Pork & Cheese

Ingredients:

16oz uncooked elbow macaroni

Pinch of salt

1 tsp olive oil

1lb smoked pork belly, sliced

3 TBSP flour

Salt & pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp paprika

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups shredded white cheddar

1/2 cup shredded smoke provolone 

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan 

Chopped green onion

Butter for greasing baking pan

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil, add pinch of salt and olive oil. Boil pasta until al dente.

2. While you're cooking the pasta, pan fry pork belly until crispy. Drain on a paper towel. 

3. In a sauce pan on medium, add four TBSP of pork fat from the frying pan (if you don't have enough rendered fat, use butter to make up the difference. Wisk in flour, one tablespoon at a time, to form a smooth paste. 

4. Wisk in a pinch of salt, pepper, nutmeg,band paprika. Wisk in 1/4 cup of milk, maintaining a smooth texture. Wisk in the rest of the milk, 1/4 cup at a time, until it is all incorporated. 

5. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar and provolone.

6. Chop pork belly and mix into your béchamel (cheese sauce). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Grease baking pan with butter, add pasta & pour cheese sauce over the top. Gently stir to incorporate.

8. Bake for twenty-five minutes and top with Parmesan. Bake an additional five minutes and remove from oven. Top with green onion & serve.