Well it began with a notice coming home from Preschool with my 2 year old. It read along the lines of "As a Preschool we have been looking at Matariki and what it means and have decided to do a Matariki Feast in honour of what we have been learning. So if every family could please provide a plate of finger food for lunch that showcases your family heritage".
Great! I thought. But really? What does my family heritage look like in finger food form? I am not exotic enough to claim something like Mediterranean caprese skewers or something kid friendly like Italian pizza. Nor do I have any of our local heritage to do a Maori recipe for Rewena bread or the like. In fact, I don't think any of my heritage is that exciting - I believe we trace back to the Scotts but really? Haggis?? Don't forget we are catering for 2-4 year olds. So after a severe brainstorming session where every idea was binned, I decided on Macaroni and Cheese, and basically only because no one can agree where it comes from so they can't argue it's not my heritage. Besides, it was the first recipe my Nana taught me to make so I could always fall back on that if needed.
So the next challenge was how to make it a finger food. I know you know that Mac N Cheese is not exactly finger food material. I considered the use of small plastic shot glasses with a wee fork but decided against it due to the amount of waste that would produce, and anyone with children can relate to how much that is frowned upon and of course I am in the running for the parent of the year award and don't want to ruin my chances with a few non-environmentally friendly sins. So I decided that I would make my Mac N Cheese and then put it into mini muffins tins and bake them individually with cheese on top and maybe breadcrumbs. So that is what I did and boy - they turned out amazing. The kids wolfed them down (what kids don't love Mac N Cheese) and actually then adults did too. So here is my recipe for the cutest little finger foods that you can claim for any heritage.
Great! I thought. But really? What does my family heritage look like in finger food form? I am not exotic enough to claim something like Mediterranean caprese skewers or something kid friendly like Italian pizza. Nor do I have any of our local heritage to do a Maori recipe for Rewena bread or the like. In fact, I don't think any of my heritage is that exciting - I believe we trace back to the Scotts but really? Haggis?? Don't forget we are catering for 2-4 year olds. So after a severe brainstorming session where every idea was binned, I decided on Macaroni and Cheese, and basically only because no one can agree where it comes from so they can't argue it's not my heritage. Besides, it was the first recipe my Nana taught me to make so I could always fall back on that if needed.
So the next challenge was how to make it a finger food. I know you know that Mac N Cheese is not exactly finger food material. I considered the use of small plastic shot glasses with a wee fork but decided against it due to the amount of waste that would produce, and anyone with children can relate to how much that is frowned upon and of course I am in the running for the parent of the year award and don't want to ruin my chances with a few non-environmentally friendly sins. So I decided that I would make my Mac N Cheese and then put it into mini muffins tins and bake them individually with cheese on top and maybe breadcrumbs. So that is what I did and boy - they turned out amazing. The kids wolfed them down (what kids don't love Mac N Cheese) and actually then adults did too. So here is my recipe for the cutest little finger foods that you can claim for any heritage.
2 cups Macaroni
50g butter
3 T flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup grated cheese, plus extra for top
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp chicken stock
Salt and pepper
100g chopped ham/bacon
Place a pot of water onto the boil and add lots of salt - saltier than the red sea. Once boiling, add the macaroni and cook til al dente (about 10 mins). Drain and reserve some of the water.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot. Add the flour and cook it out for a bit til the flour starts to brown a bit. Add the milk a little at a time til it becomes a nice thick sauce. Add the curry powder, chicken stock and salt and pepper. Stir through the cheese and keep stirring til sauce is nice and glossy. Add the ham/bacon and the macaroni and mix together, adding some of the reserved water if it's too thick but don't thin it out too much. Place spoonfuls in mini muffin tins (I used silicone ones but if you don't have those, make sure you grease the patty pans). Sprinkle on a wee bit of the breadcrumbs and add the cheese on top. Bake for 10 minutes or until nice and golden and crispy on the outside. Serve warm.