Casserole of Macaroni Pie
(click to enlarge)

Macaroni Pie


England - South
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 5 main
***
2-3/4 hrs
Most		 Rather more elaborate than your typical American Mac & Cheese. This recipe is large enough for a buffet party.




2-1/2
14
1/2
5
8
1-1/2
5
5
8
3
1
1
1
c
oz
c
oz
oz
#
oz
oz
oz
oz
oz
oz
oz
White Sauce (1)
Macaroni (2)
Cream, heavy
Onion
Mushrooms
Chicken, cooked (3)  
Tongue, cooked (4)
Ham, cooked
Shrimp
Cheddar Cheese (3)
Parmesan Cheese
Butter
Butter (more)

As a party dish, this is sure to be a stunning success - except among the Vegetarians, Muslims and observant Jews - but they have chosen to suffer of their own free will.

Prep   -   (1-1/2 hr)
  1. Cook CHICKEN and TONGUE as needed (see notes).
  2. Make your WHITE SAUCE as set out in our recipe White Sauce - Béchamel Sauce or similar.
  3. Cook MACARONI in plenty of salted boiling water until just done. Don't overcook. If you have to hold at all, stir in a few drops of Olive Oil to keep it from sticking together.
  4. With White Sauce just below a simmer, stir in Cream, then stir into Macaroni.
  5. Quarter ONION lengthwise and slice thin.
  6. Slice MUSHROOMS thin.
  7. Cut Chicken into about 1/2 inch dice, or tear into shreds if desired. Dice Tongue and Ham very small. Shell SHRIMP, de-vein as needed and cut into several pieces each. Mix all.
  8. Grate CHEDDAR on the large side of your grater.
  9. Grate PARMESAN fine.
Run   -   (1-1/3 hr)
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
  2. In a sauté pan, heat Butter and fry Onions until translucent but no browning. Stir in Mushrooms and fry gently another 5 minutes or until very limp.
  3. Grease a casserole of sufficient size to hold the entire recipe, which will be 3 quarts. The photo specimen was made in a 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Arrange 1/2 the Chicken mix on the bottom. Spread over it 1/2 the Onion mix, then 1/2 the Pasta mix and finally 1/2 the Cheddar. Repeat with the other half. Note: if your 3 quart casserole is smaller but much deeper make it 3 layers.
  4. Place Casserole in a deep pan and fill the pan with water half way up the sides of the casserole. Slip into the oven and bake for about 50 minutes.
  5. Pull from the oven. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan and dot with Butter. Put back in the oven (without the water bath) for another 10 minutes, or however long it takes to get the amount of browning you want.
  6. Serve hot (see Note-6).
NOTES:

  1. White Sauce:

      This is a very simple sauce made of Butter, Flour and Milk. For method see our recipe White Sauce - Béchamel Sauce.

  2. Macaroni:

      Use a short, small diameter macaroni, which may be curved or straight.

  3. Chicken:

      Weight given is for skinless boneless chicken simmered until done through. Of course you could use left-over roasted chicken too. For cooking method see our Simmered Chicken page.

  4. Tongue:

      A beef tongue is way too big for this recipe, so I use a pig tongue, which has better flavor and less fat anyway. For details and cooking method see our Pork Tongue page. Of course, if you have other uses for it, you could cook a beef tongue. For method see our Beef / Veal Tongue page.

  5. Cheddar Cheese:

      Select a good quality aged cheddar - cheap industrial cheddar turns to rubber rather than melting smoothly. If in doubt, test.

  6. Serving:

      Since I serve this at events that may go on for hours, I place the casserole in a large coverable electric skillet, with a little water in it. I keep the water hot but just below a simmer.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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