Don’t toss leftover cheese — make this incredible mac and cheese

Throughout the summer, Jodi and I enjoy entertaining and inviting friends over for dinner.

One staple of our meals is a cheeseboard. So, after a couple weeks, we find a lot of leftover cheese in the fridge and you know I hate to waste food.

Yesterday was fridge cleanout day, specifically targeting the cheese drawer.

We had Cooper American from the Amish market, sliced cheddar, aged 10-year brick cheddar, bleu cheese, fresh mozzarella and Swiss cheese.

Photo via Bill Spadea

Start with a rich homemade cheese sauce

The first step was to chop up the cheese and set it aside.

Next step, begin the sauce.

It starts with a generous slab of raw salted butter in a saucepan on low heat. Once the butter is melted, add in an equal amount of Einkorn ancient grain flour.

Continue to whisk until fully blended, then add in about a half cup of white wine — only white wine you'd serve to guests.

Mainly because at this point in the process, you are sharing the wine with the recipe.

The flour, butter and wine should all be mixed together, creamy and light colored.

Turn off the heat and slowly pour in about two cups of raw A2 milk. Again, stir it in to make sure it all blends.

I also add a little heavy cream.

Bring the liquid back up to a simmer, stirring so nothing burns or sticks. At this point, boil the water for your pasta. I prefer shells for the pasta.

Once the water is boiling, add salt to the water and get the pasta cooking, about 5 minutes, you want it al dente because it will cook more in the oven when mixed with the sauce.

Back to the sauce; bring up the heat and add Dijon mustard, Colman's mustard, salt, black pepper and a little cayenne.

Photo via Bill Spadea

Patience is the secret to smooth mac and cheese

Once it's steamy and a little bubbly, it's time to add the cheese.

Make sure it's thoroughly chopped into small bits and add it slowly.

A small handful at a time and constant stirring, with the heat off. This is where the sauce can break and separate, ruining the meal.

Whisk and add; it might take about 5-10 minutes, so have patience.

Once it's relatively smooth, it's OK to have some cheesy lumps.

Next, drain the cooked pasta and add to a rectangular oven pan. Important that the pan has a generous amount of butter smeared on the sides and bottom, for flavor, and so the sauce doesn't stick.

After the pasta, pour the sauce over the shells and mix thoroughly.

On top, spread some chopped or shredded cheese and cover with a light layer of panko bread crumbs.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes on 375. You can also end the cooking process with the broiler for a few minutes to really brown the top.

Photo via Bill Spadea

Add your favorite protein and serve

For protein, I added some baked chicken thighs that I cut up and added to my plate.

Pepperoni also works for the protein add-on.

Enjoy.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own.

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