Macaroni & Cheese

There are a few recipes I make once a year and only once a year, every year. They all meet my definition of "seriously good" and yet, are so loaded with things like saturated fats that I limit my intake to one batch annually. Oddly, most of them involve lots of cheese, bacon, or both. There's Cheddar Chowder, Stuffed Potato Skins, German Potato Salad, two or three others, and Mac-n-Cheese.

And, because I only make them once a year, I don't futz around much. The purpose with these dishes is the exact opposite of experimentation. They're a way of asserting order in an unruly universe, an affirmation of tradition, a return to childhood in some cases. Consequently, this recipe is exactly what I make every year with one exception - I couldn't find large elbow macaroni except in a brand I don't like, so I substituted penne.

Traditional Baked Macaroni and Cheese

3 c milk
2 oz Parmigiano - grated
1 tbsp shortening
5 strips bacon
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
2 tsp ground mustard
2 squirts Worcestershire sauce
3 squirts Tabasco
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
12 oz sharp cheddar - shredded
12 oz macaroni

Heat oven to 400F.

Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-low heat until done but not crisp. Drain and chop coarsely.

Warm the milk in the microwave to about 90F (about 2 minutes in a 1000 watt oven) - this will speed up thickening the mornay sauce.

Grease a 2 quart casserole dish with shortening and dust with grated Parmigiano as you would a cake pan. Add remaining Parmigiano to the cheddar.

Melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook for three minutes, stirring constantly with the whisk. Pour in milk and continue cooking and whisking until the mixture thickens. Whisk in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt, and pepper. Add 2/3 of the cheese, a handful at a time, stirring constantly and thoroughly melting cheese before adding next handful.

In the meantime, cook the pasta according to package directions. When done, strain out water, then, in the pasta pot, add bacon and sauce. Stir to mix thoroughly.

Pour mixture into casserole dish and sprinkle with reserved cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes until topping cheese begins to brown.

Kevin Weeks is a Gather food correspondent (Paisano), personal chef, cooking teacher, and writer in Knoxville, Tennessee who spends too many hours on his feet, cooking. "Paisano" is a column focused on peasant dishes from around the world. To read more of Kevin's writings or connect to him click here. His blog,Seriously Good, is read by 100,000 cooks a month and in addition he writes a weekly column forSpot-Onand is the Guide for Cooking for Two at About.com.