Baked Rice and Cheese

Recipe No. 220 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Macaroni, Spaghetti, Noodles and Rice. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Rice, raw — 8 pounds (4 No. 56 dippers)
• Salt — 8 ounces (⅓ mess kit cup)
• Water, boiling — 8 gallons (32 No. 56 dippers)
• Butter, melted — 4 pounds (2 No. 56 dippers)
• Flour, sifted — 2 pounds (2 No. 56 dippers)
• Salt — 3 ounces (6 mess kit spoons)
• Mustard, dry — 1½ ounces (6 mess kit spoons)
• Milk, evaporated — 16—14½-ounce cans
• Water (for milk) — 2 gallons (8 No. 56 dippers)
• Cheese, shredded — 16 pounds (16 No. 56 dippers)
• Butter, melted — 1½ pounds (1 mess kit cup)
• Bread crumbs, moist — 4 pounds (8 No. 56 dippers)

Directions

Key ingredients

Evaporated Milk · Mustard

1. Wash rice thoroughly.
2. Add rice to rapidly boiling salted water; boil 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Drain well.
3. Combine melted butter, flour, salt, and mustard; stir until smooth.
4. Mix milk and water; add to flour mixture. Heat to boiling point; boil about 5 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly.
5. Add cheese; stir until cheese is melted.
6. Pour melted butter over bread crumbs.
7. Mix cheese sauce and cooked rice.
8. Place in well-greased baking pans. Sprinkle with buttered crumbs. Bake in moderate oven (350° F.) 25 minutes or until crumbs are brown.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Rice, raw — 10¼ oz Salt — ⅔ oz Water, boiling — 2½ qt Butter, melted — 5 oz Flour, sifted — 2½ oz Salt — about 1½ tsp Mustard, dry — about ¾ tsp Milk, evaporated — 1¼ can(s) (14½ oz) Water (for milk) — 2½ cups Cheese, shredded — 1 lb 4½ oz Butter, melted — 2 oz Bread crumbs, moist — 5 oz

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 220, Macaroni, Spaghetti, Noodles and Rice. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.