. Full of flavour, it has reels of depth in terms of texture, the crunch of the spicy breadcrumbs coupled with the melting pasta, is indeed bites of heaven! Pressed for time? Well this is definitely a wholesome dish for your family's supper.
Ingredients
· 8 slices bacon (normal or chicken)
· Salt
· 8 oz. pasta shells
· 3 tbsp. butter
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
· 1 c. whole milk
· 1 tablespoon of paprika
· 1 tsp. mustard
· Hot sauce
· 2 c. shredded cheese
· 8 slices of bacon (normal or chicken)
· 1 c. toasted breadcrumbs
· 1 tbsp. grated Parmesan
· 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
· Chives, for garnish
Directions
1. Cook bacon until crisp, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and let cool.
2. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta shells for 5 minutes. Drain.
3. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and add garlic. Cook until fragrant, 2 minutes. Whisk in flour, 2 minutes, then stir in milk, tablespoon of paprika, Dijon, and a few splashes of hot sauce to taste and cook until almost simmering.
4. Add cheese and stir until melted and creamy, then add drained cooked shells and stir to coat.
5. Crumble and stir in bacon, then transfer mixture to a greased baking dish.
6. Heat oven and make spicy breadcrumbs: Combine toasted breadcrumbs with Parmesan and cayenne pepper.
7. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on mac 'n cheese and bake until bubbly and golden, about 5 minutes.
8. Garnish with chives.
Text and photograph by Mayuri Jayasinghe
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