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06/17/2021 12:01 AMA new documentary from Netflix called High on the Hog tells the story of enslaved people who tried to keep their own lives and traditions alive along with their culinary journey.
In this documentary, I learned that Thomas Jefferson and George Washington enslaved Black chefs, who went with them to Paris and brought back French techniques and recipes that they blended with what ingredients were available to them. For their own food, they took the ingredients the White owners didn’t want, the leftover pieces of vegetables and fruits, the peels of potatoes, and, most of all, the bits of beef and sheep and chickens the owners threw away. Some of these dishes and recipes are now featured in restaurants both pricey and plain.
The recipe below was adapted from a recipe I found in a cookbook from 2001. Until I saw this documentary two weeks ago., I never knew the first recipe for macaroni and cheese was created by enslaved Black chefs and cooks. But now I do know. I hope you stream High on the Hog on Netflix.
Lee White of Old Lyme has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.
Queens (N.Y.) Mac and Cheese
Adapted from Macaroni & Cheese: 52 Recipes, from Simple to Sublime (Villard, New York, 2001)
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
6 tablespoons butter, plus extra for baking dish
1 pound elbow macaroni
3 12-ounce cans evaporated milk
(2 percent milk works well, too)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoon Red Devil sauce (or less, to your taste)
4 cups (1 pound) coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese
½ pound Velveeta or American cheese, cut into
one-half inch cubes
½ cup heavy cream
1 egg, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs), or fresh bread crumbs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 3 ½-quart deep baking dish or 9 by 13 baking pan.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and cook the pasta until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, pour into a large mixing bowl and toss with 4 tablespoons of the butter.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring milk to a scald and add to the macaroni. Add mustard, Red Devil sauce, and cheddar and stir well (the cheese should start to melt. Add Velveeta and cream and stir well. The macaroni and chunks of cheese should be swimming in the sauce. Add egg and mix well. Season with salt, if necessary, and plenty of pepper.
Pour into the prepared baking dish that has been place on a sheet pan to catch spills (the baking dish will be completely full). Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and dot with remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Bake until golden brown and bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes.