Macaroni and Cheese

Name: Macaroni and Cheese
Yield: serves 6 to 8
Ingredients: 3 cups grated fontina; 5 cups grated cheddar; 4 cups milk; Kosher salt; 1 pound pipette (elbow macaroni is commonly used for this dish in America, but I suggest using pipette, a pasta that looks like a bent pipe); 3-to-4-inch piece day-old Italian bread; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish; 2 cups grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano; 4 large fresh sage leaves

December 14, 2011

Macaroni and cheese has to be one of the quintessential American comfort foods. To most people it brings back fuzzy memories of a childhood family table. Even Thomas Jefferson had a thing or two to say about this dish. He ordered a macaroni-making machine and instructed the cook to use cheese liberally on the pasta and bake it like a casserole. It appears that this “macaroni” was more similar to the spaghetti of today. A lot of the versions of macaroni and cheese that you may have eaten would have had some form of cream sauce or roux, but here I’ll give you a recipe for this dish as an Italian in Italy would make it: a simply delicious rendition.

Recipe notes

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