Stick a Feather in Your Cap

And call it Macaroni. Yep, today is National Macaroni Day. When most Americans think Macaroni, we think Thomas Jefferson and the French Delicacy Macaroni and Cheese. Okay, maybe not everyone is aware the Thomas Jefferson served Macaroni and Cheese at a State’s Dinner in 1802, but we do think Mac and Cheese.

I grew up thinking there were only two types of Macaroni recipes in the world – Macaroni and Cheese or Macaroni Salad. Everything else was pasta. To me, Macaroni was in a classification all its own. It was low-brow common eats. Pasta was upper crust fancy food. Funny how you get certain ideas in your head that sick with you. I remember when we became friends with a very Italian-American couple from New York. Every Christmas Eve they would host an amazing meatless supper that would last for hours upon hours. They would say things like “did you get enough macaroni?’ which wasn’t in reference to a macaroni dish, but rather to all the different pasta dishes. To them, macaroni wasn’t a separate category but rather a generic term for any pasta. From Linguine with Clams in a White Sauce to Spaghetti Marinara, it was all just macaroni. As it turns out, Macaroni is a class of pasta that typically does not contain eggs. In America, the most common form of Macaroni is the Elbow variety.

I’m sure we’ll be seeing a slew of Cheesy Macaroni recipes and some salads thrown in for good measure today. Macaroni is used in so many different dishes from casseroles to soups. Goulash is another great example of Macaroni. I’m not sure which I like more, eating Goulash or saying Goulash.

So Happy Macaroni Day and here’s to good eating!

Betty’s Macaroni Goulash
1 medium Yellow Onion
3 Garlic Cloves
1/2 cup Garlic Croutons
1 lb Ground Beef
1-1/2 cups Beef Stock
1 (15 oz) can Tomato Sauce
1 (14 oz) can Italian Stewed Tomatoes
1 tablespoons Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 cup uncooked Elbow Macaroni
3 oz Cream Cheese, cubes
1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded

Peel and dice the onion, set aside. Peel and finely mince the garlic, set aside. Coarsely crush the croutons, set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and diced onion. Cook about 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is browned. Drain well, return to skillet. Add garlic, cook about 1 minutes longer or until garlic is fragrant.

Stir in beef stock, tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, paprika and black pepper. Break the stewed tomatoes into smaller pieces. Heat mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 20 minutes longer or until meat sauce is slightly thickened.

Sir in uncooked macaroni pasta; cover and cook for about 16 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender.

While the pasta cooks, cube cream cheese and set aside. Once the pasta is tender, stir in cream cheese until completely melted into the sauce, about 3 minutes.

Remove from heat, sprinkle with Monterey Jack. Top with crushed croutons. Serve hot.