Virgil Evetts

For one reason or another- but mostly because of the criminally high prices of dairy in recent years, good old macaroni-cheese- that most kiwi-fied of dishes had completely dropped off my cooking radar. In fact I’d pretty much forgotten it existed, when out of the blue just the other day, it popped into my head. Then nothing else would do for dinner.

I think macaroni is probably one of those dishes that everyone had as a child but everyone had a slightly different version. I’m coming to really appreciate these family specific food traditions. We may not have a true food culture in our infant nation but we do have a few established classics- macaroni-cheese, spag- bol (quite distinct from, but just as noble a dish as it ancestor- ragu alla Bolognese), curried a sausage etc.

As ubiquitous as these dishes may be to our kitsch kitchen vernacular, every cook makes them with a unique familial flourish. And yes I know, that in the past I’ve been guilty of a degree of snobbery about such cooking- ok quite lot of snobbery actually ( e.g.’ provincial, pedestrian, pap…’), but I’m starting to see these as the classic and very legitimate examples of real New Zealand cooking- circa late 20th century that they are. They are spin-offs from various political ups and downs of their time and place- post WW2 Italian emigration to Australia and (to a much lesser degree) New Zealand, the last gasp of colonial India…

All fascinating stuff, and worth a thesis or two no doubt, but for now- back to my macaroni. Naturally I make macaroni as I was taught to do, which I’m willing to bet is a little different to how you were taught. Not better, nor worse just different. Such is the nature of these local treasures.

 

Evetts Family Macaroni Cheese

In a little oil sauté 1 finely chopped onion, 4 or 5 cloves of garlic (crushed) and a few sprigs of thyme (de-stemmed) until lightly browned. Set aside. Make a béchamel with a couple of tablespoons of butter, about the same of flour and 1 ½ cups of warm milk. Whisk until thick. Add a cup or 2 of grated tasty cheddar, ½ cup white wine, a couple of slices of roughly torn free-range ham and the onion/garlic/thyme mixture. Stir until thick and smooth. Season to taste. Fold in a packet of cooked macaroni, ladle into a baking dish and grill until golden and crispy on top.Serve with a crisp green salad and a generous glass or two of something dry and white.

 

This is the sort of cooking to pass on to your children. My recipe heirlooms are far more precious to me than any objet d’art, but I guess I’m weird like that.

 

 

So- how do you make your macaroni and what are your family food heirlooms?

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