Recipe: Church Supper Chili Mac and Cheese (Nebraska)

CHURCH SUPPER CHILI MAC AND CHEESE
(Nebraska)

FOR THE MACARONI AND CHEESE:
12 ounces elbow macaroni, uncooked
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

FOR THE CHILI:
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound ground chuck
1 cup barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Up to 1 cup crushed tomatoes

TO MAKE THE MACARONI AND CHEESE:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2 1/2- to 3-quart casserole.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt and cook macaroni 5 to 8 minutes, until just tender. Drain.

To make the white sauce, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Sprinkle in the flour, stirring constantly. Heat the milk to just below boiling and stir it into the flour-butter mixture, stirring constantly until thickened. Add the salt and mustard.

In a large bowl, combine the macaroni, white sauce, and cheese, stirring just enough to blend it. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole.

Bake for 30 minutes.

MEANWHILE, TO MAKE THE CHILI:
In a heavy skillet, saute the onions and garlic in the oil until soft.

Add the beef and cook until browned, breaking up any clumps. Drain any excess fat.

Add the barbecue sauce, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Add as much crushed tomatoes as needed to keep the chili loose.

Serve the chili in broad, shallow bowls atop the macaroni and cheese.

ABOUT THE RECIPE: "It was at a help-yourself church supper buffet west of Broken Bow many years ago that we came across this endearing chili variation, which we have always associated with the straightforward farm cooking of Nebraska. At first, we assumed it was two separate things to eat. But the lady ahead of us in line, recognizing we were strangers to the town and to the townsfolk's cooking, told us that the two casserole dishes - one filled with classic macaroni and cheese, the other with a meaty chili - were the neighbors' contribution to supper every week, without fail. Then she showed us that the proper way to put them on the plate was to lay out a bed of macaroni and then pile a scoop of meaty chili on top. An excellent combination.

We confess that sometimes, when feeling lazy or in need of the corporate kind of comfort that boxed meals provide, we don't bother to make our macaroni and cheese from scratch, but rather just brew up a batch of boxed Kraft Dinner (and make it a little less soupy than the official recipe calls for). But here's the full-scale way to do it, yielding a dish anyone would be proud to bring to a church supper."

Source: Chili Nation by Jane and Michael Stern