2 Tb. butter
2 Tb. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 c. milk
Break the macaroni into inch lengths, add it to the salted boiling
water, and cook it until it is tender. To prepare the sauce, melt the
butter in a saucepan, add the flour, salt, and pepper, stir until
smooth, and gradually add the milk, which must be hot, stirring rapidly
so that no lumps form. Cook the cream sauce until it thickens and then
add it to the macaroni. Pour all into a baking dish, sprinkle the bread
or cracker crumbs over the top, dot with butter, and bake until the
crumbs are brown. Serve hot.
91. MACARONI WITH EGGS.--Since macaroni is high in protein, it takes the
place of meat in whatever form it is served, but when it is prepared
with eggs it becomes an unusually good meat substitute. Therefore, when
eggs are added as in the following recipe, no meat should be served in
the same meal.
MACARONI WITH EGGS
(Sufficient to Serve Six)
1 c. macaroni
2 qt. boiling water
2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 c. milk
2 Tb. butter
2 Tb. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 hard-boiled eggs
1/4 c. crumbs
Break the macaroni into inch lengths, add it to the boiling salted
water, and cook it until tender. Make a cream, or white, sauce of the
milk, butter, flour, salt, and pepper as explained in the recipe given
in Art. 90. When the macaroni is tender, drain it and arrange a layer on
the bottom of a baking dish, with a layer of sliced, hard-boiled eggs on
top. Fill the dish with alternate layers of macaroni and eggs, pour the
sauce over all, and sprinkle the crumbs over the top. Then place the
dish in the oven and bake the food until the crumbs are brown.
Serve hot.
92. Macaroni With Tomato and Bacon.--Macaroni alone is somewhat
tasteless, so that, as has been pointed out, something is usually added
to give this food a more appetizing flavor. In the recipe here given,
tomatoes and bacon are used for this purpose. Besides improving the
flavor, the bacon supplies the macaroni with fat, a food substance in
which it is low.
MACARONI WITH TOMATO AND BACON
(Sufficient to Serve Six)
1 c. macaroni
2 qt. boiling water
2 tsp. salt
2 c. canned tomatoes
8 thin slices bacon
Break the macaroni into inch lengths and cook it in the boiling salted
water until it is tender. Place a layer of the cooked macaroni on the
bottom of a baking dish; over this layer put 1 cupful of the tomatoes,
and on top of them spread four slices of bacon. Then add another layer
of the macaroni, the other cupful of tomatoes, and a third layer of
macaroni. On top of this layer, place the remaining four slices of
bacon, and then bake the food for one half hour in a slow oven.
Serve hot.
93. Macaroni With Cheese.--Cheese is combined with macaroni probably
more often than any other food. It supplies considerable flavor to the
macaroni and at the same time provides fat and additional protein. The
cooking operation is practically the same as that just given for
macaroni with tomatoes and bacon.
MACARONI WITH CHEESE
(Sufficient to Serve Six)
1-1/2 c. macaroni
3 qt. boiling water
3 tsp. salt
1-1/2 Tb. butter
1-1/2 Tb. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. paprika
1-1/2 c. milk
1 c. grated or finely cut cheese
1/4 c. crumbs
Break the macaroni into inch lengths and cook it until it is tender in
the 3 quarts of boiling water to which 3 teaspoonfuls of salt has been
added. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour, the 1 teaspoonful
of salt, the pepper, and the paprika, stir until smooth, and then
gradually add the milk, which should be hot. Allow to cook until it
thickens. Arrange the cooked macaroni in layers, pouring the sauce and
sprinkling salt and cheese over each layer. Then cover the top layer
with the crumbs and bake the food in a moderate oven for one half hour.
Serve hot.
[Illustration: FIG. 5]
94. Macaroni With Cheese and Tomato.--Although the food combinations
given are very satisfactory, a dish that is extremely appetizing to many
persons may be made by combining both cheese and tomato with macaroni.
Such a nutritious combination, which is illustrated in Fig. 5, can be
used as the principal dish of a heavy meal.
MACARONI WITH CHEESE AND TOMATO
(Sufficient to Serve Six)
1 c. macaroni
1 c. grated cheese
2 qt. boiling water
2 Tb. butter
2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 c. canned tomatoes
1 tsp. salt
Break the macaroni into inch lengths and cook it until it is tender in
the boiling water to which 2 teaspoonfuls of salt has been added. Put a
layer of the cooked macaroni on the bottom of a baking dish, pour
one-half of the tomatoes and one-third of the cheese over it, dot with
butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then add another layer of
macaroni, the remainder of the tomatoes, one-third more of the cheese,
butter, salt, and pepper. Finally, arrange another layer of macaroni,
put the remaining cheese and some butter on top of it, and bake the food
for 1/2 hour in a moderate oven. Serve hot.
95. Macaroni Italian Style.--If small quantities of fried or boiled ham
remain after a meal, they can be used with macaroni to make a very tasty
dish known as macaroni Italian style. As ham is a highly seasoned meat,
it improves the flavor of the macaroni and at the same time adds
nutrition to the dish.
MACARONI ITALIAN STYLE
(Sufficient to Serve Six)
1 c. macaroni
2 qt. boiling water
2 tsp. salt
2 Tb. butter
2 Tb. flour
1-1/2 c. scalded milk
2/3 c. grated cheese
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 c. finely chopped, cold boiled ham
1/4 c. crumbs
Break the macaroni into inch lengths and cook it in the boiling water to
which has been added 2 teaspoonfuls of salt. Drain, and then reheat it
in a white sauce made of the butter, flour, and milk. Add the cheese and
season with salt and paprika. Arrange in layers in a baking dish,
placing the cold ham between each two layers of macaroni and having the
top layer of macaroni, sprinkle the crumbs on top of the upper layer,
and bake the food until the crumbs are brown. Garnish with parsley
and serve.
96. MACARONI AND KIDNEY BEANS.--The combination of canned kidney beans
and macaroni is a rather unusual one, but it makes a very appetizing
dish, especially when canned tomatoes are added, as in the recipe
here given.
MACARONI AND KIDNEY BEANS
(Sufficient to Serve Eight)
1 c. macaroni
2 qt. water
2 tsp. salt
2 Tb. butter
2 Tb. flour
3/4 c. hot milk
1/2 c. canned tomatoes
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. canned kidney beans
Cook the macaroni in the salted water until it is tender and then drain
it. Prepare the sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan, rubbing the
flour into it until a smooth paste is formed, and then adding slowly the
hot milk. Cook this sauce for 5 minutes. Force the tomato through a
sieve, turn it into the hot sauce, and season all with salt and pepper.
Pour the sauce over the macaroni and the kidney beans, and then heat all
together. When the food is thoroughly heated, turn it into a dish
and serve.
97. SPAGHETTI WITH CHEESE AND TOMATO SAUCE.--The accompanying recipe for
spaghetti with cheese and tomato sauce will serve to illustrate that
this form of Italian paste may be prepared in the same manner as
macaroni; that is, to show how simple it is to substitute one kind of
Italian paste for another. Any of these pastes, as has been mentioned,
is especially appetizing when prepared with cheese and tomato.
SPAGHETTI WITH CHEESE AND TOMATO SAUCE
(Sufficient to Serve Six)
1 c. spaghetti
2 Tb. butter
2 qt. boiling water
2 Tb. flour
2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. grated cheese
1 can tomatoes
1 tsp. salt
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. water
Boil the spaghetti in the 2 quarts of boiling water to which has been
added 2 teaspoonfuls of salt, and after it is tender drain off the
water. Then proceed to make the sauce. Boil the tomatoes and the chopped
onion in the 1/2 cupful of water for 10 minutes. Strain this mixture and
to it add the butter and the flour, which should first be mixed with a
little cold water. Cook this until it thickens and then add the cheese,
1 teaspoonful of salt, and the pepper. Pour the entire mixture over the
cooked spaghetti, reheat, and serve.
98. Left-Over Italian Pastes.--No cooked Italian paste of any kind
should ever be wasted. Any left-over macaroni, spaghetti, or vermicelli
can be reheated and served as it was originally or it can be used in
soups. If a sufficient amount is left after a meal, a good plan is to
utilize it in croquettes. To make such croquettes, chop the left-over
food fine and hold it together with a thick white sauce or with raw
eggs. Then form it into croquettes of the desired shape, roll these in
bread or cracker crumbs, and brown them in butter.