38 LISTENER MARCH 14 2020
I
f you want them to sound fancier, you could
call these mac and cheese balls “Ameri-
can arancini”, after the stuffed Italian rice
balls. These can be shaped a couple of
days in advance – the kitchen might get
a little messy – and fried just before your
guests arrive.MAC AND CHEESE BALLS
170g uncooked streaky bacon, diced
280g elbow macaroni
²∕³ cup ready-made cheese sauce
1 tsp salt or to taste
¾ cup roughly chopped baby spinachMake-ahead mar vels
½ cup grated cheddar cheese
3 large eggs, beaten
2 cups flour
2 cups seasoned dry breadcrumbs
6 cups vegetable oil, for frying
BARBECUE RANCH
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into
chunks
1 stalk celery, cut into 4 pieces
¾ cup mayonnaise
¾ cup buttermilk
1 tsp salt or to taste
2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
2 tsp garlic powder1 tsp onion powder
2 tbsp barbecue sauceLine a baking sheet with baking
paper. Cook the bacon in a frying pan
over medium heat, stirring occasion-
ally, until crisp. Drain well and set
aside.
Cook the macaroni just past al
dente according to the package direc-
tions. Drain well and transfer to a
medium mixing bowl.
Stir in the cheese sauce, bacon and
salt, then cool for 5 minutes. Fold in
the spinach and cheese. Add 2 tbsp of
the beaten eggs and ½ cup of the flour,
then mix until thoroughly blended.
Take 1 heaped tablespoon of the
mixture and squeeze it firmly in your
hand to form a tight ball; repeat to
form about 30 balls and arrange them
on the baking paper-lined sheet. Cover
loosely with plastic wrap and chill for
at least 20 minutes or overnight.
To bread the mac and cheese balls,
prepare three small bowls with the
remaining flour and eggs and the
breadcrumbs. One at a time, compact
a ball in your hands again and coat it
lightly in the flour and then in the egg,
allowing the excess to drip off. Finally,
roll the ball in the breadcrumbs, press-
ing gently so they adhere. Return the
breaded ball to the sheet and repeat
with the remaining balls. Cover the
sheet lightly with plastic wrap and
refrigerate until you are ready to fry
the balls.
To prepare the barbecue ranch,
finely mince the carrot in a food pro-
cessor, then transfer to a small bowl.
Mince the celery, transfer to a few
layers of paper towel and squeeze to
remove water, then add to the carrots.
Combine the mayonnaise, butter-
milk, salt and spices in the processor
and pulse to blend. Allow to sit for 5
minutes. Pulse in the barbecue sauce
until incorporated, followed by the
vegetables.
To fry the mac and cheese balls,
pour the oil into a heavy-based frying
pan to a depth of about 2.5cm. Place
the pan over medium-high heat.
Place a paper-towel-lined baking sheet
beside the stove.
When the oil is hot, carefully
transfer the mac and cheese balls to
the pan, working in batches to avoidDo the hard work ahead of time, then impress
the guests at your next barbecue with these
American-style snacks.
FOOD
THIS LIFE