From years of cooking contests, I have developed a taste for creating themed recipes. Contests almost always have a specific theme or ingredient to showcase, and I have found that coming up with a fun or creatively descriptive name often catches the judges’ attention. For this week, I thought about making fried pickle pasta salad, but that didn’t seem specific enough to the 4th of July. I decided to make a jalapeno popper-fried pickle fusion, and instead of the standard breadcrumb topping, I went with spicy cheese-flavored ‘firecrackers.’ Let your cookout guests be the judge, but I think this recipe explodes with All-American flavor.
Jalapeno Poppin’ Pickle Pasta with Firecracker Crumbs
Ingredients
16 ounces cavatappi pasta (or elbow macaroni)
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1/4 cup pickled jalapeno brine, at room temperature
1/4 cup dill pickle brine, at room temperature
1 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons packed fresh dill
1/2 cup roughly chopped pickled jalapenos
1/2 cup roughly chopped dill pickles
2 cups ranch-flavored cheese curds
5 slices cooked and crumbled bacon
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sliced green onions
1 tablespoon bacon grease
1/2 cup Hot and Spicy Cheez-It cracker crumbs (panko consistency)
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Additional jalapeno and pickle slices for garnishing
Instructions:
Cook the pasta according to the package instructions for al dente. Drain well and cool to lukewarm. Add the softened cream cheese to a food processor with the jalapeno and pickle brine. Process until smooth. Add the ranch dressing, sour cream, and dill. Process again until smooth. Stir the cream cheese mixture into the pasta. Add the jalapenos, pickles, cheese curds, bacon, and 1/2 cup of green onions. Mix well, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the bacon grease. Add the cracker crumbs and red pepper flakes, if using. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring often. Remove from heat and cool completely. Just before serving, stir the pasta to freshen. Sprinkle the cracker crumbs on top. Sprinkle with the remaining green onions and garnish with jalapeno and pickle slices.
Yield: 16 servings.
