Poblano Mac &Cheese and Sopapillas {Cookbook Spotlight}

Ingredients

• 2 poblano chiles
• 8 oz. elbow pasta
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1½ c. whole milk
• 1 tsp. mustard powder
• ¼ tsp. cayenne
• ½ tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. lime zest
• ½ c. chopped cilantro
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 12 oz. grated white cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Roast the poblanos under the broiler until blackened, ~5 minutes per side. Remove and cover them to let them steam, for ~20 minutes. I like to roast them right on top of a large sheet of foil, then just bring the foil up and around the chiles. Peel/rub off the skins and remove the stems and seeds, then dice into ~1" chunks.
2. Bring a large salted pot of water to a boil and cook pasta until just al dente. Preheat your oven to 375° F. Grease a large baking dish or cast-iron skillet and set aside.
3. In a pot set over low heat, melt the butter. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the flour and cook until light brown and toasty smelling, ~1 minute more. Whisk in the milk and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir in mustard powder, cayenne, cumin, lime zest, cilantro, and prepared poblanos. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper, as needed.
4. Stir half of the cheese into the sauce until melted. Throw in the pasta and stir until coated. Pour into prepared dish. Top with remaining cheddar cheese and bake, uncovered, until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden. Sprinkle with Cotija right when it comes out of the oven.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbs. yeast
• 1½ c. warm water
• 4 c. all-purpose flour + more for kneading
• 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 1 Tbs. kosher salt
• 1 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
• vegetable oil, for frying
For serving:
• 2 T sugar
• 2 T cinnamon
• honey

Directions

1. Combine yeast with warm water. Let sit for five minutes, or until the yeast has dissolved and starts to look "creamy". Combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add those along with the melted (and slightly cooled) butter to the bowl. Mix until well combined (I use a wooden spoon until it's mostly mixed, then switch to my hands). Turn out onto your work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 2-3 minutes. Grease a bowl, place your dough in, cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, ~1 hr.
2. Punch dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll or pat it out into a rectangle that is about 12 inches by 9 inches. Cut into 12 equal squares (~3" each). Cut each square diagonally so that you have 24 triangles. I used a pizza cutter to do this, but I think that a bench scraper or knife would work just fine, as well.
3. Pour about 1½" oil into a deep-sided pan. Lisa suggests using 3", but since the cooking time is so quick, and they rise to the surface almost immediately, I decided not to use that much. Plus, that was all the oil I had. Plus-plus, my pan isn't that deep. An inch and a half was plenty. Heat to ~350° F (which in my book, is until the oil is shimmery and you can see some ripples under the surface...and when you dip the corner of the dough in, it will start to bubble rapidly). Fry a couple of triangles of dough at a time, for ~45 seconds to 1 minute per side. The dough will puff when it hits the oil. Carefully lift the fried dough out of the oil with a skimmer (or something like it) and place on a tray that has been lined with paper towels. Repeat until all of the dough has been fried.
4. Combine equal amounts of cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle them over the fried puffs of dough while still warm. Serve warm drizzled with honey.