Green Chili Mac & Cheese

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups dried breadcrumbs, coarsely crumbled
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• salt, to taste
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 (13 ounce) can mild green chilies, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups) or 13 ounces fresh stemmed, seeded, roasted, peeled green anaheim chilies (about 1 1/2 cups)
• half a tomatillos, papery skin removed, sticky coating rinsed off, stemmed, chopped or half a green tomato, chopped and mixed with 1/2 t. lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 green onion, including green part, chopped
• salt, to taste
• 1 lb ziti pasta (any short tubular pasta) or 1 lb mini penne pasta (any short tubular pasta) or 1 lb mostaccioli pasta (any short tubular pasta)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 9 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• 9 ounces queso asadero cheese (if you cannot find, substitute monterey jack, muenster or fontina)
• 1 1/2 ounces freshly grated parmesan cheese (finely grated, about 3/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup minced yellow onion (4 ounces or about 1/2 large onion)
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup diced orange bell pepper
• 1/2 cup diced green poblano peppers (seeds removed) or 1/2 cup anaheim chili (seeds removed)
• 1/2 cup fresh sweet corn
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• salt, to taste
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Recipe

• 1 breadcrumb topping:.
• 2 in a small mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, bread crumbs, and garlic. season to taste with salt. set aside.
• 3 green chili crema:.
• 4 in a medium saucepan, heat the cream and add the chiles, tomatillo, and garlic. simmer gently for 2-4 minutes and then remove from the heat. let cool.
• 5 pour mixture into a blender and liquefy. add the green onion and liquefy. season with salt to taste.
• 6 pour the crema through a single mesh strainer or sieve. the crema should be very smooth.
• 7 mac & cheese:.
• 8 coat an 8- to 10-cup capacity, ovenproof casserole with vegetable spray or a dab of butter; or coat six 1½-cup capacity stoneware ramekins.
• 9 bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil, add 1 teaspoons of salt, return to a boil, and add the pasta. cook until still al dente (but not until until fully tender).
• 10 remove the pasta pot from the stove and carefully drain in a large colander. run cold water over the pasta to cool it to room temperature.
• 11 add pasta to a large mixing bowl. add the cheddar, queso asadero, and parmesan and toss. set aside.
• 12 in a medium saucepan, melt the butter. add the onions and peppers and saute until just beginning to soften.
• 13 add the corn and stir to coat with butter. stir in the flour and cook without browning for two minutes.
• 14 slowly pour in the green chile crema and whisk constantly while bring the sauce to a simmer. simmer, whisking continuously, for 2 minutes. season to taste with salt and pepper.
• 15 pour the sauce over the pasta and cheeses in the bowl. with a large spatula, fold to combine.
• 16 spoon into the prepared casserole, mounding slightly at the center. sprinkle on the breadcrumb topping.
• 17 bake at 350º 30-40 minutes for a large casserole (or 10-15 minutes for individual ramekins), or until heated through and just bubbling. (high heat or excessively long cooking time may curdle the cheeses.).
• 18 broil for a minute or two to finish browning the top.