' My kids love mac and cheese, either from the box, a freezer bag or made from scratch. I found this recipe at the Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine website. (On the extremely wild outside chance the editors of the magazine find out about this post, if I don’t hide the magazine until I’ve had a chance to read it, my nine year old daughter will walk off with it and I won’t see it for months.) In an effort to cut down on the grocery bill, and to use up stuff in my freezers, I used what I had to create this variation of the recipe. The kids liked it a lot, and when I asked if I should leave the potatoes out next time, I was told it made a really nice texture combination. That surprised me, but hey, if they like it, I’ll keep ‘em in.
For those who are looking to compare my version with the original, here are the differences: I used a red skinned yellow fleshed potato, about 6 oz. of whole wheat penne, and Bone Dust seasoning instead of Old Bay (I’m not going to spend $9 on a large container if I’m not sure I’ll ever use it again). I’ve got the cookbook Hot, Sticky and on Fire book by Ted Reader, where the Bone Dust recipe comes from. Unfortunately, it’s only available in Canada or through Amazon.ca. I got my copy as a gift several years ago, and we love many of the recipes in it.
Anyway, my version of the recipe can be found after the jump.
Corn Chowder Mac and Cheese
Makes 4 servings plus around 2 servings of leftovers
Salt and black pepper
6 oz whole wheat penne
2 cups frozen corn kernals
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1/4 lb. bacon, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 red skinned yellow fleshed potato, diced into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
2 tbsp. Bone Dust (or your favorite bbq dry rub)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 red chile pepper, such as fresno, seeded and chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped into 1/4-inch cubes
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup minced garlic (what can I say, we love garlic)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
2 cups whole milk
Few grates fresh nutmeg (I used about 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg)
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp yellow cheddar cheese
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook to al dente. Drain and return to the pot.
While water is boiling and pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and the bacon and cook until crisp. Add the corn, potato and Bone Dust to the skillet and brown for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the celery, chile pepper, bell pepper, onion, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add butter to the skillet and stir it into the veggie mixture until it melts. Add in the flour, then stir until it’s all mixed in. Add the milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook until the sauce coats a spoon thickly; lower the heat to low. Stir in the parmigiano-reggiano and the cheddar until it’s all melted.
Add the pasta to the large skillet and stir together. Serve immediately.
