True to tradition and despite the rain, I snuck off to a recently revealed access to some urban water last Sunday afternoon as much of the world was putting the finishing touches on pre-kickoff appetizers and the first round of margaritas for the big game.
The little river was going off given the rain of the previous 16 hours, so expectations were running fairly low.
Stepping out of the brush and onto the narrow bank I was surprised as could be to see a father and daughter standing on a little rock island right in front of me, he teaching her to roll cast a little popper up under the trees on the far bank with a pretty 7’6” glass creek rod.
She was probably 11 or 12, nearing five feet tall and couldn’t have weighed more than 90 pounds soaking wet in the afternoon drizzle. She missed a hit on the third cast since my arrival though Dad couldn’t quite get her to reach the prime water under a big tree.
They’d noticed me by that time and and it was clear they were both getting a bit frustrated despite the obvious problem – she didn’t have enough line out to set a good anchor when setting up her roll. I asked if they’d like a suggestion and Earnestine (named after her grandmother in Mobile it turns out) was the first to respond with “please, yes!”
All it took was a single step backwards, about 4 more feet of line and one demonstration cast and Earnestine was dropping it in the lane every cast. Two minutes later she landed her first river bass (I have no idea what the hell it was) and you’ve rarely seen a woman more proud of a 7 inch fish.
That earned a hug from Earnestine and an offer to share a piece of Macaroni Pie from her pack. We huddled under a tree on the bank and Earnestine proudly pulled out a slab of cheesy macaroni cut in the shape of a piece of pie. She broke off a corner and solemnly handed it over to high praise from both Dad and me.
I told her it was one of the best riverbank snacks I’d tasted in a long time and asked if I could share the recipe with a few ‘fishy friends’ here on Chi Wulff. She smiled almost as big as she did for that monster bass.
Earnestine indisputably prefers her macaroni pie ‘plain’, though dad prefers it with some sausage, caramelized onions and peppers mixed in. I can’t imagine why we’ve not run across this ingenious recipe before; just try it – you’ll be packing this one in the cooler more than once this season.
Thanks Earnestine!
1-lb box macaroni noodles
8 ounces cheese – try it with Cheddar first
Whole milk to cover noodles
Butter for the panOptions: Caramelized onions, browned country sausage, sautéed peppers, diced andouille sausage to name a few.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Noodles and prep. Cook the macaroni noodles according to the box instructions; drain. While the noodles are cooking, cube the cheese into 1/2 inch cubes.
Make a pie. Grease (well) your handy deepest pie dish with the butter, pour in the drained noodles then stir in 2/3s of the cubed cheese and what ever additions you’re throwing in this one. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese cubes over the top. Now pour in milk until you see it just rising through the noodles.
Bake ands serve. Slide into the oven and bake until the top starts to get brown and bubbly. Pull it out, give it 6 or 8 minutes to set up and go to it. Earnestine says it’s awesome cold, sliced like a pie and slathered in hot sauce.
Enjoy.
