Fun fusion cooking to Mex things up. Prepare to indulge in the flavours of Mexico with this delicious Mac ‘n’ Cheese fusion of cheesy Perfect Italiano Perfect Mexican cheese, smoky chorizo, and a satisfying crunch of corn chips. The perfect Mexican fiesta to share.
Ingredients:
1½ cups (225g) macaroni
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 (130g) mild chorizo, sliced
60g butter
¼ cup plain flour
2 tsp chipotle seasoning
¾ tsp onion powder
¾ tsp garlic powder
2½ cups milk
2 tsp chipotle hot sauce (optional)
2¼ cups (270g) Perfect Italiano Perfect Mexican cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
175g bag original corn chips
Pico de gallo and chopped coriander, to serve
Method:
Preheat oven to 220°C/200°C fan-forced.
Cook macaroni in a large saucepan of boiling water until tender. Drain and set aside.
Heat a large, deep 12 cup (3 litre) capacity heatproof/ovenproof skillet or pan over medium heat. Add oil, then chorizo and cook, stirring for 3 minutes until lightly golden. Remove and set aside.
To make Mexican cheese sauce; melt butter in the same hot pan. Add combined flour, chipotle seasoning, onion and garlic powder. Cook, stirring for 1 minute. Remove pan from the heat.
Gradually add milk, whisking constantly until all combined and smooth. Return to the heat and cook, whisking occasionally for six minutes until thick.
Remove from the heat. Add chipotle hot sauce and 1 cup of Perfect Italiano Perfect Mexican cheese and stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
Stir in chorizo and macaroni. Top with tomatoes and pile some of the corn chips on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is golden.
Sprinkle with pico de gallo (see tips) and coriander. Serve with remaining corn chips.
Source: Perfect Italiano
Tips
- To make pico de gallo – Combine 4 vine ripe tomatoes (seeded and finely chopped), 1 fresh jalapeno (very finely chopped), ½ small red onion (very finely chopped), 2 tablespoons roughly chopped coriander, 1 lime, juiced, salt to taste.
- Add 2 cups shredded barbecue chicken to white sauce and macaroni mixture for a more substantial meal.
- This quantity of chipotle seasoning and hot sauce is for a mild version, add an extra teaspoon of chipotle seasoning and hot sauce for more chilli bite.
- Chipotle seasoning is available in the spice section of supermarkets and hot sauce from the Mexican section.
- Remove and discard corn chips from the top and store leftover Mac ‘n’ Cheese in a container in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat in the microwave.