Michael Twitty Mac and Cheese

This is from Michael Twitty…chef, food writer, culinary historian..overall star…

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 oz. wide egg noodles
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter + ½ tablespoon for greasing pan
• 2 tablespoons flour
• ¼ white onion, chopped
• 2 cups milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup cheddar, grated (can be replaced with vegan cheddar when going lactose free)
• ½ cup Parmesan, grated (can be replaced with nutritoinal yeast when going lactose free)
• ½ cup cottage cheese (skip when going lactose free)
• dash of Tabasco Sauce
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F /170°C.
2. Melt unsalted butter in a sauce pan and add flour. Stir constantly for about a minute. Add onion, milk and stir out any clumps. Allow the mixture to bubble for a couple of minutes while stirring. Take off heat.
3. Whisk 3 eggs. Gradually add several tablespoons of the sauce to the eggs until the eggs warm. Then pour the egg mixture into the sauce pan. *Hint: if you pour the eggs straight into the sauce, you will have a clumpy mess on your hands. Add cheddar, Parmesan and cottage cheese and stir until cheddar cheese melts. Add a a dash of Tabasco, salt, pepper and stir.
4. Boil the egg noodles until they are al dente.
5. Butter a glass baking dish (square is nice for cutting pieces). You can use cooking spray but butter is that much better. Add half the sauce, then the cooked noodles, then the rest of the sauce. Mix gently and sprinkle breadcrumbs and extra Parmesan on top. Bake for approx. 35 minutes or until the top is golden.