Count Macula

February 24, 2018 12:26 PM

The Tolstoy family recipe for macaroni and cheese and some tips for preparation

such as "macaroni again and so on" as well as a commenter's elucidation of what constitutes the vegetable sauce required for the layering process. The recipe itself:

Bring water to a boil, add salt, then add macaroni and leave boiling on light fire until half tender; drain water through a colander, add butter and start putting macaroni back into the pot in layers – layer of macaroni, some grated Parmesan and some vegetable sauce, macaroni again and so on until you run out of macaroni. Put the pot on the edge of the stove, cover with a lid and let it rest in light fire until the macaroni are soft and tender. Shake the pot occasionally to prevent them from burning.

A Kindle book is available for those wanting to explore other recipes enjoyed by the Tolstoy family and friends.

posted by blixapuff (8 comments total)

I'd eat that mac and cheese. Of course I never met a mac and cheese I wouldn't, even the ones from boxes. Except maybe this one.
posted by Plafield at 1:18 PM on February 24, 2018 [2 favorites]

Robert Mudry says:
May 1, 2017 at 1:00 pm
I would [have] thought a recipe written by a Tolstoy...would be 800 pages long and you’d be depressed by the time you finished eating.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:42 PM on February 24, 2018 [8 favorites]

Interesting enough, but even better is that it led me to his list of books that most influenced him. Some cooking and reading to try.
posted by caddis at 2:17 PM on February 24, 2018

I'm not able to see the comments - what is the vegetable sauce?
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:29 PM on February 24, 2018

Vegetable Sauce: slice carrots, onions, rutabagas or turnips, and potatoes into small pieces. In a large pot, add a tablespoon butter then add the vegetables. Sautee the vegetables until onions are translucent. Add 1 table spoon butter and flour and cook until a reux forms( blond colored paste) Add 1cup of chicken stock(add more as necessary) and a spoon of sugar. Cook until the vegetables become soft. Than puree it. Add salt and pepper to taste.
posted by blixapuff at 2:31 PM on February 24, 2018 [4 favorites]

Huh. I had no idea Macaroni and Cheese wasn't just an American invention.

Some further googling found this piece of history:

The anonymous Liber de coquina, written in Latin by someone familiar with the Neapolitan court then under the sphere of Charles II of Anjou (1248-1309) has a recipe called de lasanis which we can call the first “macaroni and cheese” recipe. It was a macaroni, in this case, lasagne sheets made from fermented dough and cut into two-inch squares that were cooked in water and tossed with grated cheese, probably Parmesan. The author suggests using powdered spices and layering the sheets of lasagne, just like today, with the cheese if desired.


--Clifford A Wright, History of Macaroni and Cheese.

posted by daybeforetheday at 3:26 PM on February 24, 2018 [2 favorites]

This isn't anywhere near as early as daybeforetheday's example, but Ortensio Landi in the 16th century wrote: "In a month's time (if the winds are not against you) you will arrive on the affluent island of Sicily, where you will eat some of these macaroni that have taken their name from [the Greek word] 'beatify': they are usually cooked together with fat capons and fresh cheeses dripping with butter and milk on all sides, and then, using a wide and liberal hand,sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon of the finest that can be found."

So yeah, macaroni cheese, with chicken and sugar.
posted by lollusc at 4:35 PM on February 24, 2018 [5 favorites]

Turnips, rutabagas...try leeks, onions, garlic, whispers of cumin seed, brushes of dill, parsnips sliced paper thin, celery paper thin sliced on a slant, Tabasco, shakes of some seasoned salt, last but no less than a half cup, chardonnay. layer that shizz not turnips oh my heck, turnips, WTF Tolstoy?
posted by Oyéah at 10:31 AM on February 25, 2018 [2 favorites]