MAC-AND-CHEESE(M)        USENET Cookbook        MAC-AND-CHEESE(M)

MACARONI AND CHEESE

     MAC-AND-CHEESE - Greatest macaroni and cheese in the
     universe

INGREDIENTS (Serves 6)
     3/4 lb    bacon (optional, but I think this really makes the
               dish!)
     1/4 cup   butter (margarine will do in a pinch)
     1 1/2 cup bread crumbs (unseasoned, and don't use sourdough
               crumbs either)
     1 lb      uncooked elbow macaroni
     3-5       scallions, chopped
     1 1/2 lb  Swiss cheese

PROCEDURE
          (1)  Cook the bacon until it is very crisp. When done,
               blot dry.

          (2)  Put the butter in a small frying pan and heat at a
               low temperature until it's melted.  When melted,
               add the bread crumbs and sauté until the bread
               crumbs are browned, stirring frequently to avoid
               burning the crumbs.

          (3)  Boil the macaroni in water according to directions
               on the package. Don't overcook ... it should be
               "al dente".  A little olive oil added to the pot
               will help prevent the macaroni from sticking
               together.

          (4)  While the macaroni is cooking, grate the cheese
               and chop the scallions.

          (5)  When the macaroni is done, drain it in a colander.
               The "assembly" is done in layers into a glass bak-
               ing dish.  Put a layer of macaroni on the bottom,
               then cheese, the crumble bacon and scallions on
               top of this.  Make the layers thin; this way, you
               can get about three pasta/cheese/bacon layers.
               When all of these are in the pan, top with the
               bread crumbs and bake at 325 deg. F for 20 minutes
               or until the bread crumbs are a little more
               browned and the cheese is melted.

          (6)  Eat. However, it makes fantastic leftovers, so you
               won't want to eat it all.

NOTES
     Cooking the bacon in the oven or in a microwave works well
     for this recipe.  I find the best way to dry the bacon is to
     put a couple of paper towels on top of an old brown paper
     bag, then the bacon, and then a couple more paper towels on
     top of that, and then just pat with the hand a few times.
     It's important to get the bacon dry or the casserole will be
     too greasy.

RATING
     Difficulty: easy.  Time: 20-30 minutes preparation, 20
     minutes cooking.  Precision: no need to measure.

CONTRIBUTOR
     Helen Anne Vigneau
     {ihnp4,cbosgd,hplabs,decwrl,ucbvax,sun}!dual!hav
     Dual Systems, Berkeley CA

     Hey, there's a great future as a fry cook!  I could be manager in two years.
     From: rich@mcc (Elaine Rich)
     Newsgroups: mod.recipes
     Subject: RECIPE: Mandarin Soup
     Date: 27 Dec 85 09:59:01 GMT
     Organization: Microelectronics Computer Corporation, Austin, Texas
     Approved: reid@glacier.ARPA

                Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust
     Permission to copy without fee all or part of this material is granted
     provided that the copies are not made or distributed for direct commercial
     advantage, the USENET copyright notice and the title of the newsgroup and
     its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of
     the USENET Community Trust or the original contributor.