So, I was elated when my friend Lisa bought me the wonderful cookbook Melt
for Christmas. It’s a cookbook entirely about macaroni and cheese recipes. Cheese? Pasta? TOGETHER!?! Let me step up my pasta game. 

This recipe is so good. Of course, it’s decadently cheesy and creamy. But it also had a smoky and spicy flavor. Not spice like when your taste buds explode after eating some hot salsa. It’s a friendly spice that makes your palate tingle with a warm, lingering heat. Ryan and I were really taken off guard by how yummy and special this dish was. We had it for dinner two nights in a row. The second night, we both came home excited for more mac and cheese. When we had our first bites, they were more delicious then our brains and mouths had remembered. It was like a wonderful surprise that surpasses all expectations. This is the kind of meal that makes you say “mmmm” over and over.

This recipe calls for two kinds of cheese: cotija and Lincolnshire Poacher. I’ve found cotija easily at Whole Foods, although it may not be in every grocery store. I could not find Lincolnshire Poacher, a specific type of English aged Cheddar. I even went to the specialty cheese stand in Eastern Market, but no luck. However, what’s great about the book is it names a few alternative cheese suggestions. I showed the recipe to the cheese monger in Eastern Market and she helped me pick out a good aged-cheddar. In short, use aged cheddar if that is what is easiest for you to find. If you do find Lincolnshire Poacher, tell me where!

Finally, I won’t be blasphemous and say something stupid like “this is too cheesy.” Because that’s impossible. But this recipe does make a ton of cheese sauce. If you’re getting squeamish about the cheese level, I’d recommend following the instructions for making the sauce, then pour the sauce slowly over the noodles until you’re at a level where you feel comfortable.  The hard things with macaroni and cheese is that in  restaurant you can ignore the creamy level, but at home you’re directly responsible and so may feel guilty about how much cheese is in there.

But I say, don’t worry about it. Sometimes you gotta treat yo self. This recipe is worth it. And you’re worth it.

This recipe is adapted from Melt.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of chorizo (I actually used a 12 oz package I bought from Whole Foods)

1 tsp olive oil

1 lb box of penne rigate (this kind of penne has ridges, so it can catch hold of the cheese)

4 ounces cotija, shredded

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp chipotle pepper flakes

1/8 tsp ground cumin

1 pound aged cheddar

Ground black pepper

Minced scallions for topping (optional)

Directions:

1. Cut the chorizo out of their casings. Break them into bite sized pieces. Don’t get too crazy about this, you can also smash them up once you cook them.

2. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Cook the chorizo until well browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chorizo to a plate lined with paper towels, to absorb the oil.

3. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente (a little bit chewy, it doesn’t have to be fully cooked because it’s going to be baked later). Drain and set aside.

4. Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a large casserole dish. I used a  2 1/2 quart dish, but I think my 9×13″ Pyrex would have given me more wiggle room.

5. In the dish, toss together the pasta, chorizo, and cotija.

6. Now to prepare the sauce! In a small sauce pan, heat the milk over medium heat. Heat just until it starts to steam and tiny bubbles form on the edge of the pan.

7. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir. The authors of melt recommend using a flat-edged wooden spoon. This will help you scrape the bottom of the pan and keep the roux (fancy name for the butter and flour mixture) from burning.  Heat and stir until it takes on a light brown color.

8. Slowly pour in the milk, chipotle peppers, and cumin. Stir constantly until the sauce thickens. The sauce is thick enough when you can draw your finger across the spoon and it leaves a clear path.

9. Remove from heat and add most of the aged cheddar. Leave behind some cheddar for topping. Stir until the cheddar is completely melted. Season with pepper to taste. Add some salt if you like also, but the cheeses are pretty salty on their own.

10. Pour the sauce over the pasta. Stir a bit to make sure it’s all well mixed. Top with the extra aged cheddar. Sprinkle scallions on top, if using.

11. Bake for 25 minutes.

12. Let cool a bit before serving. Then eat ravenously.

Messy level: Three spoons, maybe verging on four spoons. This one made a lot of dishes, although some of it might be my fault. I used the food processor to shred the cheeses (although I guess I could have bought already shredded cheese). I had to use the mortar and pestle to smash the cumin seeds (because why go out and buy ground cumin for just 1/8 tsp?). But, also I needed a pan for the chorizo, a pot for the pasta, two pots for the cheese sauce, and a casserole for baking. Also, there’s always the danger of pouring the hot cheese sauce that could lead to a molten cheese mess on my floor and counter. Luckily no such spilling occurred. Although there’s a ton of dishes, I only give it 3 spoons because there’s lot of time in between steps to do some cleaning so your kitchen doesn’t have to look like a disaster if you don’t want it to.

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I love all kind of books, not just food books. I like biographies, historical fiction, and fantasy books aimed at adolescents (like Harry Potter and the Hunger Games). But, food writing can be such great fun. Food writing transports me to new places, gives me inspiration for future posts, and pushes me to try something new at restaurants. Food stories make me feel hungry, excited, and eager to jump in the kitchen.

So, for fellow readers out there, I want to share with you 5 food-related books that have had an impact on me. Also, I want to actually, physically, share a book with one of you, through the first-ever cooking is messy giveaway! I’m giving away one copy of Jacques Pepin’s book Essential Pepin. This book is huge with tons of recipes and clear instructions. My favorite part is that it comes with a DVD where Jacques Pepin shows you a variety of techniques, like flipping an omelet and killing a lobster. He’s awesome, adorable, has a great French accent, and is fun to watch. I love this book, and I’m giving it away only because I have two copies. If you want a peak inside, two recipes I’ve made from the book are french onion soup and steak in a spicy soy sauce.

Anyway, to enter for the book all you have to do is write a comment and share with me the title of a book you love. It can be any kind of book, not just a cookbook or food memoir. Unfortunately, this giveaway is open to just to those in the U.S. I will mail the cookbook via US Postal service.  The winner will be selected on January 29, randomly using random.org. I will contact the winner via email and the winner will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen in their place. If only one person enters, then yay, you win!

Full disclosure: some links in this post will be affiliate links. That means if you were to make a purchase, I would get a small percentage of the sales price. I’m recommending these books though because I love them!

And now, here’s my list of books I love…

Mariel’s 5 Books to Read:

 A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle. This is an excellent memoir about Mayle and his wife’s move to a small home in Provence. I read this when I was on my gap-year between high school and college and I felt transported. I hadn’t traveled much yet, I couldn’t legally drink wine, and I wasn’t much of an adventurous eater – but I wanted to be and do all of those things. I fell in love with the idea of immersing yourself in a new culture through food. The book is not just about food, but the way Mayle describes his meals and wine makes France came alive in decadent and absorbing detail.

  Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver. I’m crazy about this book and I recommend it to everyone. Kingsolver and her family spend a year striving to live locally and eat with the seasons. Her husband and oldest daughter also contribute chapters to the book. What I love about the book is that it really got me thinking about how I could incorporate local and seasonal food into my diet. I can’t commit myself to being 100% sustainable, but this book helped me think about what I could do and why it is important.  Also I love the recipes! Zucchini chocolate chip cookies! Eggs over chard! And the mozzarella I made  was inspired by her recipe. Most importantly, if you’re not interested in eating locally and seasonally don’t worry – this book has a great narrative and can be pretty funny (there’s a great story about how the family tries to force their turkeys to mate).

  Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. I’ll be honest, if you’re not interested in where your food comes from, then this is not the book for you. Foer became a father and asked himself if eating meat was the best choice for his family. He goes on a quest to see what’s going on with our food production. I enjoyed that he talked to all different types of people from large meat producers to renegade activists who try to free baby poultry. Also, it was just fascinating learning about all the different types of food industry people and to compare their very different and strong-held beliefs. The book didn’t turn  me into a vegan, but it stuck with me and it has changed some of my grocery shopping habits.

The Art of Eating In by Cathy Erway. In New York, where there are tons of amazing restaurants and Erway decided to go a year without them. I read this when I first moved to New York and was a poor grad student so I liked the idea that I could create delicious meals at home. I also loved how it wasn’t just about home cooking. She explored the non-restaurant food scene which is more elaborate, secretive, and cool than I would have thought. Super clubs? Cook-off competitions? Who knew?! It makes the food scene feel exciting and complex. She also has a great blog, noteatingoutinny.com.

  Heat by Bill Buford. Buford thrusts himself in the restaurant world, taking on every job he’s allowed to at Mario Batali’s restaurant Babbo. The work is challenging, overwhelming, and seemingly exhilarating. Buford paints a “work hard, play hard” picture for what life is like at Babbo. What’s awesome is the Buford gets so engrossed in the Italian cooking and culture at Babbo that he briefly moves to Tuscany and becomes a butcher’s apprentice. The story is crazy, fast-paced, and a delight.

Don’t forgot, share a book title in the comments and you could win the giveaway.

All book cover pictures in the list are from goodreads.com

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