Macaroni and Creole Sauce

A short assembly recipe that leans on two earlier entries in the book: the boiled macaroni and the Creole sauce. Everything hinges on those, so treat this as a gratin formula rather than a full method.

• "Cook as above"This refers back to the preceding macaroni instructions, which are not reproduced here; boil and drain as that entry directs. Period cookbooks commonly boiled macaroni far longer than we do, often 20 minutes or more; modern dried pasta wants 7-9 minutes, and slightly underdone is better here since it goes on to bake in sauce.
• Creole sauceThis points to a separate Creole sauce entry elsewhere in the book, typically a cooked tomato base with onion, sweet pepper and celery. As a working guide, about 2 cups of sauce will cover 8 oz of dried macaroni; any well-reduced tomato-and-pepper sauce stands in.
• "Break in small pieces"Macaroni was sold in long tubes and snapped by hand before boiling. Short cut elbows or ziti need no breaking.
• Buttered bread crumbsFresh crumbs from day-old bread tossed with melted butter, about 1 tablespoon butter to a half cup of crumbs. Dry packaged crumbs can scorch before the dish heats through.
• "Bake until well seasoned"The recipe sets no time or temperature; the phrase is best read as baking until the sauce has soaked into the pasta and the top has browned. As a modern starting point, try 20 to 25 minutes at 375F in a shallow dish, uncovered.
• Dish and yieldThe recipe gives no quantities. As a suggestion, a 1 1/2-quart baking dish suits 8 oz of macaroni and serves four as a main course, six as a side. A shallow dish gives more of the crumb crust.