Recipe by Rhea Suares
Servings: 5-6
Ingredients:
To boil the macaroni
300 gms elbow macaroni
large pinch of salt
To make the sauce :
2-3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
1 medium sized onion (chopped)
2 tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (grated)
few slices Pepper Jack cheese (optional)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
4 tbsp of butter
2-3 cups of broccoli florets
6-8 slices bacon - veal, turkey or pork (cut it into thirds)
1-2 tbsp brown sugar (optional)
Steps:
1. Add pasta to boiling water with salt till soft and then drain.
2. Boil the broccoli till it's crisp-tender and then run under cool water.
3. Rub the brown sugar on the pre-cut bacon and in a large frying pan on medium-low heat, place the bacon and cook until crispy. The brown sugar is optional but adds a mild sweet flavor to the whole dish.
4. In a separate pan, on medium heat, melt butter, add garlic and onion and stir till soft. Add the flour to make the roux (sauce thickener) and stir continuously for 2-3 minutes. Make sure it stays pale yellow and doesn't darken.
5. On medium-low heat, stir in the milk and vigorously whisk it in the pan until it's well combined. Keep stirring for 7-10 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
6. Turn off the heat and add your cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan and pepper jack (optional, it's got a slight spicy kick). Stir well until the cheese has melted and then add pepper and salt if necessary.
7. In a frying pan, combine bread crumbs and butter until slightly toasted.
8. Preheat your oven to around 180°c.
9. Combine the macaroni, broccoli and bacon into the sauce and transfer into a baking dish.
10. While transferring into the dish, keep adding some more shredded cheddar and parmesan in layers to get those pockets of cheese all over.
11. Lastly, add a layer of toasted bread crumbs over it and top it with some more parmesan and cheddar. Bake it in the oven for around 15-20 minutes.
12. Let it cool off and serve.
ENJOY!