I have never told her about my favourite comfort meal, nor my most-yearned-for pasta for that matter. This role of motherhood can sometimes translate to self-sacrifice, I am sure most of you would agree. The elbow pasta / macaroni took the permanent back shelving whilst the family ( husband and kid) enjoy their much preferred penne. Then One Fine Day, probably inspired by the relentless American cartoons on the telly, the little Poppet asked me to make her ‘Mac and Cheese- make sure you use THREE different cheese and bread crumbs on top’. For this I happily obliged, as how I so missed some Mac n Cheese! Would a 34-yr-old be allowed to be a child again?
Did I mention that I also love my macaroni with chicken soup? That’s my Malaysian blood taking the rein, as I am sure no Italian would agree that its an authentic meal. Mac and soup! I digress, yes, let’s get back to this aromatic Mac n Cheese. As always I brought it up a notch with some added abracadabra: minced lamb meat, the freshest you can get from the farmer’s market, as surely my little one needs some extra protein. And blame the rosemary on me. After the last pot died on me a while back, I am nurturing some new sets of herbs and I could not wait to use them in ALL my dishes. Especially this one. What a wonderful flavour just a few sprigs add to an already awesome meal. Mac n Cheese, with 3 cheeses and bread crumbs.
We are always confused about the ‘exact’ day of Mother’s day, having lived in the UK before where Mother’s day is always in March, and now in the Equator where all the commercials actually kicks in even before February, right after valentine’s ( surely we need a celebration every day right?), but in truth only happens in May. So yes, for those who celebrated in March ( Esme, that’s you!), and my mom and me, and all rest of us who celebrated last week, Happy Mother’s Day.
The lovely people at TOTT store interviewed me for their Mother’s day special, I feel so honoured! You can read all about it here, and that’s a cherry bread wreath that I am doing in the picture.
Enjoy the mac n cheese recipe below, and perhaps I will share the bread recipe next time..!
Mac n Cheese with Lamb and Rosemary
Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
30 mins
Total time
45 mins
A rich one pot meal that the whole family can enjoy, classic Mac N Cheese revamped with rosemary and lamb
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 400g macaroni- cooked al dente
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups grated cheese ( I used mix of Sharp Cheddar, Gouda and Emmental)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- few sprigs rosemary
- 200g minced lamb
- 1 tsp paprika
- salt and pepper for seasoning
- Optional for baked pasta option: ¼ cup breadcrumbs + ¼ cup grated cheese
Instructions
- In a saucepan, heat the butter and olive oil.
- Saute the minced garlic until fragrant and add in the minced lamb.
- Once the minced lamb is brown, set aside.
- Using the same pan, simmer the milk until almost bubbling and add the flour to form roux, or a paste.
- Tip in all the cheeses at once, along with rosemary, paprika and browned lamb.
- Let the sauce get thickened slowly and season with salt and pepper.
- You can add in all the pasta to form one pot meal or divide the sauce per portion/ serving of pasta.
- For baked option: Mix the pasta with the sauce, sprinkle some breadcrumbs on top with more grated cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 180C.
