Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese

I always make a ton of pulled pork. I have immense amounts of leftovers, despite eating pulled pork sandwiches like it’s my job. I freeze half of the leftovers, for future Mary who is sure to crave pulled pork and will be happy to satiate her desires merely by thawing a reserve of the BBQ coated, smoked, shredded meat.

However, I still have a bunch in the fridge and I wanted to do something different than put it in a bun. I decided to try combining two of my favorite comfort foods: pulled pork and mac and cheese. Mac and cheese; buttery, cheesy, creamy, breadcrumby- my favorite stand by for cold weather nights. Would it combine well with smoky, luscious pulled pork? Oh yes, my friends, oh yes.

Please, trust me that you want to make this tonight. Bundle up, watch a good movie, and plant yourself in front of a generous bowl of this. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 cups prepared pulled pork

2 pounds short cut pasta (elbow, shells, etc)

3 cups of whole milk

5 tablespoons butter, divided

3 tablespoons of flour

¼ cup panko breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Freshly cracked black pepper

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

16 ounces smoked cheddar cheese

Pinch red pepper flakes

Method:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and butter a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.

Bring a heavily salted pot of water to a bowl. Cook the pasta just shy of its full cook time, right before it hits al dente. Strain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the breadcrumbs, toss, and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, add 3 tablespoons of butter and melt over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 60 seconds, until lightly golden. Pour in the milk while whisking, to prevent lumps. Season with red pepper flakes, mustard, salt and pepper. Cook for a further 3 minutes or so until the sauce thickens. Add 3 ½ cups of grated cheese and stir well, until the cheese melts into the sauce. Toss the sauce with the pasta.

Pour the pasta into the prepared baking dish, and top with the remaining cheese and pulled pork. Sprinkle the buttered breadcrumbs on top. Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbling. Let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with chives, if desired.

Comments

Raspberry Pomegranate Jam

Tis the season to be making homemade gifts! Pomegranates are in season and their juice is a festive deep ruby red color. I knew I had to make them into a jam to give away. Straight pomegranate flavor is a little tart for me; I added raspberries for the texture of their seeds and their sweetness. This is a very simple recipe to make and will yield 6 to 7 8 ounces jars of jam or 12 to 14 4 ounce jars, if you like to give away sample sizes during the holidays. Enjoy! Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups pomegranate juice 1 cup mashed raspberries 7 cups sugar 1 tablespoon butter 1 1/75 ounce package Sure Jell Method: Sterilize your jars and lids. Set aside. In a heavy bottomed large stock pot, add the pomegranate juice, raspberries and butter. Mix well. Add in the sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil then stir in the Sure Jell. Allow to boil hard for 1 minutes. Remove from the heat and skim off any foam. Ladle into the sterile jars, twist on the lids and pr

Samosas with Yogurt Sauce

I love exploring many kinds of cuisine in my kitchen because I can control the spice level, and in the case of this recipe, the use of cilantro. Cilantro lovers out there- sub it info the parsley here. I have the gene that makes cilantro taste like soap, which limits my ability to enjoy some dishes in restaurants, but is easily rectified in my own kitchen. I hope you enjoy! Ingredients: 3 russet potatoes 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped 2 teaspoons curry powder 5 ounces peas Six 8 inch flour tortillas 4 ounces Greek yogurt Oil, salt, pepper, vinegar 4 tablespoons butter Method: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet. Scrub potatoes and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces. Place in a large saucepan with a generous pinch of salt and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Cover and bring to a boil over high; uncover and cook until tenderDrain potatoes and transfer to a bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in reserved saucepan over medium. Add chopped garlic and al

Peek-a-boo Squares

My grandma, Mimi, taught me this recipe. I used to make this with her and my mother as a child. It is my very favorite dessert. It is incredibly easy to make, and even easier to eat. My favorite part of making this as a child was dusting every bar generously with snowy white powdered sugar. My favorite version of this dessert uses canned blueberry pie filling; I vastly prefer Libby brand over the store brand. You can make blueberry pie filling from scratch with sugar, cornstarch, bleberries, etc. but using the canned stuff is easy in a pinch and is much for nostalgic for me. Plus, I don’t notice a vast improvement over my homemade blueberry pie filling and the Libby brand; it just takes me longer to put this dessert together. I have been known to whip up a pan of these Friday night and have them disappear by Saturday afternoon. Be warned, these things are addictive! Ingredients: 3 cups of all-purpose flour 2 cups of granulated sugar 4 eggs 2 sticks of

Watership Down Kitchen

Search This Blog