Macaroni and Cheese with Prosciutto

Who doesn’t like macaroni and cheese?  I mean really – gooey, creamy cheese melted over noodles and baked until bubbly and warm – it’s really a no-brainer.  It was only until recently that I started to play around with macaroni and cheese and began to discover how malleable it is.  Change the cheese and you’ve got a whole new version of the dish that takes the flavor in a direction all it’s own.  On this particular night, I took cheddar cheese (the sharper the better, in my opinion), gruyere (in the Swiss cheese family) and parmigiano reggiano (it’s always in my fridge) and combined them to create a creamy, slightly grainy texture to the sauce.  I threw in chopped prosciutto for a salty bite and sprinkled panko breadcrumbs over the top to ensure a nice crunch.  It was warm, filling, and easy.  I have all sorts of thoughts on where to take this dish next and can’t wait to adapt it for a dinner party.  I adore comfort food dressed up – something familiar and delicious with an elegant twist.  Just my kind of macaroni and cheese!

Begin by preheating the oven to 400 degrees and assembling the cast for the recipe – one quarter cup panko breadcrumbs, four tbs flour, four tbs unsalted butter, four ounces prosciutto, one lb sharp cheddar cheese, one half lb gruyere, one half cup parmesan, three quarters of a one lb box of cavatappi, two and a half cups whole milk, one bay leaf and a pinch of nutmeg.  And, as always, salt and pepper.

We are going to make a bechamel sauce for the base of the cheese mixture.  To begin, combine the milk, bay leaf and pinch of nutmeg in a small saucepan.  Do not let boil – just warm over low heat and allow to steep for 10-15 minutes while you prep the additional ingredients.  Stir occasionally to make sure a film doesn’t form over the milk.  If this does happen, use a spoon to remove the film and discard.

Next, set a large pot of water on the stove and set on high, bringing to a boil.  Once boiling, add a palmful of kosher salt and add the pasta, cooking for about 2 minutes less than what is instructed on the box – 6 minutes instead of 8.  The pasta will finish cooking in the sauce while it bakes, absorbing all of the yummy cheese!  Drain the pasta and set in a large bowl.  Cover with a clean dishtowel and set aside.

Now to the cheese – the heart of this dish.  You want to shred all of the components – the cheddar, gruyere and parmesan – and can do this by hand or in your food processor with the shredding attachment (what you see above – it makes everything so easy!!!).  You could also buy the cheese pre-shredded but I really think that the freshly sliced cheese has the sharpest, richest flavor.  If you are using the food processor, the cheddar and gruyere will work with the shredding attachment.  The parmesan will need to be cut into small cubes and used with the main blade, not the shredder.  I shred the cheese while the milk is steeping and the pasta is cooking.

Now it is time to bring the bechamel sauce together.  Add four tbs unsalted butter to a pot and melt.  Once just melted add four tbs flour and mix quickly, combining the ingredients until creamy.  Cook for 2-3 minutes to make sure the raw flour taste is removed.  You will end up with a silky, golden base like the photo below.

Next, add the warm milk (discarding the bay leaf first).  Whisk to combine and continue to stir for 5-10 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken and to ensure there aren’t any clumps.  This will not be as thick as the bechamel sauce I used in my recipe for Hot Brown Crostini but will work better for the noodles and will still come out bubbly and creamy.

Once thickened, add the cheese and mix, allowing it to melt into the bechamel sauce.  I added the parmesan last.  The fresh grated pieces gave a earthy texture to the sauce and stuck to the pieces of pasta.  Delicious!  You can also save some parmesan to sprinkle over the top before it goes in the oven.  I will definitely do this next time.

Once the cheese has melted into the bechamel base, taste and add salt and pepper as needed.  Remove the pot from the stove and pour it over the cavatappi.  Take three quarters of the diced prosciutto and add to the mix, tossing everything to combine.  It’s ok to sneak a few bites here.  I always do.

Butter a casserole dish with sides that are at least two inches tall.  You want to make sure there is room for the pasta and sauce to expand without overflowing.  Speaking from experience, baking this recipe in a pan that is too small will cause the cheese to bubble out and burn on the bottom of the stove, setting off the smoke alarm multiple times and leading to a very unhappy husband and dog.  You’ve been warned.

Before putting the macaroni and cheese in the oven, dot with small cubes of butter and set the remaining prosciutto over the top so they can become crispy and brown.  Finish by sprinkling the panko breadcrumbs over the entire surface.  Bake, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes until the top is browned and crispy and the cheese is bubbling up through the cracks in the surface.  Let sit for five minutes before serving.  This was the perfect anecdote to a cold and dreary evening.  It even made my husband forget all about the smoke detector madness – turns out it was worth the trouble after all

Continue reading for the ingredient list and step-by-step directions!

Serves Eight

• one quarter cup panko breadcrumbs
• four tbs flour
• four tbs unsalted butter
• four ounces prosciutto
• one lb sharp cheddar cheese
• one half lb gruyere
• one half cup parmesan
• three quarters of a one lb box of cavatappi
• two and a half cups whole milk
• one bay leaf and a pinch of nutmeg
• kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper