A traditional macaroni and cheese kicked up a notch with some jalapenos and tomatoes. So good. So yummy. Get in the kitchen and make this. ‘Nuff said.

Jalapeño and Tomato Macaroni & Cheese
adapted from Lisa’s Kitchen

• 3 medium tomatoes (campari, plum or other tomato of your choice)
• 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 pound whole wheat macaroni
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 12 oz can evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup egg substitute (or 2 eggs)
• 1 Tablespoon grainy mustard
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 12 oz cheddar, colby or monterey jack cheese, grated (I used 8 oz colby and 8 oz sharp cheddar)
• 2 japapeno peppers, seeded and diced

- Chop tomatoes. Place in a sieve to drain the juices moving them around occasionally to ensure better draining.

- Melt the 3 Tablespoons butter. Combine bread crumbs and cornmeal with melted butter. Put aside.

- Cook the macaroni al dente, in a large pot, according to package instructions. Drain and return to original pot and add the remaining 4 Tablespoons of butter.

- In a large bowl, whisk the milk, egg substitute, mustard, salt and black pepper. Add 3/4 of the cheese and combine.

- Pour the milk and cheese mixture into the pot with the macaroni.

- Stir over medium heat until the cheese melts, the sauce thickens and the gets bubbly.

- Add tomatoes and jalepenos and stir to combine.

- Pour into lightly greased baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Then add the crumbs.

- Add to preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until top is browned and the sauce is bubbling.

After a thorough review of the 1936 edition of the Boston Cooking School cookbook and getting a glance to the past, it’s now time to get cooking…

I chose to do a macaroni and cheese recipe out of this cookbook as it’s a classic in the kitchen. This “Virginia Style” modification, adding a touch of mustard, falls under a recipe for Boiled Macaroni. Because it required a white sauce, it turned into a very comforting recipe to make and I stood at the stove whisking and watching the sauce thicken up.

By the way, the heroine of my 1936 cookbook narrative, Janice, probably rejoiced a year later. In 1937, Kraft to introduced their new “Kraft Meal”convenience product – their boxed macaroni and cheese.

But, really, what’s better than coming home from a long day of work and digging into some ooey gooey cheesy pasta? This macaroni and cheese came out exactly that way.  Sure, I may be tempted in the future to reach for the boxed macaroni and cheese kit, but when I’m looking for some true comfort food, this recipe will be made again.

I’m going to present the recipe as written which presents as a little disjointed as some ingredients appear in the text. So, read all the way through this so you’ll know what you need to do.

Boiled Macaroni

3/4 cup macaroni broken in inch pieces (Note: I rocked this dish with a nice modern elbow macaroni so no breaking required.)
2 quarts boiling water
1 Tablespoon salt

Cook macaroni in boiling salted water 20 minutes or until soft; drain in strainer, pour over it cold water to rinse thoroughly. Add more salt, if needed. (Note: Or, simply cook macaroni per package directions.)

Virginia style: Put half the macaroni in buttered baking dish,

Dot over with 1/2 tablespoon butter, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon mustard and 1/4 cup grated cheese; repeat. (Note: I used a prepared dijon mustard rather than powdered which I suspect the powdered is what was actually called for in the original recipe.)

pour over White Sauce (recipe below),

cover with 3 Tablespoons buttered crumbs,

and bake in hot oven (400 degrees) until crumbs are brown.

White Sauce

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
Few grains pepper

Melt butter, add flour mix with seasonings, stir until well blended.

Pour on milk gradually, while stirring constantly.

Bring to boiling point.

Boil 2 minutes.

This recipe appeared in the February 2009 issue of Prevention magazine. I have never been motivated to make my own macaroni and cheese, but after my mother made this recipe, I was convinced.

What makes this recipe unique is using a bit of chopped chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce. A little goes a long way, so if you don’t want the macaroni and cheese to be super spicy, pare down the amount called for in the recipe.

Macaroni and Cheese
Prevention Magazine – February 2009

• 3 cups elbow macaroni (I used a multi-grain, protein rich pasta)
• 3 medium scallions, chopped (1/4 cups)
• 2 1/4 cups 1% milk, divided (I used skim milk)
• 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat (2%) sharp Cheddar cheese (10 oz)
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream (I used fat-free sour cream)
• 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon chopped chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Tablespoons dried bread crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. (Note: I started preheating the oven near the end of cooking the macaroni. No need to keep an oven hot when you don’t need to, right?)

Prepare macaroni per package directions.

Add scallions and 1 3/4 cups of the milk to large pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat while macaroni cooks.

Whisk flour and remaining 1/2 cup milk in small bowl. Whisk milk-flour mixture into simmering milk. Cook, stirring, until thickened.

Remove from heat and gradually stir in cheddar until smooth. Add sour cream, mustard, and chipotle pepper.

Add drained macaroni, salt and black pepper.

Transfer to prepared baking dish.

Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, and oil in small bowl. Sprinkle on top of macaroni and cheese.

Bake 25 minutes, or until bubbling and golden brown.