Comfort and Joy – Skillet Macaroni and Cheese

Well, I said I needed shortcuts this holiday season.   Who would have guessed that a pretty ingenious culinary hat trick would arrive at my doorstep in the form of an early Christmas present?  

My favorite high school English teacher, Mrs. Kast and I always exchange Christmas gifts, and this year her present to me was “The Cook’s Country Cookbook,” a collection of classic and heirloom recipes.  

Imagine the technical precision of America’s Test Kitchen, combined with the sheer joy of classic comfort food.   I was hooked with the table of contents. A recipe for Skillet Macaroni and Cheese instantly intrigued me.   (A version of the recipe can be found here.) Forget about pre-boiling macaroni, simmering a white sauce, or lengthy baking time.   The chefs at Cook’s Country figured out how to make a gooey, cheesy, comforting macaroni dish all in a single skillet in about 10 minutes.  

Dried macaroni shells are simmered in seasoned evaporated milk.   Once the shells cook and the sauce thickens, it’s enriched with handfuls of Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese.  I used high fiber macaroni and threw in sautéed garlic and broccoli florets for an extra health boost. 

It’s a brilliant one skillet dish, with enough macaroni and stringy cheese to sooth any holiday bruises.    

Forget fancy shmancy.   I’ll take a serving of Skillet Macaroni and Cheese any day of the week.  With recipes like this, I have more time to focus on trying to keep my New Year's Resolutions! 

©2012 T.W. Barritt All Rights Reserved

A Little Dose of Macaroni Healing

I got a little bruised this week. Nothing serious and it was probably my own fault. Sometimes the mouth and the brain just aren’t working together.

So as the weekend arrives and I’m searching for something more productive for the oral cavity to engage in, I stumble upon this curative recipe in The Gourmet Cookbook. It’s billed as “arguably the best mac and cheese on the planet.”

That sounds alarmingly like a controlled substance. Hey, I’m game. But, I don’t want to go on a bender or anything, so I parcel the recipe out into these fetching mini cast-iron casseroles.

The list of ingredients would give an internist the shakes – whole milk, cream, and about a pound of sharp cheddar cheese. Then there are the adventuresome flourishes, like red pepper flakes, a spoonful of Dijon mustard and a topping of crunchy, whole-wheat Panko bread crumbs. To hell with the diet. This isn’t about the body. We’re talking soul food, all the way.

Mary Poppins pushed "a spoonful of sugar" to help the medicine go down. I wonder if Mary ever tried macaroni and cheese? It’s a dose of miraculous healing, arriving piping hot to the table in a little fire-engine red package.

When Monday comes along, I’ll be ready.

©2008 T.W. Barritt All Rights Reserved

Double-Good Macaroni and Cheese

“Double” is always good, right?

Twice the quantity. Twice the value. Twice the payoff. Twice the results.

Double Play. Double Header. Double Feature. Double Scoop. Daily Double.

Double or Nothing. Double Entendre. Double Indemnity. Double Agent. Double Life. Double Cross.

Okay, maybe I should stop now.

But, consider a double helping of cheese? How can that be bad?

By special request, I present Double-Good Macaroni and Cheese, perhaps my favorite dish of all time. Mom probably clipped the recipe for Double-Good Macaroni and Cheese from a women’s magazine when I was in high school. For those of us who grew up on suburban Long Island, smack in the center of the Casserole Corridor, Double-Good Macaroni and Cheese was ambrosia and truly the food of the gods.

For my brothers and me, it was perhaps our most requested meal, and one that I often helped prepare in my formative years. Double-Good Macaroni and Cheese meant an unusual combination of two kinds of cheese. We loved the way the sharp golden cheddar cheese contrasted the firm, creamy white curds of cottage cheese, of all things. A touch of grated onion gave the dish some unexpected bite and sour cream added extra tang. In the days before low-carb diets were invented, it was like heaven multiplied by two. We were fascinated by the way our engineer Dad cut the toothsome casserole into geometrically-precise squares, much like a slice of lasagna. As I recall, he also sliced cartoon ice cream into neat rectangles, a habit acquired by having to dole out economically-equal portions for a family of six.

At a recent reunion of the entire family, Mom prepared Double-Good Macaroni and Cheese knowing quite well that it would fill our stomachs and feed our appetites for nostalgia. And, she made two pans-full! We all did a double-take!

For a pot luck dinner party a while back, I embellished the classic casserole with crunchy Panko breadcrumbs (top photo). When it comes to fine culinary techniques and comfort food, I am rumored to maintain a double identity.

Now, let’s look at the possible historic connections, because you know I love old stories, and you must know that Macaroni and Cheese is just brimming with history.

Many people don’t know that Thomas Jefferson, our gourmet president, introduced a macaroni machine to the United States in the late 18th century. This has led to the perception by many that the inventive Jefferson created the Macaroni and Cheese dish. While this fact is often debated among culinary scholars, there are a number of recipes for the dish attributed to Jefferson and thought to have been served at his hilltop Virginia home, Monticello.

The famous – and some might say infamous – Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Dinner was introduced by the food manufacturer in 1937. The deluxe version with the can of Velveeta cheese sauce included was a convenient one-pot dinner and considered fine dining during my university days.

We must also review the crucial historic impact of double-ness. Actress Patty Duke played identical cousins on American TV in the 1960s that were double-the-trouble, and suburban sorceress Samantha would often prepare a double martini for husband Darrin on “Bewitched” usually after her mother Endora had turned him into a mule. Let’s not forget Sam’s wacky twin cousin Serena. When they were together, people thought they were seeing double.

Not a lot of people can make references to macaroni and cheese, Thomas Jefferson, Patty Duke and “Bewitched” work together in the same context.

But, enough of all this double-talk. Don’t we get plenty of that all week? You want the recipe, right?

Double-Good Macaroni and Cheese

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes.
Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients
8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
1 container (1 pound) cream-style cottage cheese
¾ cup dairy sour cream
1 egg slightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons grated onion
1 package (8 ounces) sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Cook macaroni following label directions. Drain.

Combine cottage cheese, sour cream, egg, salt, pepper, onion and cheddar cheese in a large bowl; mix lightly until blended; fold in macaroni.

Spoon into greased 9x9x2 baking dish.

Bake in moderate oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes or until bubbly.

©2007 T.W. Barritt All Rights Reserved