The saying “necessity is the mother of invention” is true for Dave Alefaio of Kaneohe. Alefaio has been serving his mac and cheese with fried green tomatoes for more than 12 years, but when he moved to Hawaii eight years ago, those tomatoes were difficult to find.
So, the media entrepreneur and former teacher thought to substitute tomatillos, which look like small green tomatoes. Crispy fried green tomatoes are a classic of the American South and paired with another Southern standard — mac and cheese.
It doesn’t reflect his Samoan-Hawaiian-Tokelauan-Caucasian background, but shows his love of cooking and innovation. This recipe is his own, as he tweaked a magazine recipe to add heavy cream and penne pasta instead of macaroni to achieve his perfect combination. He discovered smoked Gruyère and claims that cheese along with sharp cheddar make the best taste. The shortage of green tomatoes turned a necessity into a great invention. Now, his wife, Trudy, enjoys the dish even more.
Dave Alefaio’s Tomatillo Mac and Cheese
Ingredients for fried tomatillos:
• 10-12 medium-sized tomatillos
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups flour, divided
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 cup olive oil
Ingredients for mac and cheese:
• 1 pound penne pasta
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 cups 2% milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup ~ our
• 10 ounces smoked Gruyère cheese, grated
• 10 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup panko
Directions:
To make fried tomatillos: Slice the tomatillos into 1/4-inch rounds and place on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for 5 minutes. Wipe o~ salt and dredge slices in 1 cup flour. In a bowl, mix remaining flour, cornstarch and Old Bay. Create a well and place 1 cup cold water in it, then stir until batter is smooth. Dip floured slices in batter. Fry in a medium-sized skillet in oil over medium heat until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
To make mac and cheese: Preheat oven to 375. Bring a pot of water to boil and add salt. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain. In a small saucepan, heat milk and cream, but do not let it boil.
In a large pot, melt 4 tablespoons butter and add flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, constantly stirring with a whisk. Add in hot milk mixture and cook until thickened and smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and add two cheeses, pepper and nutmeg. Add in cooked pasta and stir. Pour into a 9-by-13 baking casserole dish. Arrange fried tomatillos on top. In a food processor, add panko and melted remaining butter and blend until mixed. Sprinkle over top, put in oven and make until sauce is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes. Serve hot.
Makes about 6 servings as a main course, 12 as a side dish.
Optional: serve with hot sauce.
Lynette Lo Tom is the author of A Chinese Kitchen, Back in the Day and Yum Yum Cha: Let’s Eat Dim Sum in Hawaii. Send her your old-fashioned recipes to lynette@brightlightcookery.com.
