Stove Top Manchego Chorizo Mac & Cheese

This is a variation on my stove top recipe. I actually developed it to enter into a contest, but then missed the deadline for submissions.

For what it's worth, I also have this Manchego Chorizo Mac recipe, but I think this one is easier and turned out better.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb Spanish chorizo (the kind that comes in links, not a tube), sliced thinly
• 1/2 lb elbow macaroni or other pasta, uncooked
• 4 tbsp butter, cut into ~8-10 chunks
• 2 eggs
• 6 ounces evaporated milk (You can substitute 1/2-3/4 cup skim milk and let it cook a little longer to thicken)
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• Black pepper to taste
• 3/4 tsp dry mustard
• 8 ounces Manchego cheese, shredded
• 2 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese

Brown the chorizo in a frying pan, remove to a plate with a paper towel and set aside.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente and drain.

Combine the eggs, evaporated milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper and mustard in a bowl.

Return the pasta to the pot and add the butter, stirring until melted. Pour in the egg mixture and add the cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Stir in the chorizo and enjoy.

Manchego Chorizo Mac and Cheese

FOUND IT: In Rachael Ray's Magazine.

I had been considering modifying my stove top recipe to use manchego and chorizo, but then I found this recipe so I didn't have to. Feel free to substitute in any veggies you like, just chop them small because they don't have much time to cook. I've already used spinach, peas, carrots, corn and asparagus.

Ingredients:

1 lb cavatappi, or any small cut pasta, really.
1/2 raw chorizo (or, grill a bunch of chorizo the night before and save a couple to chop up and use the next day)
3 tbsp butter
2 shallots, chopped (I use half of a small onion)
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp flour
1/3 cup dry sherry
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup milk
2 cups (or more) shredded manchego cheese
2 cups frozen peas (or any vegetable that you can chop small, really)

Cook pasta to al dente in salted water, drain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, remove the casings from the chorizo, and brown them in a skillet. roughly 2-3 minutes or until done. Remove from heat and allow to drain on a paper towel.

Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a skillet with high sides. Add the shallots (or onions) and garlic and cook until tender, roughly 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour, then the sherry, then the stock, then the milk. Keep stirring until it starts to thicken. It shouldn't be like paste, but it should be thicker than it is when you start.

Salt and pepper this mixture, and add the vegetables and the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted, then add the pasta. Serve with the chorizo as a garnish.