I had a special request this morning from our new family member. Macaroni and Cheese, please. Little One knows there won’t be any boxes of Mac & Cheese around here, so he was ready to help. Since he asked to be in charge of the noodles, he chose elbow, I was able to cook up some kielbasa to surprise him with some meat in his breakfast.
In a large pot, I browned up a pound of Polska Kielbasa. After it got a bit crusty on the bottom of the pot, I poured in about a half cup of Cabernet Red Wine to de-glaze the bottom. Let it cook down about 10 minutes. I then removed the Kielbasa from the pot, leaving the bits and juices in the pot, whisked in the butter and flour to a paste, and added milk and heavy cream (it takes less time getting thick if you have warmed up, not boiled, the milk/cream beforehand), when it started to
Cabernet Kielbasa Cheese Sauce
thicken, turned off heat and added Gruyere, Cheddar and Pepper Jack cheese. Sprinkled in salt, pepper, ground nutmeg, fresh thyme & garlic powder.
Added Kielbasa to the cheese mixture and mixed thoroughly before adding the pasta. Sprinkled with a dash of salt and a few pinches of smoked paprika.
Baked in a 350* oven just until the top was browned and sauce was bubbly, about 30 minutes.
Cabernet Kielbasa Mac & Cheese
INGREDIENTS:
Kosher salt 1 lb Polska Kielbasa 1/2 c Cabernet 1 box elbow macaroni 2 c milk 2 c heavy cream 1 stick unsalted butter 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 3 c shredded Gruyere Cheese 1 c shredded Pepper Jack Cheese 2 c shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg 2 tsp fresh thyme 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Comments