Macaroni & Cheese W/Ham and Peppers (Kefalonia Style)

"This recipe was inspired by my aunt Dalla in Greece. I made this for the first time yesterday, and it came out very very very very very very very very very very very very TASTY! IMPORTANT: Okay, here's the thing about this recipe: The Béchamel: If you like thick and rich, I would not follow the recipe below for the béchamel. Instead, I would use one whole stick of butter, add enough flour until the mixture turns into a ball, and then gradually add 4 cups of milk. This is the béchamel that I use for pastitsio and moussaka. However, I think that this is way too heavy for this recipe, although if anyone does decide to do that, please let me know how it comes out."
 
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Ready In:
1hr
Ingredients:
19
Serves:
8
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ingredients

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directions

  • In a large pot with salted water, boil the egg noodles half-way, roughly about 4 minutes. Drain and add into a large oven pan. Toss noodles in some olive oil so they won't stick.
  • Season them with some grated pecorino-romano, whatever you like and toss. (Even eat them like that if you want -- hee hee.).
  • In the meantime, heat a skillet with a few drops olive oil, and sauté the onion, parsley, basil,ham and peppers for a few seconds.
  • Add them to the noodles and toss around.
  • Cut half of your mozzarella into chunks and place them into the noodle mixture so that when it is cooked you can bite into a mozzarella pocket. Grate the rest of the mozzarella and use for the topping later.
  • For the béchamel: In a small saucepan on low to medium heat, melt half a stick of butter (okay maybe even 3/4 of a stick).
  • Add enough flour to make a smooth paste. I never measure the flour part because I usually just let it form into a ball, BUT you don't want that here. I'd say about 4 tablespoons of flour should be enough.
  • Add two cups of milk and stir till it thickens. BUT WAIT- Don't let it fully thicken because you will add some more grated cheese and half of your cheddar cheese into the béchamel. It should still be a bit milky when you remove it from the heat.
  • NOW add half of your cheddar and stir it inches.
  • Add some more grated parmesan (or whatever you like) and stir that in too.
  • Season the béchamel with some pepper and parika.
  • Pour the béchamel onto the noodles and toss around until evenly coated. The sauce should be velvety.
  • Top with grated mozzarella and cheddar, more parmesan or whatever other grated cheese you have on hand, and some dried Greek oregano. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs and a few drops of olive oil and VOILA -- my mess! (That's what I should have called this recipe).
  • Cover with aluminum foil and cook like that for about 30 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Then remove foil and cook for another 15 minutes until crust turns golden brown, or just put under the broiler for a few minutes.

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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I am a young, gorgeous, domesticated nymph-like creature who stays at home and concocts delectable, saliva-inducing treats. I employ my husband as the guinea pig for anything I just randomly manage to put together. Not to worry, he is very pleased with his current position. No, but really, I am a young Greek-American wife who loves to cook, and being that I am unemployed at the moment, I like to experiment with lots of flavors and ideas. I am a Food Network Junkie, and I watch all the cooking shows on public television and Discovery Home. While I am fixated on all these programs, my brain behaves like a sponge and my culinary sensors go off like sirens. Other than that, my other talents include being a geek (Greek geek at that), drawing, writing, being multilingual, tutoring, writing papers for lazy college bums, doing housework (my house must be immaculate so I may eat off the floor at my own will), I love to play the old, very first Nintendo, and Nancy Drew computer games.
 
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