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| Spicy Mac ‘n Cheese: Comfort food with a kick! |
I love bacon. I think I may have mentioned this once or twice or twenty times in my blog. I decided to step up the bacon flavor a notch and go pancetta. Yup, I did it. And you should too.
Chop the pancetta and fry it until crispy, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Don’t throw away that glorious bacon grease. You’re going to use some for the cheese sauce.
Speaking of cheese. I love cheese. I’ve mentioned that more than a few times as well. As I was standing in the cheese section at Mollie Stone’s, staring and drooling, I finally settled on two high quality white cheeses: a sharp white cheddar and fontina. I also had some Pecorino at home, so I grated up a little of that too. (It’s important to freshly grate your own cheese, as it melts better). Annnnd….just because I wanted to ensure maximum creaminess, I also added some cream cheese (not pictured).
I used a basic béchamel sauce for this deliciously creamy goodness. I started with the rendered pancetta fat, and added 2 tablespoons butter. Once that’s melted, whisk in the flour and continue stirring. Then add the warm milk. Once that has cooked, remove the pan from the stove and stir in the cheeses until completely melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fair warning…I like a creamy sauce, and this one is exactly that.
Stir in the roasted jalapeños. (To see how to do this at home on your gas cooktop or under the broiler, refer to my Enchiladas Verdes post).
Next, add your half-cooked pasta. I used these colorful veggie swirls that I got for Christmas (pasta colored with spinach, beets, carrots, leeks, etc). However, any sort of noodle with lots of “nooks” for holding the cheesy amazingness will work perfectly. (Think elbows, penne, shells, etc).
Transfer pasta to 2-quart baking dish or individual serving dishes such as ramekins, French onion soup bowls, or these adorable ruffled, mini pie pans from Williams-Sonoma. Sprinkle with crumbled pancetta and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned on top and bubbling throughout. Mmmmmm. Mandy would be proud.
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- 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, roasted and chopped
- 4 ounces pancetta or bacon, diced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole or 2% milk
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 3/4 cup good quality white cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup good quality Fontina cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup Pecorino or Parmesan, shredded
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- Salt to taste
- 8 ounces dry pasta of your choice (choose one with lots of nooks for holding sauce such as cavatappi, shells or elbows)
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In small saucepan, heat milk and half and half to just below a simmer.
- Chop the pancetta and fry it in a medium saute pan until crispy, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
- Heat two tablespoons of the pancetta fat in the same pan. Add flour and whisk to combine. Let cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
- Gradually whisk in warm milk mixture. Continue cooking, stirring often, until sauce is simmering and thickened. Let sauce bubble gently until thick, about 5-10 minutes longer, stirring often so it doesn’t scorch on bottom.
- Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheeses. Fold in cream cheese and continue stirring. Once cheeses are melted, season sauce with salt as needed. Stir in roasted jalapeños.
- Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water, slightly less than al dente. Drain and return to pot. Add cheese sauce and stir.
- Transfer pasta to 2-quart baking dish or individual serving dishes such as ramekins, French onion soup bowls, or mini pie pans. Sprinkle with crumbled pancetta and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned on top and bubbling throughout.
The Dinner Belle for Kimberlybelle.com
January 3, 2012 at 5:47 pmI have been craving mac and cheese lately and I am going to have to indulge that craving after seeing this! I head to San Fran next week, so I will have to check out your friend's blog to find out where I should go but when I get back I will make your version (I can never have too much mac and cheese). What could be better than melted creamy cheese and spice!?
The Dinner Belle for Kimberlybelle.com
Anonymous
January 4, 2012 at 6:01 amThe photos alone make my mouth water… but since Mac n Cheese (when made correctly) is a perfect comfort food, we may make this for the Forty Niners playoff game. The recipe is creative and fun…. John tweeting from @Manroom24
Jen H
January 20, 2012 at 5:30 amI LOVE fontina in Mac & cheese, the roasted jalapenos and pancetta just completely take it to the next level. I can't wait to try this.
Chung-Ah @ Damn Delicious
February 5, 2012 at 12:08 amWow, this looks absolutely amazing. And it incorporates my favorite ingredients: pancetta, jalapenos, and CHEESE!!!
I think I've died and gone to heaven 🙂