In an age of multimedia cooking websites and an entire network dedicated to cuisine, the community cookbook may seem like an anachronism — a dog-eared remnant of church circles and citywide fund-raisers. But the pandemic has given the form a new life, as co-workers, Facebook friends, and even complete strangers seek new ways to intimately connect from a distance to swap recipes.
These books diverge from the flawlessly styled photographs and stringent point of view of contemporary cooking. Instead, taking a practical and personal approach, and documenting life, not as it could be, but as it is. People are placing the focus back on the art of conversation.
Long before the food porn phenomenon, there was the cobbled-together home collection of shared recipes that told the story of a people and a place. Mothers cooked from sauce-smeared pages and were quick to credit the inspiration behind some of their most popular dishes. There was Jerry Mayhew’s Rum Cake and The Stuffed Cougar’s Artichoke Dip and no beautiful photos were taken before serving. Its recipes weren’t professionally tested. Its authors weren’t food writers or celebrities. Paperbacks bound by a spiral with covers of churches, schools and family reunions were a staple in Southern kitchens.
Teeming with touches of nostalgia and comfort, the South undoubtedly sends out some of the tastiest food in the country. Meals that not just taste delicious but bring with them the memory of being gathered with the family around the dinner table. Recipes that put the power back into the people’s hands, versus opening a cookbook from today that’s like, well crap, I don’t own an Instapot.
Community cookbooks can be whatever their creators want them to be. There are no rules, no marketing metrics, no need to make recipes fit into categories. It is more about coming together than producing a polished product for a mass audience. Reconnecting through food which is meaningful to whoever wants to find meaning in it and remembering the person whose food always had a story to tell.
Creamed Spinach Mac & Cheese
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound medium shell pasta, cooked according to package directions
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional but highly recommend)
- 12 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 2 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 1/2 cup extra sharp white cheddar or mozzarella cheese, freshly grated
- 6 ounces Gruyere or Fontina cheese, freshly grated
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil and boil pasta until very al dente (1-2 minutes less than package directions). Once cooked and drained, give it a good spritz of olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking.
Heat a large oven-safe pot over medium-low heat and add the butter. Stir in the onion and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onions have softened. - Stir the flour into the onions to create a roux. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until it becomes golden in color and starts to smell nutty. Slowly stream in the half-and-half while stirring constantly. The mixture will begin to come together and thicken. Stir in the salt, pepper, mustard, and cayenne.
- Add in the spinach - it will seem like a lot at first, but it will quickly cook down! Stir until it cooks down and softens.
- Once the spinach cooks down, stir in almost all the cheese (reserve about 3/4-1 cup for topping) and the pasta. Toss it together over and over until it is combined.
- Top with the remaining grated cheese. Bake covered for 15-20 minutes. Uncover and turn the oven to broil. Broil until top is golden brown (2-3 minutes but watch closely as it can burn quickly).
