MICHAEL SCELFO’S BAKED MACARONI with CHEDDAR, HAM, & PEAS
Photo by Michael Piazza
With three kids it’s probably easy to guess what the number one-requested Thanksgiving side is every year. I love making macaroni and cheese, but after doing so many versions of it over the years—and selling tons of it early in my career—I’ve settled on this tried-and-true interpretation. A bit of classic sauce making, a ton of midwestern flavor and great ingredients make this hearty side a meal unto itself.
Serves 8–10
INGREDIENTS
Bechamel
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½ pound butter
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1 cup flour
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½ gallon whole milk
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1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
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2 bay leaves
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2 tablespoons kosher salt
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1 tablespoon black pepper
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1½ cups grated white cheddar (Cabot Clothbound or any aged sharp cheddar)
Pasta
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2 pounds cooked pasta (macaroni or any other short cut you like), undercooked by half recommended time
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2 cups grated white cheddar (Cabot Clothbound or any aged sharp cheddar)
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2 cups diced smoked ham (choose a good local one or use Edwards, Niman Ranch or VT Smokehouse)
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1 cup scallion greens, sliced razor thin
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2 cups frozen peas, keep frozen
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1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
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1 tablespoon kosher salt
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Bechamel Sauce, recipe above
METHOD
Bechamel
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Preheat oven to 325°F.
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In a saucepan over low heat melt butter and flour together, whisking frequently and cook for about 20 minutes. The goal here is to slowly cook off the raw flour taste and not add any brown color.
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After 20 minutes, add remaining ingredients except cheese. Turn heat up to medium-high and whisk vigorously to blend milk into flour, then reduce heat and simmer until mix begins thicken. Stop cooking just short of a full boil and remove from heat; the sauce should be white with no brown color.
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Cool for at least 15 minutes, then stir in cheese and set aside at room temperature covered, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.
Pasta
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In a large mixing bowl combine all of ingredients, reserving half of the cheese and 1/3 of the bechamel. Mix thoroughly and pour into a buttered casserole dish or a cast iron skillet. Spread top with reserved bechamel and cheese.
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Bake uncovered for 40 minutes, or until top of gratin is golden and bubbly. Cool 20 minutes before serving.
SEAFOOD FRITTERS
The Eastern Shore of Virginia is, for all intents and purposes, clam country. In fact, the Old Dominion State has the largest clam fishery in the United States, hauling in hundreds of millions of both farm-raised and wild varieties, from little necks, cherrystones, and razors along the coastal peninsula’s Chesapeake Bay shorelines to quahogs off the banks of the Atlantic Ocean. And if you’re not eating them raw or roasted, there are few ways better to indulge than the local delicacy of a pan-fried fritter.
CHESAPEAKE OYSTER STUFFING
A round of oysters is always cause for celebration, and this time of year on the Chesapeake Bay, that shows up in the form of oyster stuffing. Whether stuffed into a bird or cooked in a cast-iron pan, it’s a time-honored tradition during the holiday season. Or, as Harris’s book reports The Baltimore Sun putting it in 1914, “Inside the oyster belt at Thanksgiving time, it is nothing short of heresy to fail to serve turkey with good old-fashioned oyster stuffing.” Throw it into a Joan and consider it tradition.
SEARED HANGER STEAK WITH CHARRED SCALLION SALSA
There was a time not that long ago when you’d walk into certain butcher shops, ask for a hanger steak, and get a quizzical look. Perhaps that’s because, for some time, the secondary cut was also known as a “Hanging Tender,” hailing from inside the ribcage (in fact, it’s part of the diaphragm), as well as “the Butcher’s Steak,” with those cunning meatmongers often keeping this deeply flavorful, textured specimen for themselves. “But the gig is up,” says Pryles, who shares her pan-cooked version with us, featuring wagyu, no less, and a bright salsa to boot.
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