Mom’s Comfort Food

My father was the cook in our family. He came from a family of 12 and grew up during the Great Depression of the 1930s. His dad died in an industrial accident when my father was six, so his mother was left raising that big family on her own. My grandmother ran a small grocery store, although I don’t know if she owned it or worked for someone else. Times were hard. On one occasion my father opened a sandwich he’d brought to school from home and found nothing but two slices of lettuce.

Not surprisingly, food was top of mind. Dad brought that mindset into his adult years and carried a love of the kitchen into his marriage. This is fortunate, since my mother was never that interested in cooking. Both her parents were from Poland and spoke very little English. My mom was the oldest of two girls and quickly became in charge of coordinating her family’s affairs. I suspect she was too busy with this responsibility to spend too much time testing recipes. In our case, it worked out well. I grew up during more prosperous times and there was always food on our table, cooked in most cases by my food-loving dad.

My dad did have to pass the cooking baton to my mother once or twice as his health dictated. On these occasions mom did a great job of stepping up to the plate. She made simple things, but they were very good. Case in point: her macaroni and cheese. It satisfies my cold-weather carbohydrate cravings without tying me to the kitchen for too long a time. It all comes together in one bowl. No cheese béchamel sauce is required. Macaroni, grated cheese, milk, and eggs are mixed together and combined with a can of drained, chopped tomatoes. Never had tomatoes in a mac and cheese? Try it! It’s just as good as tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. Classic American comfort food. 

I usually use a good quality cheddar in this recipe. You can experiment with other cheeses of course, but I find myself most content with this one type. The amount of cheese is variable. Sometimes the recipe works with a cup and a half of cheddar; sometimes two cups are required. I think it depends on the pasta – and the type of cheese, of course. Experiment and find out what works best for you. I usually use elbow macaroni pasta, although if I’m out of that any stubby pasta will do. Just make sure the noodles don’t get lost in the mix.

Top the casserole with bread crumbs and dot with butter, then toss it in the over for 30 or 40 minutes. Eat. Repeat.

I’m enclosing the recipe for any and all who are interested. It’s a very simple meal to put together, although you might have to experiment a bit to find out what proportion of ingredients works best for you. Play with the type and amount of cheese. Try an elbow mac, some rotini pasta or short rigatoni. Do not – ever! – omit the tomatoes. Drain the can of most of the tomato liquid, although you can use a little to flavor the casserole.

Here’s the recipe for all who are interested. It’s easy and tasty. I always raise my fork to mom and enjoy her memory in every bite.

Moms Macaroni and Cheese