Hatch Chili Mac & Cheese
The telltale sign that summer is coming to an end in Austin is when hatch chilies take over every single grocery store. Before I moved to Texas, the only hot pepper I knew of was jalapeno - oops. Can you really blame me though? I could probably list off 50 different types of cheeses, but one spicy pepper. I knew Austin was going to be hot, and my first summer here did not disappoint. I was surprised to see that at the end of the summer, the hottest time of the whole year, people were flocking to the store to buy these hot peppers. It's already hot enough, why does your food need to be spicy hot too?!
It's not just the peppers themselves either. There's hatch guacamole, hatch corn bread, hatch tortillas, hatch salsa, even hatch pepper cookies. What is with this chile?! So this year, my fourth (where has the time gone) summer I finally decided to buy one, and like most things I'm worried will be too spicy for me, I pair it with dairy. Since I picked up some milder chiles, I added extra heat by putting the fresh ones on top, and it was the perfect about of heat for me, but feel free to adjust as you'd like.
Mac and cheese is a great base and easy to manipulate, which is why I chose it for the hatch chilies. When I went to the store, I got one fresh chile, and a package of pre-roasted mild chilies that Whole Foods had already prepped. I also grabbed some cavatappi noodles, mild yellow cheddar, sharp white cheddar and some whole milk to bring it all together.
Making macaroni and cheese in a cast-iron skillet is one of my favorite things. I usually run the risk of overflowing the pan, but I'm working on being better at keeping things proportioned. Since the chiles were already roasted this meal only took about 15 minutes to come together which is perfect for busy nights or can be a great alternative for boxed mac and cheese.
Hatch Chile Mac and Cheese
Ingredients:
1/2 pound cavatappi noodles, cooked al dente*
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1 quart whole milk
1 cup shredded mild cheddar
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar
2 hatch chiles, roasted and chopped
hatch chile for garnish
Instructions:
Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat and add butter. Once the butter is melted and hasn't started to brown, add flour in and whisk together to make a roux. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the roux is a warm golden brown color and pretty dry, continually stirring so it doesn't burn. Add in the milk a half cup at a time, only adding more when all the milk has thickened into the sauce. When all the milk has been added, stir in the cheese and chiles. Once combined, stir in the noodles and let cook for 5 minutes on the stove. Top with garnish of choice, place it under the broiler to brown if you'd like, and serve.
*The noodles can be cooked while you're making the roux, and don't forget to salt the water so you don't have bland noodles.
**To reheat the mac and cheese, the best option is to put it back in a skillet with some butter and milk to help bring back the creamy sauce.