Classic Baked Macaroni & Cheese (Vegan)

elizaveganpage.blogspot.com

Desdemona
Mac n Cheese

Classic Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Friday, March 5, 2010

elizaveganpage.blogspot.com/2010/03/classic-baked-macaron...

Okay, this is so eerily like the baked mac & cheese of my childhood that just the smell of it bubbling away in the oven has the power to bring on some serious visceral flashbacks (not those kind of flashbacks). While it's axiomatic that everyone's mom, dad, and/or grandmother/grandfather made The Best Macaroni and Cheese in the World, in our house it was actually true, because both of my parents possessed the quasi-alchemical ability to elevate the basest, most homely "comfort" food to a level of golden, Platonic perfection only imagined by lesser mortals. Okay, this is so eerily like the baked mac & cheese of my childhood that just the smell of it bubbling away in the oven has the power to bring on some serious visceral flashbacks (not those kind of flashbacks). While it's axiomatic that everyone's mom, dad, and/or grandmother/grandfather made The Best Macaroni and Cheese in the World, in our house it was actually true, because both of my parents possessed the quasi-alchemical ability to elevate the basest, most homely "comfort" food to a level of golden, Platonic perfection only imagined by lesser mortals.

And while I'm not going to claim that anything we make as grown-ups can hit that psycho-emotional sweet spot that our parents' cooking did - except, if we're lucky, for our own kids - I will say that this came pretty damn close. (In fact, the first time I made it, my omnivorous oldest son ate a big bowl, assuming his grandmother had sent it, and didn't realize it was vegan until I told him, so HA!) And while I'm not going to claim that anything we make as grown-ups can hit that psycho-emotional sweet spot that our parents' cooking did - except, if we're lucky, for our own kids - I will say that this came pretty damn close. (In fact, the first time I made it, my omnivorous oldest son ate a big bowl, assuming his grandmother had sent it, and didn't realize it was vegan until I told him, so HA!)

For The Absolutely Perfect Comfort Meal, I recommend serving this with BBQ tempeh "wings," garlicky greens, and sweet potatoes, but it's so substantial that it can easily be a meal all by itself. If you want to be all classy and post-modern, you could use panko for the topping, but I strongly suggest going for that home-cooked, 1970s casserole gusto with the "buttered" cracker crumbs. Next time you're feeling a little bashed about, or just in need of some carbohydrate-based comfort, whip up a pan of this stuff, and I can absolutely guarantee that you'll feel better about the world and your place in it. For The Absolutely Perfect Comfort Meal, I recommend serving this with BBQ tempeh "wings," garlicky greens, and sweet potatoes, but it's so substantial that it can easily be a meal all by itself. If you want to be all classy and post-modern, you could use panko for the topping, but I strongly suggest going for that home-cooked, 1970s casserole gusto with the "buttered" cracker crumbs. Next time you're feeling a little bashed about, or just in need of some carbohydrate-based comfort, whip up a pan of this stuff, and I can absolutely guarantee that you'll feel better about the world and your place in it.

subheading: Classic Baked Macaroni & Cheese:

subheading: The Sauce Ingredients:

~ 4 tbsp. Earth Balance or other vegan margarine (NB I never said this was "health food")

~ 1 medium onion, chopped very fine

~ 3 tbsp. flour

~ 1 tsp. each: salt, paprika

~ 2 tsp. dry mustard

~ ½ tsp. turmeric

~ ¼ tsp. nutmeg

~ A few generous grinds of black pepper

~ 2 bay leaves

~ 5 to 6 cups plain, unsweetened soy milk

~ 1 tbsp. each: vegan Worcestershire sauce, prepared English mustard

~ 1 tsp. each: Marmite, hot sauce (I like Frank's)

~ 2 cups shredded vegan cheddar (I used Daiya, but Cheezly rocks hard if you can get it)

~ ½ cup nutritional yeast

~ 1 lb. pasta, cooked and drained according to package directions (medium shells are nice, but for this recipe I really like chicciole, which are sort of fat, semi-relaxed elbows)

subheading: The Topping:

Ingredients

~ 1 cup crushed Ritz (or similar) crackers

~ 1 tbsp. margarine, melted

~ Paprika for garnish

Note: Ingredients may have been altered from the original.

Directions at elizaveganpage.blogspot.com

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