When I was a little girl, my grandparents would visit my grandfather’s hometown on the Big Island of Hawaii and they would always return bearing gifts of linguica. This Portuguese-style sausage was a favorite among the entire family, and also revered as a reflection of our cultural heritage. My mother would prepare the sausage by serving it lengthwise wedged between fresh baked rolls, or diced up and served in traditional Portuguese soup. But one thing I always loved was thin slices of the mildly spicy sausage served mixed into a piping hot bowl of homestyle mac n’ cheese. Now that I’m all grown up, I can prepare this dish adult-style, amped up with NoLi Brewhouse Silent Treatment Pale Ale. The lightly fragrant flavors found in this Spokane, Wash., ale are the perfect complement for the cheeses and linguica found in this glorified comfort food.
Homestyle Mac n’ Cheese with Beer and Linguica
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
1 pound penne pasta
2 links linguica sausage (I use Silva’s)
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 ½ cups milk I use 2%)
½ cup NoLi Brewhouse Silent Treatment Pale Ale
½ cup Panko bread crumbs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a pot of boiling water, cook penne pasta until al dente (about 8 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water then set aside.
While water is boiling and pasta is cooking, in a separate pan, brown linguica in a few tablespoons of water. The water will evaporate, leaving behind juices from the sausage. After the sausage has browned, remove from pan and set aside, reserving juices. Add onion to pan and sauté for several minutes. Next, add the garlic and sauté until mixture just begins to caramelize. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, prepare the roux by melting butter over medium-low heat and slowly adding flour. Whisk mixture constantly over low heat for several minutes, making sure that the roux is smooth and free of lumps. Add milk, beer, onion mixture, salt and pepper, and cheeses (reserving ¼ cup of each cheese for the topping), and stir until smooth. Let cheese mixture simmer for about 8 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened into a creamy sauce.
While the cheese mixture is simmering, thinly slice the linguica into even rounds and set aside. Once cheese mixture has reduced, combine with pasta and linguica, mixing well to ensure that all ingredients are evenly distributed and pasta is well coated.
Spread into a 9×13-inch baking pan and coat with reserved cheese and breadcrumbs. Cook in oven on middle rack for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, if desired, you can broil the top of the mac n’ cheese for 1 to 2 minutes to create an extra crispy topping. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Note: The linguica has a bit of a kick to it, but if you’re like me and love spicy food, add an extra teaspoon of ground black pepper and 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper.
