Mac and Cheese

This usually bland staple had a wonderful zing when I made it for the kids' lunch boxes last week - thanx to my mother's home made tomato sauce. I'm not a big fan of macaroni but this batch was super yummy ... and simple to make.

Ingredients:

1. Small shell pasta: 250 grams (you get about 8 portions of mac and cheese)
2. Cheddar cheese grated: 1 cup
3. Flour (Maida or corn flour): 1 tbsp
4. Butter: 1 tbsp
5. Milk: 250 ml
6. Tomato sauce (not ketchup): any nice store bought or home made about half a cup
7. Bread crumbs(optional): 1/2 cup
8. Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Boil the pasta in a pot of salted water till cooked.
Drain in a colander, wash thouroughly in cold running water and keep aside.
2. Make a cheese sauce as follows:
- Melt butter in a saucepan.
- Add the flour and stir for a few seconds.
- Now add the milk in a slow stream while continuously whisking the butter and flour mixture to avoid lumps.
- Simmer the sauce till it thickens and add some of the grated cheese towards the end.
- Remove from flame, season with salt and black pepper.

3. In a baking tray spread out a layer of the cooked pasta and pour the tomato sauce over it.




4. Add the remaining layer of pasta and pour the cheese sauce over it.

5. Sprinkle the grated cheese (add more if you feel it will not top the entire pasta mixture) and bread crumbs over the pasta and bake in a pre heated oven at 175 degrees till the pasta begins to bubble.



6. When slightly cooled cut out wedges and serve.

7. This will keep in the fridge for a day - just warm the pasta for 10 seconds in a microwave before serving.