Kitchen Witch - Comfort food for heart-rending loss

During the week of Jan. 30, this country lost three remarkable women: Civil Rights first lady Coretta Scott King, playwright Wendy Wasserstein and women’s rights pioneer Betty Friedan.

The triple news made my heart jump in a way that only happens when the passing has personal meaning. I didn’t personally know any of these women, but the work of their lives has been no stranger to me, particularly as I age.

Coretta: a woman who immediately continued the work of her husband, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., after his death, raised her four children as a single mother and tirelessly advocated for the passage of a national holiday in his honor, which became reality in 1986.

Wendy: creator of The Heidi Chronicles and The Uncommon Women and Others — art that exposed the post-NOW reality that women, although with more choices, are paralyzed by the constant juggling of career and family.

Betty: author of the groundbreaking and controversial The Feminist Mystique and a founder and first president of the National Organization for Women.

As varied as their contributions were, they all leave indelibly inked legacies, noble and great. My life is better, richer and more realized because of these women.

All week long, I wondered what I could do to commemorate and express my appreciation. I turned my attention to macaroni and cheese, the dish I make when I want to comfort those who’ve lost a loved one.

Not only is a bowl of soft mac elbows undeniably soothing, it is a dish that embodies the spirit of a homemaker, a role that these women both dissected and reconstructed. In fact, there is no other way I’d pay my respects than with an offering of food for the soul.

Macaroni and Cheese

9 ounces elbow macaroni

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus a little extra for greasing the pan

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)

Optional: 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup plain bread crumbs

• Preheat oven to 350. Grease the sides of a glass or ceramic baking dish with butter. Cook macaroni in salted boiling water until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta and transfer to buttered dish.

• In a medium saucepan, add butter and allow to melt over low-medium heat. Add flour, and with a wooden spoon, stir quickly to combine and form a roux. Continue to stir, and cook for about 1 minute, making sure flour lumps disappear. Roux will be a golden yellow color.

• Add milk, mustard, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne and stir to combine. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring regularly to make sure milk does not scald, until mixture is thickened. The mixture is ready when a streak on the back of your wooden spoon is prominent. Add cheese and stir or whisk constantly until mixture is smooth and free of lumps. If using Worcestershire sauce, add now.

• Pour cheese sauce over pasta to cover evenly. Top it off with a layer of bread crumbs. Place dish in oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until cheese begins to bubble. To crisp up bread crumb topping, place dish under broiler for about 1 minute. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Makes about 6 servings.

Culinary questions? Contact Kim at kim.odonnel@creativeloafing.com.