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Macaroni
1 cupful (1/4 lb.) grated I package medium noodles Salt and paprika to taste cheese 3 heaping tablespoonfuls (3 ozs.) butter Boil the noodles in plenty of boiling salted water for twenty minutes, then drain, add the butter, cheese, salt, and paprika.
Stir over the fire in a fireproof dish till the cheese and butter are melted. Serve hot.
The ingredient list has been mangled by the original two-column typesetting; read it as 1 cup (4 oz) grated cheese, 1 package medium noodles, 3 heaping tablespoons (3 oz) butter, and salt and paprika to taste. The method is sound, but the boiling time is not.
- Twenty minutes is far too longEgg noodles of medium width need 6 to 9 minutes in hard-boiling water. Twenty minutes gives a saturated, collapsing noodle that will not hold the butter and cheese in suspension. Cook to just tender and drain immediately.
- "A package" of noodlesThe recipe gives no weight. The butter and cheese quantities suit roughly 8 oz of noodles, so that is a sensible reading; if you use a modern 12 oz bag, increase the fat and cheese by half.
- The fireproof dish"Fireproof" here means a dish that can go directly over the heat. Most modern ceramic bakeware is not rated for direct heat; finish the dish in a heavy saucepan or an enameled cast-iron pot instead.
- Which cheeseA cupful of grated cheese weighing a quarter pound implies a firm, dry cheese: aged Cheddar, or a hard grating cheese such as Parmesan. Pre-shredded cheese carries anti-caking starch and will go grainy rather than glossy.
- Keep a little cooking waterButter and hard cheese alone tend to break into oily strings over heat. Two or three tablespoons of the starchy boiling water stirred in with the cheese will pull the sauce together.
- Low heat, off the boilMelt the cheese gently, stirring, and take the pan off the heat as soon as it is smooth. Held over a brisk flame the cheese tightens and squeaks out its fat.
- PaprikaIn cookery of this period paprika generally meant the sweet ground pepper, used as much for color as for flavor, rather than a hot chili. The recipe leaves the amount to taste; a generous half teaspoon suits the quantities.
- YieldOn about 8 oz of noodles, roughly three as a main dish or four as a side. It is best eaten at once; the sauce tends to separate on reheating.
The heading reads "Macaroni" because in cookbooks of this period macaroni often served as a category rather than a shape, covering the dried Italian-style pastes along with the egg noodle; books of the period frequently filed noodles, spaghetti, vermicelli and elbow macaroni under one head and treated them much alike with butter and cheese. The vessel is worth noting: a fireproof dish of glazed earthenware or fused clay could be set over the burner and then carried to the table, so a dish like this was cooked, finished and served in one piece of ware -- a real convenience in kitchens where every extra pan meant more washing.