Yinzer Yums of Yesteryear: Carmi's famous mac and cheese

This column is all about cooking vintage Pittsburgh recipes. So let’s take a trip in our wayback machine and venture to the distant bygone era known as the 2010s — specifically the year 2013. It was a different time, a better time. President Obama was in the White House, Raygun hadn’t ruined breakdancing yet, and Pittsburgers were introduced to this slammin’ mac and cheese recipe created by Carleen and Michael King of Carmi Family Restaurant in the amazing cookbook, Pittsburgh Chef’s Table.

I had the pleasure of enjoying a meal at Carmi’s South Side location before they closed the restaurant to instead focus on their to-go and catering location on the North Side. City Paper reviewed some of their takeout dishes in a 2020 Takeout Review, singing their praises for a flavorful, warm, comforting meal during such a rough season. Carmi was also the Best of PGH 2023 winner for Best Soul Food in Pittsburgh, a title which they’ve claimed more than once.

With Labor Day right around the corner, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to put together a big ol’ portion of mac and cheese. And when I say big, I mean BIG. The book doesn’t say how many servings are in this massive mac recipe, but my guess is 20 (unless you have teenage boys, in which case it’s about four.) I need to start by talking about the end product, which was so thick, cheesy, and divine that it should be illegal. My nine-year-old (who fancies herself a food critic) said it was the best mac and cheese she had in her whole life. It set like a casserole with nice crispy edges and was sturdy yet bubbly, and flavorful.

This recipe is simple to make and takes about an hour from start to finish. You’ll need a 13-by-9 glass or ceramic casserole dish (or a disposable casserole pan), a large pot, a food processor or large cheese grater, and a huge mixing bowl to make this dish. I busted out my extra large mixing bowl from IKEA, and it wasn’t big enough. And you’ll need the following ingredients:

• 1 lb. elbow macaroni
• 1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 lb. Colby jack cheese
• 1 lb. mozzarella cheese
• 1 lb. Velveeta
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter
• 3 lightly beaten eggs
• 1 (12 oz.) can of evaporated milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Then cook your macaroni per the box directions. Drain and rinse your macaroni with cool water (so it stops cooking). Then, in the absolute largest bowl you can find, stir all the cheese together with the noodles, then add the butter, eggs, evaporated milk, salt, and pepper. Bake this bad boy for 40-45 minutes and try not to eat it immediately (let it set). Since I don’t have teenage boys or a big party to attend in the next couple of days, I froze a bunch of this for later. I used gallon-sized freezer bags with all the air squeezed out. I pulled one out after 24 hours to test if it freezes well, and it does! I added 4 Tbsp. of milk and warmed it in a covered microwavable bowl which brought it back to its original creamy, dreamy form.

So while a recipe from 2013 isn’t exactly vintage (can we call it throwback?), it’s still a Yinzer Yum of Yesteryear, so I stand by it. Plus, you don’t even have to cook this mac and cheese if you don’t feel like cooking, you can have the dish catered to your next party or pick it up at the North Side Carmi location. I’ll bet they’ve even made improvements to this recipe over the years (not that they need to make improvements at all, but I hear they make a lobster and shrimp version that slaps). Either way, this mac and cheese is worth a taste!