So this was really good. The only drawback was, I didn’t use a big enough dish and the sauce overfleweded and made a mess on the counter. And I hadn’t even been drinking. But that was before I put it in the oven. Once in there, it behaved. So all’s well that ends well, and thank you, Mr. Shakespeare.
This is a little fussier than I usually get, but I fancied something … well … fancy.
I melted some butter and pan-toasted some fresh sage leaves, because I love those crispy little morsels of concentrated flavor! Should have transferred them to a paper towel, but I didn’t. My bad. Set them aside for garnish, anyway. If you do that bit. Not necessary, just fancy.
Boil the macs to al dente, maybe 8 minutes. Drain.
Melt two or three tablespoons of vegan margarine or butter in a saucepan (I used the same one I used to boil the macs). Stir in some chopped onion (I used green onion, because I had some languishing in the fridge) and some smoked paprika. Stir in two or three tablespoons of flour and some salt. When that’s all stirred in, add a cup and a half of milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.
Grease a casserole dish. Put in a layer of macs. Here’s where I went wrong: You should put some sauce on next, so it runs easily all down and amongst the macs. Do a layer of asparagus. I used nasty canned asparagus bits, because I like them, okay? Do a layer of cheese. Repeat, topping with any remaining sauce.
Bake at 350F for about half an hour. Top with sage, if you did the sage thing.
Yeah, that was good.
A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character does something uncharacteristically fancy.
p.s. I just noticed I didn’t include a writing prompt on Monday’s post, so here’s an extra one:
A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character has to sell something they’ve made with love.
MA
Dan Antion
December 21, 2016 at 7:06amLooks pretty good. I like sage, but I wouldn’t have ever thought to use it in/on mac & cheese. Two questions.
Do you mean that you started drinking after you put it in the oven? Cuz that would be OK.
Why use vegan margarine if you’re using milk and cheese? Just curious, not judging.
Marian Allen
December 21, 2016 at 4:49pmContrary to all appearances, I don’t drink very much. I am reminded of the 1960’s when I confessed to a friend that I had just smoked my first joint, and he said, “You’re kidding! I’ve always thought you were stoned all the time.” Which tells you all you need to know about me. And about my friends, come to that.
Marian Allen
December 21, 2016 at 4:50pmOh, and I use vegan margarine because I started getting it for our vegan daughter and discovered we love it.
Joey
December 21, 2016 at 12:11pmInteresting. Never met a mac I didn’t love, and I love sage…Might even still be some under the ivy…protected from the elements…maybe.
I like canned asparagus, too. I like fresh and canned. Totally different flavor and texture, like canned spinach vs fresh, but I like it all 🙂
Marian Allen
December 21, 2016 at 4:51pmYes! Exactly! I think of the canned stuff as a totally different vegetable. And it works better for some recipes that the fresh stuff.
Joey
December 21, 2016 at 10:06pmThat canned asparagus has a kinda tart flavor. Is tart the right word? Is it bitter? Astringent? No, okay, I got it — ZING. It’s a zingy flavor 🙂