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Mac and cheese a classic with variety

SMITHFIELD -- China, Germany, Italy, Spain, wherever macaroni originated, it was gradually introduced into the United States and has been traced back to the 16th century. Thank goodness for that.

The name macaroni is from "marcus," meaning divine dish. With the influx of Italians following the Civil War, the finest macaroni products were made from durum semolina.

The best kind of mac and cheese is made with sharp Cheddar cheese, a heaping dollop of butter and regular milk, cream or white sauce. Paprika is good to add a bit more striking color to the dish. This information is from the Betty Crocker Picture Cook Book that was first published in the 1950s.

Four ounces uncooked macaroni equals 1 cup of cooked pasta as it doubles in bulk by boiling it. Even in these no-salt days, chefs advocate that several pinches of salt in the cooking water improves the taste of pasta.

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I'll start with this recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook, since I have been quoting from her information. It is called the simplest kind of dish.

Pioneer Macaroni and Cheese

8 ounces uncooked macaroni, which would be 2 cups

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/4 cups cut-up sharp cheese, 1/3 pound

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups milk

A few dashes paprika

Place a layer of boiled, seasoned and buttered macaroni in layers with the cheese in an 8-by-12 baking dish. Pour milk over all and sprinkle with paprika. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. Garnish with parsley sprigs, pimento strips or pepper rings before serving, if desired. Makes six to eight servings.

Note: To make the dish creamier, use 2 cups medium white sauce in place of milk. Combine 4 tablespoons butter and 5 to 6 tablespoons flour along with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Melt butter and stir in flour and seasonings. Cook over low heat until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat; stir in 2 cups milk slowly while stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Use in place of milk. Another suggestion is to use 2 1/2 cups seasoned, cooked tomatoes in place of milk. Bake 45 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

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This recipe was once popular at tea rooms or sliced and served for lunch at bridge clubs. It is a molded dish that was often served with a helping of hot mushroom sauce on top.

Macaroni Mousse

1 1/2 cups milk, scalded

1/12 cups soft bread crumbs

4 tablespoons butter

1 finely minced pimento

1 tablespoon minced parsley

2 teaspoons finely minced onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 pound shredded American cheese

3 egg yolks, beaten

1 cup cooked macaroni

3 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Pour hot milk over bread crumbs. Add butter, pimento, parsley, onion, salt, cheese and egg yolks. Combine with hot, drained macaroni and fold in the beaten egg whites carefully. Pour into a 9-by-5-by 3-inch loaf pan lined with buttered wax paper. Set in a pan of water that is 1-inch deep. Bake in 350 oven for 1 hour, keeping the pan covered with aluminum foil the first 20 minutes. Unmold on a platter and serve with hot mushroom sauce.

Note: To make mushroom sauce, use white sauce recipe in the Pioneer Macaroni recipe. Add 1 cup sliced mushrooms and cook 2 minutes.

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This recipe is more up to date. It is from the March issue of Woman's Day magazine, so you know it is a recipe "of the times." You can use any short pasta shape with a similar cook time, like fusilli or elbow macaroni. This recipe calls for mezze rigatoni. This has the heartiness of traditional rigatoni and commonly used in southern and central Italy. It is a smaller size rigatoni but larger in diameter and ridges, making it ideal for retaining sauce on the entire surface.

Skillet Macaroni and Cheese

4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

4 tablespoons flour

3 cups milk, warmed

Kosher salt and pepper

8 ounces mezze rigatoni

8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar, coarsely grated

10-ounce package frozen butternut squash cubes, thawed

3 ounces baby spinach, about 3 cups

4 ounces potato chips, about 3 cups crushed

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a deep 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Once foaming, add the flour and whisk in the milk a little at a time, making sure the mixture is smooth before adding more liquid. Add 1 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Immediately add pasta and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Cover the skillet, transfer to the oven and bake until the pasta is just cooked, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from oven and heat broiler. Fold the cheese into the pasta until melted and smooth, then fold in the squash and spinach. Sprinkle the potato chips, chives and Parmesan on top and broil until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.

This is 878 calories per one of four servings. It could be made to have fewer calories by leaving off the potato chip topping or perhaps using bread crumbs.

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This is a half of a pre-baked bell pepper filled with sausage, cheese, diced, canned tomatoes and pasta shells. They look ultra-fancy on the Rachael Ray magazine page. Try using bell peppers of orange, yellow, red and green to ramp up the color.

Tex-Mex Mac 'n' Cheese

3/4 pound chorizo with casings removed

1/2 small red onion, minced

1 poblano chili, minced

3/4 cup milk

1 pound sliced white American cheese

1 can Rotel undrained tomatoes with chiles

12 ounces medium pasta shells, cooked

Crumbled tortilla chips

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Cook chorizo sausage over medium heat, breaking up with a spoon, until browned, 5 minutes. Add onion and poblano and stir until softened, 5 minutes. Add milk and cheese; stir until cheese melts, 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cooked shells. Fill the pre-baked peppers with pasta mixture and top with chips and cilantro. Serves four.

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This dish is from the Good Housekeeping magazine, calling for blue cheese, Greek yogurt and hot pepper sauce to give it lots of zip. It includes shredded carrots for vitamins as well.

Buffalo Mac 'n' Cheese

12 ounces pasta shells

3 cups shredded carrots

1/2 cup 1 percent milk

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese

1 cup crumbled blue cheese

3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup hot pepper sauce, or less

1/8 teaspoon salt

Cook pasta as directed, adding shredded carrots just before draining. In a saucepan, heat milk and garlic powder on medium heat until hot. Slowly stir in Cheddar cheese and blue cheese until melted. Remove from heat. Whisk in yogurt, pepper sauce and salt. Toss with pasta and carrots. Garnish with parsley. Serves six and is 475 calories per serving.

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This takes five ingredients and comes from Woman's Day magazine. It calls for pancetta, but bacon can be substituted. Both are made from pork belly but bacon has a smokier taste.

Five Ingredient Pasta

12 ounces noodles

8 ounces pancetta, chopped,1 1/2 cups

2 red peppers, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 cup grated Parmesan

1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Cook noodles according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking liquid. Drain pasta and return it to the pot. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off and discard all but 1/4 cup fat.

Add peppers to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. In a large bowl, toss the pasta, cheese and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water, adding more water if the pasta seems dry. Fold in the peppers and pancetta, then basil. Makes four to six servings, with 618 calories per serving.

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This is for bakers in the reading audience. A cookie, cake and other desserts contest will be held along with the Italian American Cultural Club April Fool's Italian style celebration on March 31 at St. Florian Hall in Wintersville. Awards are for first and second place in each category and up to three entries are allowed.

Entry forms can be obtained by calling Carm Gentile at (740-264-6550) or Todd Piergallini at (740) 317-7255. Baked goods must be on disposable plates, and winners must be present and have purchased a ticket for the celebration. The first-place prizes are $200 worth of prizes, and second is $25.

(McCoy can be contacted at emccoy@heraldstaronline.com.)