Green Chile Mac and Cheese and Cauliflower "Mac" and Cheese

Green Chile Mac and Cheese

Not for the faint of heart or calorie conscious, this pasta is spicy and rich. The poblanos add heat and flavor while the Mexican crema cools things down at the same time. Topped with crunchy Panko crumbs, you'll go back to this mac and cheese again and again.

This recipe took so many tries to get exactly the way I wanted it. I think my testers got sick of eating so much mac and cheese in such a short period of time. The end result is perfection, though and so worth the time it took to get right.

Properly Roasted Poblanos

Roasted Poblanos in Plastic Wrap

Removing skin, seeds and ribs from poblanos.

Green Chile Mac and Cheese

Green Chile Mac and Cheese

Green Chile Mac and Cheese

Hands-On Time: 20 minutes
Ready In: 50 minutes
Yield: Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

3 large poblano peppers
1 cup cilantro leaves
4 green onions, green and white parts chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided (1 teaspoon total for table salt)
1 cup Mexican sour cream (crema) or regular sour cream
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
4 cups shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
1/2 cup Panko crumbs
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 pound penne pasta, cooked according to package directions until al dente

Directions:

1. Heat oven broiler.
2. Place poblano chiles on a baking sheet and broil, turning several times each, until skin is blackened all over. Alternatively, you can place them directly over a gas flame and turn often until the same is achieved.
3. Remove from oven and turn oven temp to 375 degrees F.
4. Place chiles immediately in plastic wrap and let stand for 15 minutes.
5. Remove charred skin from chiles as well as stem, seeds and ribs.
6. Place chiles in a blender along with green onions, cilantro, garlic, salt, crema and evaporated milk. Puree until smooth.
7. Put hot pasta in a large bowl and add pepper jack cheese. Pour chile mixture over top and  blend until all pasta is well coated.
8. Pour pasta into a large greased casserole about 13x8 inches and 3 inches deep.
9. Blend Panko and butter together and top pasta.
10. Bake for 30 minutes until crumbs are golden brown and cheese is bubbly.

For Green Chile Cauliflower "Mac" and Cheese

Green Chile Cauliflower "Mac" and Cheese

Hands-On Time: 20 minutes
Ready In: 50 minutes
Yield: Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

3 large poblano peppers
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
4 green onions, green and white parts chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided (1 teaspoon total if using table salt)
1 cup Mexican sour cream (crema) or sour cream
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
4 cups Pepper Jack Cheese
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 large head cauliflower - about 1 1/2 pounds

Directions:

1. Heat oven broiler.
2. Place poblano chiles on a baking sheet and broil, turning several times each, until skin is blackened all over. Alternatively, you can place them directly over a gas flame and turn often until the same is achieved.
3. Remove from oven and turn oven temp to 375 degrees F.
4. Place chiles immediately in plastic wrap and let stand for 15 minutes.
5. Remove charred skin from chiles as well as stem, seeds and ribs.
6. Place chiles in a blender along with green onions, cilantro, garlic, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, crema or sour cream and evaporated milk. Puree until smooth.
7. Cook the cauliflower in boiling water seasoned with the other teaspoon of Kosher salt until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well and pat between layers of paper towels to dry. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
8. Add pepper jack cheese to cauliflower and pour chile mixture over top and  blend until all cauliflower is well coated.
8. Pour into a large greased casserole about 11x9 inches and 2 inches deep.
9. Blend Panko and butter together and sprinkle over cauliflower.
10. Bake for 30 minutes until crumbs are golden brown and cheese is bubbly.

*Note: You can use frozen cauliflower florets, thawed, drained and pressed between paper towels. You can also find roasted poblanos in the frozen section - about 1 1/2 cups will suffice.

Carnation Evaporated Milk - The Cooking Milk

Our Favorite Macaroni and Cheese

I recall at one time thinking that evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk were one and the same. Imagine that realization coming from attempting to substitute one for another. After that single incident, I shied away from evaporated milk, not really understanding what it was or why anyone would use it.

I started getting back into it quite accidentally; my mother was moving to a smaller home and cleared out her overfull cabinets, passing the contents on to me and my brood. Within the cans and boxes given to me were several cans of evaporated milk. I figured if mom used it, it couldn't be all bad and there must be some way to use it up.

I experimented and came to love it. It was cheaper than cream and healthier, too (twice the protein and calcium of regular milk) - but every bit as rich. When I used it for things like cream soups, baking pies or macaroni and cheese, there was no difference in performance between it and cream, but it was definitely creamier and richer than using milk. I now always have cans on-hand for things like my favorite salmon chowder and the kids' favorite macaroni and cheese. The fact that I like Carnation more than any other is par for the course here. I've used Carnation everything - including formula for my babies who needed extra help - since I've been old enough to purchase my own food.

My mother used it for pies most often, but the fact that it translates so well into savory dishes seems to have been lost on her. Here are two recipes using Carnation Evaporated Milk that are pretty near perfection. The first recipe, Loaded Potato Potluck Favorite, comes from the Carnation Holiday Cookbooklet. You can download it for yourself here: http://bit.ly/CEMholiday

These were awesome and didn't last very long at all. The green onion is optional, but I love the stuff, so there's no way I would leave it out. I think it added just the right contrast to the cheese and bacon, too.

Creamy, delicious, perfect.

The second is our own favorite macaroni and cheese - see photo above. Using evaporated milk in lieu of regular milk does nothing but make this even better than usual. The cheese seemed to melt better in the evaporated milk and the overall result is heavenly.

Our Favorite Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Serves 8

Printable Recipe

1 pound elbow macaroni - cooked al dente

1 can (12 ounces) Carnation Evaporated Milk (any fat content works as well as the next)

1 pound (4 cups) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 pound bacon - cooked crisp and crumbled

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. In a small saucepan heat evaporated milk gently just until hot. Do not boil.

3. Add shredded Monterey Jack cheese and stir until melted. Add salt and paprika and blend well.

4. Toss cooked macaroni with bacon and pour cheese mixture over all. Stir and pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish.

5. Top with cheddar cheese and bake for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly and just beginning to brown.

For more information about Carnation Evaporated Milk, check out the following links:

Cooking Benefits of evaporated milk:
http://bit.ly/cookingbenefits

Nutrition Info:
http://bit.ly/o2onutrition

The different types of evaporated milk:
http://bit.ly/rightmilkforyou

Carnation Virtual Kitchen:
http://bit.ly/carnationvirtualkitchen

Additional Recipe Ideas:
http://bit.ly/additionalrecipes

Recipe Personality Quiz:
http://bit.ly/recipepersonalityquiz

Coupons for product and stipend for recipes graciously provided by Carnation and Cassie Boorn of One2One Network. This is not a paid product endorsement.

Sweetie Pie's Macaroni and Cheese

There was an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on recently that I couldn't stop thinking about. Like Mama Made featured a restaurant in St. Louis, Missouri run by Robbie Montgomery, former back-up singer for Ike and Tina Turner and Soul Food Chef Extraordinaire. She was cookin' up the biggest batches of the most delicious looking fried chicken, sweet potatoes and macaroni and cheese you'd ever like to see.

I watched as she made her famous macaroni and cheese and wasn't fast enough to get pen and paper to write it down. I searched in earnest yesterday and came across a review of her place at Is it EDible? and Ed had linked to a news story that features the very recipe I'd been trying to get my hands on. God love fellow bloggers!

I made this for dinner tonight, but I have to issue a stern warning; This is not for the faint of heart - and I mean that quite literally! I got a 10 x 15 pan out of this and we didn't finish off but a third of it. This is so filling and so delicious, but so very rich that I can't see making it all-too often. The kids were just crazy about it and when Lara dropped some from her tray, our chihuahua, Molly, was all too happy to clean it up for me.

9/2/2008 - After all of the comments I've received on this, I decided to step in here and edit this post. I've come across two things; another article from the AP that contains the recipe, and a YouTube clip of the episode in question.

The AP article reads, "Robbie Montgomery, owner of the two Sweetie Pie’s restaurants in the St. Louis area, says this macaroni and cheese is her take on one taught to her by a band member when she toured as a backup singer with Ike and Tina Turner during the 1960s.

Montgomery cooks to taste and says this recipe is easily adjusted. For instance, she sometimes omits the eggs."

In light of this last statement, it may be that Robbie simply felt like using sour cream that night and didn't put it in the written recipe. She used an awful lot of milk, though and she may have just used whole milk for the whole thing rather than a mixture of whole milk and evaporated milk during filming. From what I can see in the video, it looks to be about 1 cup of sour cream to the batch she is making there, which is about double the recipe below.

I've added the sour cream in red and you can add it if you'd like.

I hope this will help to clear up any of the confusion. Short of calling Robbie Montgomery myself (I think she's a little busy for a call from me), this will have to do!

SWEETIE PIE'S MACARONI AND CHEESE
Printable Recipe

Start to finish: 45 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound elbow macaroni pasta
1 cup whole milk
Two 12-ounce cans evaporated milk
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 sticks butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 pound colby cheese, shredded
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 pound Velveeta cheese, cut into small chunks
Salt, to taste
1 tablespoon white pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup shredded American or mild Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and transfer the pasta to a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the whole milk, evaporated milk (sour cream) and eggs. Mix with a fork until thoroughly combined.

Add the butter and colby, Monterey Jack, sharp Cheddar and Velveeta cheeses to the pasta.

Pour the milk and egg mixture over the pasta. Season with salt, pepper and sugar and toss. Sprinkle the top of the pasta with the remaining cup of American or Cheddar cheese.

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.

Serves 10.