Curried Mac and Cheese

I made this awhile ago but didn't get a chance to post it until now.  I highly recommend it!  I made it for my work going away party and to celebrate the AC getting fixed so I could finally use the oven again.  Everyone liked it, but we still had tons of leftovers because all the ladies are on diets and have way more self control than I do.  (On that note, I may have eaten 1/2 a bowl of taco dip today.)

Pre-baking, hence the lack of brown bread crumbs

We ate leftovers all week.  Here it is with some crostini. 

Curried Mac and Cheese

Adapted from Roger Mooking (His show is Everyday Exotic)

Yield: one 9x13 inch pan

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/2 red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 green chile, split lengthwise, optional

1 tablespoon curry powder (I recommend hot curry powder, but be careful with it)

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

5 cups (2 percent low-fat) milk

2 1/2 cups Provolone or any other mild cheese, grated (I substituted about 1/2 cup sharp cheddar)

1 1/4 pounds elbow macaroni pasta, prepared according to package instructions

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Bunch asparagus, trimmed- I left this out and topped it with tomato slices (I love asparagus but the hubby doesn't like it)

Kosher salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large pot, melt the butter with the oil over medium heat. Add in the red onion, garlic, and green chile and saute until tender, approximately 2 minutes. Sprinkle over the curry powder and all of the flour, stirring to create a roux. Whisk to remove the lumps, and cook the flour for approximately 1 minute.

3. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking to create a curried creamy sauce over low heat.

4. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and continue whisking for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, discard the green chile, and add 2 cups grated Provolone, and stir until smooth.

5. Add the cooked macaroni to the curry sauce, mix until evenly coated, and season with salt. Transfer the macaroni mixture to a 9 by 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the top with 1/4 cup bread crumbs and 1/4 cup cheese.

6. Optional: Arrange the asparagus (or tomato) in a line over the macaroni. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup bread crumbs and cheese over the asparagus, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown