THE ORIGINAL ‘RECEIPT’

MACARONI.  – Put a piece of butter, ½ lb macaroni, an onion stuck with two cloves, and a little salt, into hot water;  boil them for three quarters of an hour, and then, if the macaroni is flexible, take it out and drain it well.  Put it into another saucepan, with 2 oz butter, 3 oz grated Parmesan cheese, 4 oz Gruyère, also grated, a little pepper and nutmeg;  toss up the whole together, adding two or three spoonfuls of cream, and when done, put it on a dish, and serve it very hot.

~The Young Ladies’ Journal, London: Edward Harrison, December 24, 1870.

THE UPDATED RECIPE

• 8 oz. macaroni 
• 1 Tb. butter
• 1 cooking onion
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 tsp. salt
• Sauce:
• 2 oz. butter
• 3 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 oz. grated Gruyère cheese
• dash of pepper
• dash of grated nutmeg
• 3 Tb. cream.

In a large saucepan of boiling water, boil the macaroni, along with the butter, the onion stuck with two cloves, and salt, until the macaroni is tender.

Meanwhile, grate the cheese and measure all ingredients for the sauce, and combine them in another saucepan.

When the macaroni is tender, drain it, (discarding the onion and cloves) and combine the macaroni with the sauce mixture;  place over medium heat, and turn the mixture gently with a spoon until the cheeses melt and the macaroni is evenly coated.  

When it is piping hot, serve immediately.

Yield:  4 to 6 servings.

A note from Patricia: I adore anything cheesy, and had a hankering for mac and cheese, so I thought I’d give this recipe a whirl. I was also interested in this one because of the Gruyère, which is by far my favourite cheese. It’s nutty and rich, and I don’t normally allow myself to buy it because I devour the entire block of cheese in an abnormally short period of time. I subbed gluten-free pasta, and measured the cheeses and butter with a kitchen scale for accuracy. The verdict? Gooey and cheesy and full of flavour. I loved the hint of cloves and nutmeg and onion, and the Gruyère made this a truly excellent mac and cheese. I’ll definitely be making this quick, easy and tasty dish over and over again.

Macaroni is a product of wheat prepared from a hard, clean, glutenous grain.  The grain is ground into a meal called semolina, from which the bran is excluded.   ….If in the shape of large hollow cylinders, it is macaroni;  if smaller in diameter, it is spaghetti;  if fine, vermicelli; if the paste is cut into fancy patterns, it is termed pasta d’Italia.

~Kellogg, E. E. Science in The Kitchen. Battle Creek, Michigan: Health Publishing Company, 1892.