By Scott Hutcheson
CNHI News Service

One of the great joys of parenthood is having a front-row seat as your child experiences things for the first time. I can vividly remember giving my oldest son his first taste of chocolate when he was about 10 months old. My wife was working late and we men were eating dinner – mashed-pea baby food for him and some leftovers for me.

With a hankering for something sweet I got a chocolate pudding cup from the fridge for myself and realized that my growing boy might enjoy a taste as well. In his eyes, I could see the brain synapses at work, processing this new experience. Confusion quickly transformed into pure joy.

As an adult, these kinds of sensory “firsts” are few and far between so discovering a new favorite flavor is always a pleasant surprise.

On such surprise occurred several years when I tasted chipotles for the first time. A chipotle is actually a jalapeno pepper that has been smoked. Food anthropologists think that the smoking of jalapenos can be traced back to the Aztecs.

Most peppers can be dried but jalapenos tend to rot unless they are “smoke dried” similar to the way some meats are smoked as a way to preserve them. The Aztecs smoked the jalapeno as a way to keep them for a long time. The chipotle does not taste much like its pre-smoked self. The heat mellows out considerably and the sweet smokiness is reminiscent of a brisket or pork shoulder smoked low-and-slow.

Chipotles are most readily found in the Mexican food section of the grocery store. They come in small cans packed in adobo sauce. Over the last few years, one of my favorite ways to use chipotles is in an updated version of macaroni and cheese. The intense smokiness and mild heat of the chipotle and the richness of the cheese, perfectly complements one another.

Whether you are new to the flavor of chipotles or not, this updated classic is sure to be a hit. If you are lucky, one of your family members or friends will be taken by surprise and you’ll get a front-row seat to one of life’s simply joys.

Chipotle Mac & Cheese
1 (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (14-1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
4 cups hot cooked elbow macaroni (about 2 cups uncooked)
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 quarter cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup milk
1 large egg, beaten
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove one teaspoon adobo sauce and two chipotle chilies from can, finely chop. Save remaining chilies and adobo sauce for another use. Melt butter in Dutch oven or heavy-bottom stockpot over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Add onion, green bell pepper, garlic, chipotles, and adobo sauce and cook for about four minutes or until the onion is tender, stir frequently.

Sprinkle in the flour and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and add tomatoes. Cook three minutes or until thickened. Add cooked macaroni, milk, and cheddar, ricotta, and Parmesan cheeses. Stir until cheddar is melted. Spoon all of this into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with breadcrumbs and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. You can also add about two cups cooked chicken to make this an even heartier main dish.

Scoot Hutcheson writes for CNHI News Service, which distribues his column. He can be reached at www.scotthutcheson.com.