Macaroni Milanaise

By Sam Sifton

Total Time: About 30 minutes
Rating: 4(790)
Comments: Read comments

This is a dish that originated in ‘‘The Escoffier Cookbook’’ as a ‘‘garnish’’ for lamb chops: macaroni and cheese, essentially, for fancy people. It serves well as a main dish, though, particularly if you double the recipe. Escoffier added both truffles and tongue to the mix, and you can, too, though it is hardly necessary. Serve with a salad if not lamb chops, and give thanks for the old ways.

Featured in: Mac and Cheese for Fancy People

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings.

½ pound dried macaroni pasta, or cavatelli, gemelli, even ziti
4thin slices ham, about 2 ounces, cut into thin ribbons
3 or 4small mushrooms, ideally wild, sliced thin
2tablespoons tomato purée
2tablespoons Madeira
3tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3tablespoons grated Gruyère cheese
2tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Set a large pot of heavily salted water over high heat, and allow it to come to a boil.
Step 2
Add the pasta to the water, and cook it until it is just shy of tender, according to the instructions on the box.
Step 3
Meanwhile, put the ham, mushrooms and tomato purée in a small sauté pan, and pour the Madeira over the top. Cook over medium heat until the liquid has reduced to a glaze, the ham is heated through and the mushrooms are beginning to brown. Turn the heat off under the pan, and set aside.
Step 4
Reserve a cup of the pasta water, and drain the pasta well. Return the pasta to the pot, then add the cheeses and butter, and stir to combine. Add the seasonings, and stir some more, adding, if necessary, a little of the reserved pasta water to loosen the pasta and help melt the cheeses. Add the mushroom mixture, and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning. Serve with salad, or as a ‘‘garnish’’ for roasted or sautéed lamb.

Ratings

4 out of 5

790 user ratings

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Comments

Susan7 years ago

This is a favorite main course for us; we triple the amount of mushroom. This should not have salt added at any stage: pasta cooks fine without it, and the meat and cheese add flavor and lots of sodium on their own. The recipe adapts well to what we have on hand (bacon can replace ham, red wine can replace Madeira, and in a pinch Muenster can replace Gruyere). Freshly grated nutmeg is essential.

kks7 years ago

Prosciutto works, too.

Hopbell7 years ago

Oh my. What can I say. I learned this recipe at culinary school 40 years ago I think but I never revisited it until now. I did use truffles and tongue and it makes a wonderful addition to any recipe file. I'll make this over and over again.

Jess2 months ago

This was five stars in our books! Devoured by our dinner party, used prosciutto in place of ham because that’s what we had on hand—and skipped the nutmeg by accident. Even so it was scrumptious!!!

hannah1 year ago

Use 8 oz mushrooms, 1/4 c tomato sauce, 1/4 c broth (instead of wine)

DankaL2 years ago

I used cubed pancetta instead of the ham and doubled the mushroom. It was fantastic with the parmesan crusted lamb. My only revision when I next make it would be to halve the nutmeg to a quarter teaspoon instead of one half. Although I adore nutmeg I found it a bit dominant in the dish.

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