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Well, let me start by saying my New Year’s resolution didn’t last very long. I planned on continuing to keep things light this week and had a couple of vegan dishes in mind. However, I went to the grocery store on an empty stomach and without a shopping list. For most, including myself, this is a dangerous combination. Somehow, I found myself in the cheese section.
The idea of porketta mac ‘n cheese had been swirling in my mind for a couple years, but never got around to making it. I decided the time was now. I wasn’t sure of all of the ingredients I wanted to use, so I decided to just throw every item I might need in the cart. I felt that would be easier than having to run to the grocery store mid-recipe.
Upon arriving at home, I realized I had purchased eight types of cheese. I may have gone a little overboard, but a wise woman once said one can never have too much cheese (that woman was me, while at the store). Feeling undeterred, I pressed on and had a lot of fun making this dish. Usually, I draft up a recipe beforehand and carefully jot down any changes as I go. This time, I just made it up as I went.
I decided to go with cavatappi pasta, but large elbow macaroni would work just as well. For the cheese, I ended up sticking with cheddar (three types) but you could use smoked and block mozzarella instead and change up the cheese curds with a different flavor. I had never tried the Northland Market porketta before, so I bought one of those as well as a Zup’s porketta. Ultimately, I chose the Zup’s version for this recipe, but I will be using the Northland Market porketta in a future dish.
Chili crunch was an ingredient I was excited to find at the Ely Zup’s. If you aren’t familiar with chili crunch (sometimes labeled as chili crisp), it is a crunchy, oil-packed hot pepper condiment that you can find in the Asian food section. I have been wanting to use this ingredient in the column for a while, but I try to use only ingredients you can find locally, so I hadn’t included it in any of my recipes before. It adds a nice pop of savory spice, but you can omit it if you can’t handle the heat.
I also picked up some grape tomatoes that I was tempted to halve and sprinkle over the dish prior to baking or serve roasted as a side. Ultimately I decided to keep things simple and skip them. Another of my ideas was to make quick pickled red onions for a topping, but again, I decided to skip them. Pickled store bought jalapenos or pepperoncini peppers would also be good toppings. A recipe is just a guide, so feel free to customize it to suit your tastes.
