mac + cheese + pancetta + cabbage

Macaroni and Cheese. It’s such an American dish, right? I was thinking about it the other day when we were invited over to my friend Gillian’s house for dinner. When I called her up to ask the dress code, she said it was just us, so we could basically just wear our pajamas if we wanted. My kind of dinner party.

When we got to Gillian’s I found out the menu was as comforting and relaxed as the dress code: grilled cheese sandwiches and home made tomato soup. Gillian is my friend who keeps these American expat traditions alive in Rome. (she’s even written an app about it).

All of which got me thinking about Macaroni and Cheese. I think it was the discussion we had over dinner, as Gillian, Mark and I tried to explain to Domenico (the token Italian in the room) how there were dishes so tied to our childhood that they brought back memories that had very little to do with the food itself.

So even though Gillian’s grilled cheese – filled with mozzarella and on pane di lariano – was a far cry from the Kraft singles and Wonder Bread of our youth – the memories it triggered as we dipped our sandwiches into our bowls of home made spicy tomato soup (not Campbell’s) – were just the same.

And so, with Macaroni and Cheese on the brain, I decided that I certainly didn’t need that little blue cardboard box to recreate one of my childhood favorites.

My Italianized version basically came about as a result of what I had in the house. Cheddar was substituted by a big chunk of pecorino. The macaroni part was played by a bag of cornmeal penne I had bought at the organic food store and never quite knew what to do with. And since it’s cabbage overload in our garden in Todi this time of year, I figured a few cups of wilted cabbage could make me pretend, at least for a few minutes, that this wasn’t the rich, carbo-cheese-laden comfort dish that it is.

And the pancetta? Well, what dish isn’t made better by pancetta?

That night, while I was happily tucking into what I considered a master recreation of an American favorite, my husband, the token Italian, had his own reaction. “Oh, great! Pasta al Forno.”

Well, yes, I guess childhood favorite is always in the eyes of the beholder.

macaroni and cheese with pancetta and cabbage
(serves 4)

300 gr/ 3/4 pound cornmeal penne
1 leek, chopped
3 cups finely chopped cabbage
2 cups grated pecorino cheese
1/3 cup pancetta, cubed
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 tsp salt
2 tablespoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/4 tsp or more to taste ground cayenne pepper
1.5 Tablespoon flour
1 1/4 cups milk, room temperature

Grease an oven dish (about 10 inches by 12 inches)

Pour olive oil into a large saute pan. Heat to medium heat and add pancetta. Cook until the pancetta has given up all it’s fat and become crispy. Using a slotted spoon, take out the pancetta and place aside.

Add the butter to the pancetta fat, stir and add the leeks. Let the leeks soften for about five minutes, then add the cabbage. After about 10 minutes, add the pancetta back with the cabbage and continue cooking until the cabbage is very tender, about another 10 or 15 minutes.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to boil, and add the pasta. Cook until al dente, and drain.

Once the cabbage has cooked down, add the flour to the pan, stirring well for about five minutes over medium heat. Add the milk and stir. Add the mustards and cayenne pepper and let cook until the milk starts to thicken, about five minutes or so. When the sauces seems thick, add the grated cheese, stir and taste. Adjust for seasoning.

Add the pasta, stir well, and put all into the greased pan. Level off.

At this point, if you are serving it later, you can set it aside.

Before serving, preheat oven to 350F/180C. Place Mac n’ Cheese in the oven, on top shelf and heat until browned well on top.