Well, you voted, so we tried it – and you know what? It wasn’t terrible! I also thought the deviled eggs were a surprisingly nice addition.
I will confess, I DID adapt the recipe, just a wee, tiny bit, based on what we had in the larder; I used rigatoncello instead of elbow macaroni, and since I had some green chile sauce left over from the weekend, it seemed a shame to open a bottle of jarred chili sauce (yes, I know, different flavors and influences – too bad). Using my chile sauce meant that this was no longer a vegetarian recipe – but we’re not vegetarians, so no real harm done. I WILL say that if you ARE vegetarian, or looking to add a hearty meatless meal to your menu, you could easily make the green chile sauce without the beef – or maybe using tempeh. Of course, if you’re vegetarian, I’m not certain where the deviled eggs fall. I do think they ‘completed’ the dish, but also believe it could stand on its own without them.
First, let’s refresh our memories with the original advertisement and recipe from, I think, the 50’s:
Now, let’s move on to the recipe – INCLUDING A&P’s rather interesting suggestion for deviled eggs.
INGREDIENTS (serves 6):
•8 oz. Elbow macaroni
•3 hard cooked eggs, deviled*
•3 tbsp butter
•2 tbsp flour
•1 tsp salt
•Dash of pepper
•1 tsp paprika
•2 tsp mustard
•2 cups milk
•1 cup grated cheddar cheese, divided
•1/3 cup chili sauce
Cook macaroni according to directions and drain. Toss with a little olive oil and place in a baking dish (I used a deep, ten-inch round dish).
Melt the butter and stir in flour and seasonings to make a roux. Add milk and cook, stirring, over low heat until thickened. Stir in 1/2 cup of cheese and stir until melted. Pour over macaroni and mix in.
NOTE: the original recipe called for topping the completed casserole with the chili sauce along with the last bit of cheese before baking, but I opted to stir my green chile sauce into the pasta and cheese mixture.
Arrange deviled eggs on top of macaroni, and add chili sauce (if you’re going that route) and remaining cheese.
Bake at 375º for about twenty minutes or until the cheese is melted.
*Ann Page Deviled Egg Recipe:
Cut 3 hard cooked eggs in half and remove yolks.
Mash yolks with 1 tbsp French dressing, 1 tbsp milk, and a bit of salt and pepper.
You know the rest.
From the age of this recipe, I could assume that by ‘French Dressing’ they were referring to a commercial version of the classic oil and lemon juice (or vinegar), salt and paprika dressing (see the recipe here); but I hadn’t made any recently, and so used some Catalina instead. Not too, too bad.
CONFESSION: I should note that I think I misread the recipe regarding the prepared mustard and concluded that ‘prepared’ meant, basically, French’s Yellow Mustard, so that’s what I used. On re-reading it – and considering the classic method for ‘deviling’ something – I believe they must have meant mustard powder – ‘prepared’ distinguishing the powder (think Colman’s – the only mustard powder we use) from mustard seed. Do what you will; I think the French’s added a nice, ‘bright’ flavor to the dish. And before you say anything; I don’t care – I like basic yellow mustard on hot dogs – when I don’t have any kimchi at hand 😉