Macaroni Cheese Redux

Whenever I try a radically new recipe, I generally make it exactly as written, just to master the technique.  Once I know how to make something, though, watch out - if I have confidence I can make the final product, that's about all I need to start radical experimentation.  So even though I've already talked about gluten-free Mac'n'Cheese, I felt it warranted a second post, because really, that first attempt was just a proof-of-principle.  This second, unbelievably delicious, attempt, however, is the recipe with my own spin, and it's rapidly becoming my new favourite food!  I would definitely entertain with this dish, although that would mean having to share it...

Anyway, as I've indicated before, mac'n'cheese was a dish that I loved to modify back when I could still eat cheese.  I figured many of these modifications would still apply, and indeed, this dish turned out pretty much perfectly.

The biggest change I made to the dish was adding white beans for some protein. They don't interfere with either the flavour or texture at all - they're small and mushy enough that they pair well with the creaminess, and just add a bit of a nutty flavour, if they can be tasted at all.  I also added an entire container of grape tomatoes, cut in thirds.  I love tomatoes in macaroni and cheese, and they add a really nice flavour complement.  (This doesn't stop me from also topping my macaroni with ketchup, mind you =P)

As I mentioned last time, my sauce is based around this recipe.  If you prefer a creamier, more mild sauce, feel free to try the sauce recipe as written there.  However, I like a bit more bite to my mac'n'cheese.  So, without further ado, here is my variation, lovingly adapted from the above. 

1/2-1 cup* navy beans, rinsed and pre-soaked at least four hours

1 container grape tomatoes, washed and cut into thirds

~12oz of Tinkyada brown rice elbow pasta

Sauce

4 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp glutinous rice flour

2+* cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 1/2 cups milk or substitute (I prefer original unsweetened Almond Breeze)

1 1/2 Tbsp sesame tahini

3+ heaping Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 heaping tsp grainy Dijon mustard

1 heaping tsp strong mustard (Dijon, polish, spicy, etc)

2 tsp rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1+ Tbsp onion powder

1/2+ tsp ground nutmeg

several large dashes Franks Red Hot Sauce

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar**

2 tbsp ginger ale**

*I used 2 cloves garlic and a 1/2 cup dried beans, but in both cases felt more should be included.  I think the beans could be safely doubled, if not further increased beyond that.  I'd say 3 cloves garlic would probably be best. Every bite I got with a piece of garlic was delicious, but it didn't happen frequently enough; that said, the predominant flavour in a cheese sauce should NOT be garlic, so it's important not to overdo it either.  If you aren't a garlic person, I'd stick with 1-2 cloves.

**The original recipe calls for 3 Tbsp white wine.  I didn't have any wine easy to hand, and after looking up a bunch of substitutes online, these were the easiest ingredients I happened to have around.  They worked very well, but any other white wine substitutes that you might be most likely to have in your kitchen (including white wine itself) would also work - just aim for ~3 Tbsp total.

Topping

lots of fresh parsley (1/2 bunch or more), chopped

dried (or fresh) basil

Cook beans for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, until very tender.  Drain.

Cook pasta according to package directions, but stop cooking a few minutes earlier than indicated (leaving the pasta al dente).  Drain the pasta and rinse in lots of cold water to stop further cooking.  (The noodles will cook further when baking, and while this rice pasta brand is pretty durable, any noodles can fall apart when overcooked).

Heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the rice flour followed by the garlic (adding the garlic first causes it to burn quickly), and stir with a whisk til smooth.  Cook for a minute or two, allowing the flour and the garlic to brown a bit.  When it looks like the garlic is about to burn, add the milk very slowly and mixing constantly to incorporate.  Keep whisking until the sauce is smooth.  Simmer until the sauce starts to thicken, and then lower the heat and add the rest of the ingredients while the thickening continues.  Make sure to taste the sauce and add more or less flavoring as desired.  Note that most of my measurements include a minimum amount - adding more of your favourite flavours is more than encouraged.  I like to add hot sauce: just enough to give the sauce a bit of a kick, but not make the sauce super spicy.

In a casserole dish, mix the beans, tomatoes, pasta and sauce and stir to combine.  Top with dried basil, fresh parsley, and some fresh ground pepper.  Bake at 350°F for ~25 minutes.  Sit and admire the gorgeously bubbling casserole, then dig in and enjoy!  Even better reheated the next day, and popular with all my gluten- and cheese-eating friends and roommates!