August 14, 2021
We are in the midst of summer heat as we enter the middle of August. The month of August has been spent recovering from our travels last month. Kev and I hosted some friends in our home and then traveled to visit family and friends in New York and Boston. We had a blast reconnecting with family and friends, cooking and eating delicious food, and relaxing a bit before returning back to the daily grind. In my last post, I shared a tried-and-true recipe for my barbecue spare ribs, a dish I often make for family and friends throughout summer gatherings. In the same post, I shared photos of side dishes I love to serve with my barbecue spare ribs. One of those side dishes – which has become a favorite in our household – is jalapeño macaroni and cheese. I developed the recipe for my jalapeño macaroni and cheese on a whim one day. I was short on time and needed to get dinner to the dining table ASAP. I could not decide what I wanted to eat and just ended up staring deep into my pantry and refrigerator for inspiration. I kept staring until inspiration finally struck. I would combine the jalapeños I had lying around in the refrigerator (after making bánh mì) and the cheddar cheese powder I had left over (from making my twist on Chicago mix popcorn) together to make jalapeño macaroni and cheese. Thus, my recipe for jalapeño macaroni and cheese was born. Jalapeño macaroni and cheese is one of the easiest and cheesiest ideas for macaroni and cheese. It requires just a few ingredients and comes together very quickly. The jalapeños give the macaroni and cheese a kick and pairs nicely with the creamy cheese. The combination of flavors was in part inspired by the addictive jalapeño cheddar flavored Cheetos I used to eat back in my college days. I lost count of how many bags of those addictive snacks I ate throughout my college years. When I got older, I tried my very best to refrain from eating the addicting puffed corn snacks as much as I could (because of health). Yet, I still find myself reaching for the snack whenever the opportunity arises in vending machines. When making my jalapeño macaroni and cheese, I thought back to the flavor profile of the jalapeño cheddar Cheetos as inspiration. For the jalapeño macaroni and cheese, I opted for the cavatappi or cellentani pasta shape because of how well the pasta shape holds in heavy sauces. The first time I made jalapeño macaroni and cheese using the cheese powder, I poured in some water to help create the smooth cheese consistency. The second and third time I made jalapeño macaroni and cheese, I went straight for milk for a creamier consistency. I sometimes add in half milk and half water depending on the day. The easiest part of my jalapeño macaroni and cheese is it only requires one pot to prepare from start to finish. I start off with a large pot of water. The water is brought to a boil. I add in some kosher salt and gently toss in the dry pasta. I follow the instructions on the package of pasta and cook until al dente perfection. I drain out most of the starchy pasta water leaving about ¼ cup of starchy pasta water in the pot. I then sprinkle in the cheddar cheese powder, some parmesan cheese powder, kosher salt as needed, and jalapeño slices. Depending on how much heat my guests can withstand, I decide how much of the seeds to remove from the jalapeño ahead of time. In less than 30 minutes, a super easy, quick, and delicious jalapeño macaroni and cheese can be brought to the dinner table.
For the jalapeño macaroni and cheese:
· 10 cups water
· 1 tablespoon kosher salt
· 8 ounces (½ box) cellentani or cavatappi pasta
· 2 jalapeños, half of one sliced and the rest deseeded and diced
· 4 ounces cheddar cheese powder
· 1 ounce parmesan cheese powder
· ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Directions:
1) Heat a large pot on medium high heat. Add in 10 cups of water. Once the water begins to boil, add in the kosher salt. Pour in the cellentani or cavatappi pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
2) When the cooking time is up, reserve ¼ cup of pasta water. Drain out the remaining pasta water. Add in the diced jalapeños, cheddar cheese powder, parmesan cheese powder, and freshly cracked black pepper. Gently stir the pasta to coat in the jalapeño cheese sauce. Transfer to a serving dish. Top with jalapeño slices. Let stand for 10 minutes before digging in.
Takeaways: My take on jalapeño macaroni and cheese goes very well with my barbecue spare ribs. When I make large batches of both, I often save some of the leftover barbecue spare ribs, dice them up, and fold them into the jalapeño macaroni and cheese to put a new spin on the dish. The diced barbecue spare ribs when folded into the macaroni and cheese adds smokiness, sweetness, and savory-ness to the macaroni and cheese. Alternatively, I also sometimes fold in crispy diced bacon to bring the macaroni and cheese to the next level.