Twist on a Classic

I love to take a classic dish and put a spin on it somehow. I wanted to try out soyrizo, and the grocery store has had some beautiful poblanos, so I decided to make a tex-mex macaroni and cheese. I made JJ's with regular chorizo links that were fully cooked, and I used soyrizo in mine, which has a ground beef consistency. If all your market has is mexican style chorizo (the crumbly kind) that can be used, but the spanish style chorizo, precooked and dice-able is preferred in this recipe.

Tex-Mex Mac and Cheese

½ lb. pasta, any short cut (recommended barilla plus elbows)

2 poblano peppers

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 red onion, diced

salt and pepper

1 tomato, diced

½ Haas avocado, diced

2 chorizo links

2 tbsp. flour

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 cup milk (or a little more)

2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

Turn broiler on high.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.

Place poblanos on a baking sheet, place under broiler. When the pepper is charred, turn over until all sides are charred, about 3-4 minutesper side. Place poblanos in a bowl with plastic wrap or a food storage container with a lid. Let peppers sit for 10 minutes.

While poblanos are cooking, heat a large skillet to medium high heat. Add diced chorizo and sautee until golden brown and some fat cooks out.Add pasta to boiling water, cook 7-8 minutes until al dente. Peel skin off peppers, and slice into strips.

Scoop chorizo out of the skillet onto a paper towel. Add diced red onion to the pan, sautee for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and allow it to cook until no long white, about 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and chicken stock, add seasonings and bring to a bubble. Add in cheese and whisk until smooth. Add pasta and poblanos to skillet and heat through.

Scoop into a bowl and top with diced tomato and avocado.