Macaroni and Cheese is pretty easy to prepare. I do some things different so I have a nice cheese sauce that doesn’t break. Some of the secrets to not breaking the sauce is to cook over medium – low heat most of the time. But it’s more about the ingredients. Most of the fat in the recipe should come from the cheese. You also have to use half or more mild cheese and slightly less than half xtra sharp cheese. This recipe contains delicious fired roasted Hatch Chile for a delicious kick! Don’t you dare use canned Hatch Chile……… because it will not taste similar. If you are in the Phoenix Area I do know that Fry’s and Walmart do sell frozen Hatch Chile. I haven’t tried them but they are recommended over canned.  I do note that you have to wing the amount of * Hatch Chile you add to the sauce because your peppers may not have the same heat and flavor as mine and your love of Hatch Chile may differ. I’m using these fire roasted Hatch Chile Peppers after they’ve been in my freezer since the fall and I think they are much more mellow now but still delicious. I note that when you make this kind of macaroni and cheese you add ONLY ABOUT HALF of the macaroni that you think you need because the pasta will drink up the sauce and the next day this will be very dry. I suggest to serve half a day latter or the next day after.

Ingredients for about 8 servings

2 cups cooked macaroni****** (or more) 2 cups is prefect if you are serving this latter or the next day because the pasta absorbs the liquid. Boil more if you are serving right away. – ( boil pasta for three minutes less than box suggest in salted water add the one Tablespoon of butter to the hot macaroni so it doesn’t stick)

1 1/2 cup xtra sharp aged cheddar cheese – shredded – packed really tight

1 1/2 cup Colby jack cheese  – shredded – packed really tight

4 oz fontina cheese – shredded

2 Tablespoons sweet butter – one Tablespoon for pasta so it doesn’t stick and the other for the cheese sauce

1/3 cup nonfat dry milk

1/3 cup flour

1 cup cold water

2 Tablespoons cayenne pepper sauce (Frank’s Red Hot is preferred)

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1 lb *hatch chile peppers – fire roasted, seeds, stem and most of skin removed – chopped (* amount of hatch chile may differ depending on heat and your love for hatch chile)

2 tablespoons of i’itoi;s onions – green parts – chopped fine or you can substitute scallions – the i’itoi’s have a slightly shallot taste to them but are similar to scallions.

Directions

In a small mixing bowl combine dry milk and flour. Add water and mix well till the mixture is lump free.

In your sauce pot on medium high heat add the remaining one tablespoon butter and let it melt. After the butter is melted whip in the contents of the small bowl. Mix well and bring it to  bubble, let it bubble a little and then add the cheeses and TURN DOWN the heat to medium low. Stir and add in the hot sauce, paprika, cayenne and white pepper.

By this time turn the heat down again to low.

Now you add the hatch chile to your liking. I used around a pound that were very hot when I froze them. So you might want to start with a cup of chopped hatch and then taste and see what you think and add maybe a half cup more at a time till you think you have the hatch chile taste you like.

Shut the heat off and add the scallion or i’itoi’s onions and lastly add the macaroni. I prefer to let the macaroni set and to reheat latter.

Comes out Forking Delicious! I didn’t get to eat much of this one. My husband kept running back for more and was bummed when it was gone.