Mac ’n’ cheese comfort

(photo from narcity.com)

While pasta and cheese casseroles are recorded as early as the 14th-century, the first modern recipe appeared in an English cookbook in 1770. The story is also told that President Thomas Jefferson and his chef brought the recipe to the United States from Europe in the 1790s, although it does not appear in a U.S. cookbook until 1824, with the unkosher boxed Kraft version appearing in 1937. British immigrants brought the recipe to Canada in 1845. The quintessential comfort food, here are a few of my favourite versions of mac and cheese.

MY BEST MACARONI AND CHEESE
(I adapted this recipe from The Joy of Cooking, making it without breadcrumbs on top.)

4 cups macaroni
2 eggs
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup margarine
paprika to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a casserole.
2. Cook macaroni in boiled water for about 10 minutes and drain.
3. Add eggs, cheese, milk and margarine. Pour into greased casserole.
4. Sprinkle paprika on top. Bake for 45 minutes.

ITALIAN CREAMY BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

2 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup pareve “chicken” soup
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 cups cooked macaroni
2 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a casserole.
2. Cook macaroni and drain.
3. Melt margarine in a saucepan. Stir in flour to make a roux. Add pareve chicken soup, milk and nutmeg. Cook until thick.
4. Place one-third macaroni in a greased casserole. Sprinkle with one-third of cheese and one-third of sauce.
5. Make two more layers of macaroni, cheese and sauce. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

STOVETOP MACARONI AND CHEESE
(This recipe is by California chef and restaurant owner Grace Parisi, in Food and Wine.)

1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 finely chopped onion
1 1/2 tsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp thyme
2 cups half-and-half
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups elbow macaroni
1/4 cup shredded kosher Gruyere cheese
1/4 cup shredded kosher white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded kosher Fontina cheese
1/4 cup grated kosher Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp Panko breadcrumbs

1. Boil water in a pot.
2. In a stovetop, ovenproof frying pan, melt butter and cook onion five minutes. Add tomato paste and thyme and cook one minute.
3. Add half-and-half and two cups hot water, reduce heat to a simmer. Add salt and pepper and macaroni and cook eight minutes.
4. Stir in a quarter cup boiling water, Gruyere, cheddar and Fontina cheeses. Cover and let stand two minutes, until cheeses are melted.
5. In a bowl, combine Parmesan cheese and Panko. Sprinkle over pasta. Place under broiler and broil two minutes or until golden.

Sybil Kaplan is a journalist, lecturer, book reviewer and food writer in Jerusalem. She created and leads the weekly English-language Shuk Walks in Machane Yehuda, she has compiled and edited nine kosher cookbooks, and is the author of Witness to History: Ten Years as a Woman Journalist in Israel.