|
Tuna Noodles
A Kaiser Family Favorite
Serves 2
1 cup dried elbow macaroni pasta
1 can tuna in water (6 oz?), drained
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
optional: 1 cup frozen peas, defrosted and brought to room temperature
1. Bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente or to your preference. Drain and reserve in a colander in the sink.
2. Either while the pasta is boiling, or in the same pasta pot after the macaroni have drained (should be approximately 4-quart saucepan), melt the butter over medium heat. When the foam subsides, add the flour and combine, stirring with a wire whisk until smooth. Let the mixture bubble a minute or two without browning,, then add the milk. (if you have made a French classical sauce before, or gumbo, you will recognize this flour-butter mixture as a roux).
3. Turn the heat to high and stir the milk rapidly until it comes to a boil and thickens, approximately 3-4 minutes. Continue stirring rapidly* while the mixture boils for about 2 minutes, then remove from heat. (you have just made béchamel, one of the foundational French sauces)
4. Add the cheese, stirring briefly to combine. The sauce should be hot enough to melt the cheese without any additional heating.
5. Using a large spoon (wooden spoons work well), stir in the macaroni and the tuna, and (if using) the peas. Serve forth.
*) The rapid stirring does two things: it keeps the flour in the sauce from scorching, and it incorporates the milk with the flour and butter mixture. The starch in the mixture is what causes the thickening. Once the sauce has thickened and is off the heat, the whisking is no longer necessary.
|
