This is not my grandmothers mac n cheese

Let me preface this post with this important statement:  My grandmother was by far and large one of the most spectacular people I have ever and will ever have in my life.  I was going to say she was an amazing cook, which she was, but I realized the cooking was just part of it.  She was part of the generation who showed their affection with food.  If your tummy was full and your face was plump it meant you were well loved and cared for.  And the reason why everything she touched in the kitchen turned to delicious mouthwatering fare is because she was making it for my sister and me. And she loved us.  

When I was older and getting married, some friends compiled a book of their personal recipes for me.  My grandma told me there was one recipe she could include in that book, what would I like it to be.  I didn't even have to think about it.  I asked for her baked mac and cheese.  It was heavenly.  The ultimate comfort food.  Creamy and cheesy in the middle, crunchy on top and around the edges.  And it was so simple!  Just cheddar, milk and noodles.

Well  I am ashamed to admit I have yet to make her version.  I am also somewhat embarrassed of the variety of boxed shells n cheese which now decorate my pantry.  So when I stumbled across this recipe from 101cookbooks.com  I knew it was time to try my hand at a baked mac n cheese.  Even though this is nothing like what my grandma might have made (in fact, she may have turned her nose up at the green-crust), I know she would have appreciated the effort.  And it is delicious, just add love!

Butternut Squash Mac-n-Cheese

serves 8-10

*You can definitely play around with the cheese blend here, the original recipe calls for Cheddar and Manchego, but I had neither.  Plus I love using raw milk cheeses so I used raw English Cheddar and raw Swiss Gruyere.  But try whatever you want.  I used a butternut squash, but you could use acorn, or any other winter variety.  You can also play around with the pasta.  I wanted to use whole wheat, but couldn't find any macaroni elbows so I swapped in whole wheat fusilli pasta, and it worked well.

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into tiny chunks

Olive Oil

1 large bunch of basil, stems removed

2 slices hearty brown bread, stale or dried out in oven

1/2 small head of broccoli, roughly chopped

4 tablespoons sour cream

1 3/4 cups grated white English cheddar cheese

1 3/4 cups grated Swiss Gruyere cheese

a large handful of cherry tomatoes

3 cups dry whole wheat macaroni elbows

Preheat your oven to  400 degrees with a rack in the middle.  Put a large pot or water on to boil.  Place the squash on a large baking sheet, drizzle with some olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden.

In the meantime, pulse half the basil, all of the bread, the broccoli and a splash of olive oil in a food processor until you've got a fine crumb mix.  It should be a bit damp.

Transfer to a small bowl and give the processor a quick rinse.

In a separate bowl, combine the sour creme and grated cheeses.

Place the cherry tomatoes in the food processor with the remaining basil.  Pulse a couple of times to break things down.  Add to the sour creme mixture and stir well.

Boil the pasta in well-salted water for about a minute less than the package suggests, you want it slightly under-cooked.  Drain, reserving a big cup of the hot pasta water for later use.  Return the hot pasta to the pan and add the cheese mixture to it.  Add the squash and mix it up well.  Add reserved pasta water to thin the sauce to the consistency of heavy cream.  It can be slightly runny as the pasta will soak it up in the oven.

Transfer everything to a large baking dish.  Sprinkle the green breadcrumbs evenly across the top and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the topping is browned and crunchy.  Remove from the oven, and wait 10 minutes before serving.

Look at that steam!  Yum Yum