MAC AND CHEESE FROM THE 1950s

By Jim Hingst

If you look through the ingredients, you will notice that this is not the exact same recipe that your mother followed fifty years ago. I modified it to include sharp cheddar cheese and gouda cheese. You can also make other changes to include other ingredients, such as cauliflower, pulled pork or shredded chicken to name a few.

INGREDIENTS

16 ounces (approximately 4.5 cups) elbow macaroni (uncooked)

6 Tablespoons of butter (never be afraid to use a little additional butter; NOTE: FYI, a stick of butter equals 8 Tablespoons)

1⁄2 cup AP flour  

4 cups (32 oz. or a quart) whole milk or half-and-half

8 ounces (about 1/4 of a 2 lb. block) of processed cheese such as Velveeta cut into cubes

4 ounces gouda cheese, shredded

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

4 ounces (half of a package) of cream cheese (allow the cream cheese to soften at room temperature prior to use; divide into smaller chunks)

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced (Note: if you run out of fresh garlic you can use garlic powder - not garlic salt - as a substitute. 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder is equivalent to a standard size garlic clove). For this recipe you can use 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder.  

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp thyme

½ tsp dry mustard powder

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp salt

½ tsp smoked paprika

1/8 tsp nutmeg powder

4 Tablespoons of hot sauce

Topping

1 cup of Panko breadcrumbs

3 Tablespoons butter

1 cup shredded cheese

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400⁰ F degrees.

Cook macaroni according to directions. Instead of boiling the pasta in salted water, consider cooking it in chicken stock.  Drain and set aside. While the macaroni is still warm add a couple of tablespoons of butter. The melted butter will prevent the pasta from sticking together.

In a separate pan warm the milk and condensed mushroom soup.

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven. Sauté the chopped onion on medium low heat for about 4 to 5 minutes until it becomes translucent; then sauté the minced garlic for an additional 30 seconds to a minute.

Add flour and whisk together to create a roux.

Season the roux with spices. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, continually whisking.

Gradually whisk in warmed milk and cook over medium-low heat for about 6 to 8 minutes until mixture starts to bubble and thickens. As the mixture heats and thickens, continually whisk it.

Turn the heat to very low. Add cubes of Velveeta, shredded cheddar and gouda cheeses, the cream cheese and hot sauce. Stir as the cheeses melt.

If the cheese mixture is too thick, add more milk to achieve the desired creamy texture. It is always better if the cheese sauce is a little more fluid than having the consistency of a stiff paste.

Transfer cooked macaroni into the Dutch oven. Gently combine the pasta with the cheese sauce.

After the macaroni and cheese sauce are mixed, transfer the mac and cheese to a baking pan.

Cover the top with the buttered bread crumbs and additional shredded cheese.

Bake at 400⁰ F in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. The macaroni and cheese is already cooked; the purpose of baking is merely to brown the topping.

Allow to cool for a few minutes, then serve.

About Jim Hingst: Sign business authority on vehicle wraps, vinyl graphics, screen printing, marketing, sales, gold leaf, woodcarving and painting. 

After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.

Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer.  Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.

Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 190 articles for  publications, such as  Signs Canada, SignCraft,  Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and  Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 500 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published.  Vinyl Sign Techniques is available at sign supply distributors and at Amazon. 

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