Gratin de macaronis au fromage (aka mac and cheese)

My first memory of mac ‘n’ cheese was not a pleasant one. In the 90’s my mum ventured out and bought some Continental pasta and sauce in a packet. The idea of a quick and easy meal for her hungry brood seemed like a winner.

The flavoured flour turn sauce was a new concept for me and my brother so we enthusiastically followed the instructions to the tee. The pasta cooked, eventually, but the sauce didn’t quite look like the luscious creamy deliciousness that was displayed on the packet. Nevertheless, we took our first bite with high hopes.

Well, as you could tell from my opening line, I was mortified! The sauce was extremely salty and the cheese flavour was terribly artificial - not to mention the weird smell while it cooked. The flouriness of the sauce was very noticeable and with that I set the dish aside in disgust. Poor mum was back to cooking dinners from scratch. Since then, I have never considered making mac ’n’ cheese again.

It wasn’t until my MIL was given a cookbook written by Rachel Khoo who we had seen on television. We would watch Rachel on ‘My Little Paris Kitchen’ cook amazing French dishes using only a two burner gas cooktop, compact oven, bar fridge and basic utensils. Her show should’ve been called ‘My Tiny Paris Kitchen’ because I was just amazed at how she cooked all these delicious meals and also run a restaurant from her 21m² apartment. It was bonkers!

Mac 'n' Cheese with a side of salad

Anyway, I digress. While I was browsing through her book, I came across the ‘gratin de macaronis au fromage’ (AKA mac ‘n’ cheese) recipe. The ingredients and technique were simple enough and her inclusion of onions, bay leaves and cloves for the béchamel sauce were simpler to a recipe I currently use except I pop all these ingredients, along with some parsley stalks, into the milk and simmer for 10 minute (I never allow the milk to boil). I then turn the heat off and let it infuse and cool for 15 minutes. It brings another level of flavour to the dish which is delicate and aromatic.

I used the cheeses that Rachel had suggested in her book and followed the rest of her instructions. I also chopped and pan fried some smokey bacon and threw these in as well. The result was YUM YUM YUM! The cheese was stringy and the flavours were delightful. I expected it to be a heavy and overly rich dish but it was just nicely balanced. My partner didn’t want to give me his opinion of the dish straight away but I could tell by his third helping that Rachel’s mac ‘n’ cheese was a keeper! It was so good that my partner ate the majority of it that night and left me nothing of lunch the next day. We served the mac ‘n’ cheese with a simple refreshing lettuce and cucumber salad which was the ideal accompaniment.

This is something I’ll be making for friends next time they come over for dinner, that’s for sure.

I have to say that I did use quite a few dishes to make this meal but that’s just me; hurricane Indri in the kitchen. My poor partner is destined to be my dishwasher for life.
The only other comment I would make is that I would be more adventurous next time and buy a stronger tasting cheese to make the dish a little bit richer but this is just my personal opinion.

I can’t give you Rachel’s mac ‘n’ cheese recipe as it would not be kosher but the infused milk process can be found here.

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Low FODMAP Country Style Chicken Casserole

I had bought some free range chicken lovely legs (skinless) on the weekend because I was in the mood for a casserole of sorts. The challenge I set for myself was to use ingredients that was already in the pantry, fridge or freezer. My taste buds didn't want a tomato based sauce but rather something a little bit lighter. I pondered all day about how I was going to cook this casserole when my mind reverted back to the days I shared an apartment with a very lovely French woman.
I noticed that the style and flavours of her meals were very much influenced by her native home land and this fascinated me. Lots of clear broths with delicate flavours and the use of herbs in almost all of her dishes. So I took some inspiration from her style of cooking and started using my basic cooking knowledge to prepare my dish.
In the pantry, fridge or freezer I had the staples and later on wished I had some speck, celery and peas to add to my casserole for an extra dimension. However the result was exactly what I wanted - light, aromatic and amazingly tasty. I hope enjoy this casserole as much as me.



Low FODMAP Country Style Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

Makes 3

6 free range chicken lovely legs, skinless

1/2 cup gluten free flour

Olive oil

1 carrot, diced

1 garlic, crushed

1 potato, sliced thinly

6 whole mushrooms

1/2 capsicum, sliced

2 cups salt reduced chicken stock

1 cup of white wine (remove if intolerant)

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp seed mustard

6 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf

1 Tbsp dried oregano

1 Tbsp rosemary

2 good handful of parsley, chopped

salt and pepper

Method


1. Coat the chicken lovely legs in gluten free flour. Heat a heavy base saucepan and add olive oil, When hot add the chicken lovely legs to the saucepan to seal and cook to a golden brown. This should roughly take about 5 minute on each side. Once completed, remove the chicken lovely legs from the saucepan and place in a bowl.
2. Add a little bit more olive oil into the saucepan then add the carrots and capsicum. Reduce the heat and cook until soften. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and simmer until the wine reduces wine.
3. Add poatoes, chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, mustard,  thyme, oregano, bay leaf and rosemary to the saucepan ensuring that the chicken is submerged in the stock. Turn the heat up and bring to boil before reducing it again to low to simmer. Place the lid on and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
4. After 20 minutes, give it a good stir and add the mushrooms. Cook for a further 20 munites with the lid off.
5. Add parsley just before serving, and salt and pepper to your taste. I served my casserole with quinoa.

NOTE: If I had celery and speck I would add it at the same time as the carrots. I would also add the peas around 10 minutes before the complete cooking time.

 



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