Macaroni and Cheese Heaven

Like most kids today, mine were introduced to macaroni and cheese via a box – albeit a box of 365 Whole Foods branded mac and cheese and not the Kraft variety. Of course, one taste of boxed mac and cheese and the kids were hooked. What am I talking about, so was I. The convenience of making it, complemented by the ooey-gooey-good taste, and I could be found scooping spoonfuls of it into my own mouth before serving to the kids.

One day, I went cold turkey. I refused to buy the boxed mac and cheese any longer and set out to find a recipe that our family – all of us – would love to eat at dinnertime. (One with few ingredients and free from indecipherable additives).
This weaning period (from the boxed version) was a bit unsettling, especially since the kids often complained about the dinner even before they sat down. Yes,there were a few recipes I prepared that left a mound of leftovers and a hungry family after dinnertime.
“Mom, when can we have our regular mac and cheese?” they asked. My response of, “I’m not sure if we ever will,” completely perplexed them, but I knew an explanation of why I was choosing to make macaroni and cheese from scratch, instead of serving up the faux version from a box, would just fall on deaf ears.
Now, I have a few versions of mac and cheese under my belt that the family loves. There is the Carrot Macaroni and Cheese version, and the ever-famous Parmigiano-Crusted Rigatoni with Cauliflower and Proscuitto (or Tigaroni as Nicole has named it, because she has a hard time saying Rigatoni). There are rarely leftovers from Tigaroni night, and when there are, everyone fights over who will get them for lunch the following day.
Last night I added another one to our recipe box – Leek Mac and Cheese. It's a recipe I pulled from a Food & Wine magazine a year ago. When I made it several months ago, the results were less than perfect. I received lots of complaints about the cheese, and even more about the leeks. Following through with my resolve to try it again, I made it again (with reservations. This time, I split the mac and cheese in two – a pan with leeks for Mom and Dad, and a pan without for the kids.
“I want more mac and cheese!” was repeated time and again during dinner.
This time around: Success!


Leek Mac and Cheese

4 tbsp unsalted butter
Leek greens from 1 ½ pounds leeks, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 cups half-and-half or whole milk
10 ounces Manchego cheese, shredded (about 2 ½ cups)
1 pound elbow macaroni* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet. Add the leeks and cook over high heat, stirring until slightly wilted, 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Cook over low heat until very tender, about 20 minutes.

* Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the flour and cook over moderately high heat, whisking, for 2 minutes. Add the half-and-half and bring to a boil, whisking until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add 2 cups of the cheese, season with salt and pepper and whisk the cheese sauce until melted.

* In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the macaroni until nearly al dente. Drain well. Add the macaroni and the cheese sauce to the leek greens and stir until combined.

* Transfer the macaroni to an 8-by-11-inch baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup of cheese. Bake for about 40 minutes, until bubbling. Turn the broiler on and broil the mac and cheese until golden brown on top, about 3 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.