A Special Place in My Heart

Like I’ve mentioned before, Dave is from the South (St. George, South Carolina, to be precise). I feel as though I didn’t give the South the credit it’s due in my previous post. There are some things that Southerners have us Northerners completely beat on, and it’s not just fried food and college football, though they most definitely reign superior in those two departments. Other things that are better in the South include hospitality, weather, overall friendliness, and macaroni and cheese. I discovered this particular mac & cheese recipe in my Hominy Grill cookbook, and it’s my absolute favorite. The Hominy Grill is a Charleston institution that serves classic soul food like shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes and chocolate pudding. It’s also where Dave took me on my first trip to Charleston, three Thanksgivings ago. It has a very special place in my heart, not just because of the so-good-it-hurts food, but also because I fell in love with Dave over brunch in their backyard seating area (another great thing about the South? It’s warm in November). Was it the biscuits and gravy or the salmon potato cakes that did me in? I may never know. Most likely, it was discovering Dave’s obsession with Tabasco sauce, which I find quite endearing.

Back to the point. I love this recipe because like all Southern food, it’s easy to prepare and downright delicious. There’s nothing fancy about the ingredients or cooking process, yet it’s one of those dishes that makes everyone happy. Who doesn’t love mac and cheese? I included more breadcrumbs and added a sprinkling of parmesan cheese to the macaroni for a really golden, bubbly surface. The Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce add just the right amount of kick and smokiness. But if you have a penchant for Tabasco, add as much as you like once the mac & cheese comes out of the oven.


Charleston Macaroni & Cheese
Adapted from the Hominy Grill Cookbook

Ingredients
1 16 oz package of elbow macaroni
2 c of the best quality cheddar you can find, grated
1/2 c parmesan, grated, plus more for later (buy a block and grate it yourself. Don’t get the kind you’d sprinkle on pasta)
2 c whole milk, scalded. You can do this in the same skillet you melt the butter in.
4 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4-1/2 tablespoon Tabasco sauce, depending on how much you’d like
Breadcrumbs (I like Progresso’s Italian style)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch Pyrex dish with butter. Sprinkle the bottom of the dish with breadcrumbs (about 4 tablespoons worth), and set aside.

Boil pasta until tender, and drain.

Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add flour and stir until there nothing left unincorporated.
Add scalded milk to skillet. Lower heat and simmer until thickened, whisking occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Add the cheeses, salt, Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces and stir until evenly blended.

Put the macaroni back in the pot you boiled it in, and add sauce. Stir with a wooden spoon until all the macaroni is covered.
Pour contents of pot into Pyrex dish. Cover the macaroni with more breadcrumbs (about two handfuls) and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes. Let cool about 15 minutes before digging in.



Note: This mac and cheese can be made a day or two ahead of time, covered with tinfoil, and kept refrigerated. It is also the very best thing to come home to after a bad day.