Macaroni and Cheese Casserole

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g macaroni
• 100 ml olive oil
• 1 large onion(s)
• 3 cm ginger + a few pieces for the cooking water
• ½ bulb(s) garlic
• 450 g frozen mixed vegetables, variety of your choice or fresh mixed vegetables
• 2 tsp, heaped tomato paste
• 150 ml white wine or rosé
• 4 cl port wine
• 3 eggs, size M
• 200 ml whipped cream
• 250 g sour cream
• 250 g mozzarella, grated
• 100 g blue cheese
• 2 tsp, leveled turmeric
• 1 tsp, sautéed harissa
• 1 pinch of sambal oelek
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

vegetarian

First, cook the macaroni in plenty of salted water until al dente. I always add a few pieces of ginger to the cooking water. Then drain the noodles and let them cool, shaking them several times. Boil the frozen vegetables in lightly salted water until al dente, drain (save the stock), and let them cool. Blanch the fresh vegetables—except the zucchini. Dice the onion and finely chop the ginger. Sauté both in olive oil over gentle heat until light yellow. The onions shouldn’t brown. Fry the tomato paste until it loses its red color. This takes about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic and add it to the pan toward the end. Then deglaze with the wine and port wine and reduce by about half, stirring constantly. Add the vegetables and toss well, then remove from the heat and add 1 teaspoon of turmeric, salt, and pepper. Be careful with the salt, as the cheese is also very salty. In a tall saucepan, gently heat the cream, sour cream, and reserved stock. Add the blue cheese in small pieces and melt. Add about 70g of the grated cheese and melt. Do not boil! Season with pepper, salt, 1 teaspoon of turmeric, harissa, and sambal oelek. Remove from the heat, and when it has cooled below 40°C, stir in the eggs until you have a nice, smooth sauce. First, fill a tall casserole dish or roasting pan with the pasta, then layer the onion and vegetable mixture on top. Spread the cream and egg mixture evenly over the pasta and let stand for a few minutes. Then sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over the pasta and bake in a preheated oven at 180-190°C (top/bottom heat) for about 30 minutes until golden brown. Tip: If you don’t want to use alcohol, you can use blackcurrant juice or vegetable stock. When it comes to spices, fresh herbs like rosemary and/or thyme or whatever you have on hand and want go well with it.