Macaroni gratiné is a dish that is present at any Haitian occasion. It is a very loved recipe. I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve eaten this food. It is especially loved by children. What makes this macaroni and cheese different than other mac&cheese out there is the choice of milk, cheese and pasta.
“It’s impastable not to love macaroni and cheese.”
Ingredients:
16 oz rigatoni pasta
3 cups of edam cheese (frommage tete de maure)
4 cups of evaporated milk or 2 1/2 cans
1/4 cup of flour
1/4 cup of butter + 2 tablespoons (to grease the pan, put on top of the food)
1 bell pepper
1 onion
1/2 tbsp of salt
1/4 tsp of nutmeg
1 tsp of black pepper (or white pepper)
Let’s get started!!
First thing that needs to be done is to cook the pasta. In a large pot of water, add one tablespoon of salt and let it come to a boil. When it starts boiling, add the pasta and cook it based on the instructions on the box. Drain it when it’s al dente. Make sure you don’t rinse the pasta after it is done cooking. The next step is to dice the bell pepper and onion. Shred the cheese. Once these things are done, give all your attention to the bechamel sauce.
The following process is the bechamel sauce. Put a saucepan on low heat. Add the milk to the pan and keep an eye on it so it doesn’t scorch. In a different saucepan, make a roux on low heat. Melt the quarter cup of butter; once that butter is melted, add the flour and whisk them together until they are combine. Let it cook for an additional 30 seconds so the raw flour taste can be cooked away.
After that, add the milk to the roux gradually while whisking constantly. Don’t stop whisking so lumps do not form.You definitely don’t want any lumps in your bechamel sauce! Once the milk mixture starts to thicken up, add the spices: salt, black pepper, and nutmeg. It is always better to grate nutmeg freshly. Whisk the spices in, and your bechamel sauce is ready.
Add two cups of the grated cheese into the warm sauce and whisk it in until it’s all melted. The cheese will cause it to thicken further. Add the diced bell pepper and onion to the sauce and mix them. After that, mix the bechamel sauce and pasta together.
With softened butter, grease a baking dish with a tablespoon of butter. Once the dish is greased all around, put the pasta in. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of the pasta. Cut one tablespoon of butter into tiny bits and scatter them on top of the food.
Put the pan is a preheated oven of 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. When it’s done it will be bubbly hot, be careful when you are taking it out of the oven.
Enjoy!!
Thank you for your time