Macaroni Pie

 

Last week in a Facebook post, Nathalie Dupree mentioned making macaroni pie for supper. She posted a picture and it looked like a bowl full of comfort. She happened to mention that it was in one of her cookbooks, one that I own, so I dug it out and gave this recipe a try.  It is easy to put together, hearty, and full of cheesy goodness. If you have a busy day ahead (and who doesn’t?) you can make it early in the day and refrigerate it until you’re ready to bake. Serve it with a green salad, crusty roll, and a glass of white wine.

Macaroni Pie

From Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking by Nathalie Dupree

 3 c. cooked and drained spaghetti (macaroni)
4 T. butter, melted
4 large eggs, beaten to mix
3 c. milk
1½ t. Dijon mustard
2 t. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 t. cayenne, optional
1 pound sharp Cheddar or Gruyère cheese, grated

 Preheat oven to 350°F.

 Roughly cut the cooked spaghetti into 3-inch pieces and toss with half the butter. Lightly whisk the eggs with the milk in a large bowl.

 Add the mustard, salt, peppers, and half the cheese. Put half the spaghetti into a greased 3-quart baking dish, sprinkle with cheese to cover and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Ladle on half the egg/cheese mixture, top with the rest of the spaghetti. Ladle on the remainder of the mixture and enough cheese and the remaining butter to cover the top. If the dish is deep, it may not need all the cheese.

 Move to the preheated oven. If the dish is less than three inches deep, bake for 30 minutes; if deeper, bake for about 45 minutes. Check and reduce the heat 25 degrees if the cheese is browning too much or the custard is bubbling. Cover lightly with foil and continue to cook until a fork inserted in the custard comes out clean and the top is golden brown, up to 40 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the baking dish.

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Double Your Pleasure on Thanksgiving!

Nathalie Dupree is a genius. It was she, by way of an article by Shelley Hill Young in a recent issue of the North Carolina monthly skirt!magazine, who gave me the idea to make two turkeys on Thanksgiving. Sound crazy? Hear me (and Nathalie) out. I realize my situation is not the same as everyone else's, but I'm sure many of you can relate. I have hosted Thanksgiving ever since my kids were babies, so about 30 years. It was manageable, but never easy. When my mother became ill however, I had to transport the dinner to her house, and then a couple years later when my husband became ill, it started to make sense to me to help myself out a bit by making the turkey the day before. 

There are a lot of good reasons for this. First of all, it is far less stressful to be able to do it at your leisure. Second, it allows advance access to the carcass, after carving, with which you can make stock, and then use that stock in a magnificent gravy. Advanced prep allows you the freedom to tinker with your pan drippings, as well as refrigerate until the fat separates, when it can then be easily skimmed off. Third, having made stock you can then use it when you reheat the turkey by placing your slices of turkey into a large pan, drizzling about a cup of the stock over the top, covering it tightly with foil, and then reheating it. The first time I did this the turkey was the most delicious and succulent that we had ever tasted.

The downside to this is that, when people come to your home for Thanksgiving, they won't smell the turkey baking. I always felt bad about that, because half of the joy of Thanksgiving dinner is to inhale the heady aroma of that delicious roasting bird. 

Nathalie’s solution would achieve both goals -- being able to make the turkey I plan to serve on the day before, and still having that wonderful roast turkey aroma the day of the actual meal. In Nathalie's case, she bought two whole turkeys. In my case, because oven space is at a premium, and I need most of it for doing all of the side dishes, I decided to make a whole turkey the day before, and then make a turkey breast in the crockpot (That I remembered smelled amazing the last time I did it and you can read about that here.) and let it cook all day long on Thanksgiving.

It's too late for you all to make use of this bit of brilliance this year, but keep it in mind for next. Helping to relieve yourself of a bit of holiday stress can lead to the almost unheard of consequence of actually being able to enjoy your own party.

 

Have a delicious and stress-free Thanksgiving Day!