A couple of weeks ago when I was looking through The Homesick Texan, I came across a recipe for Poblano Macaroni and Cheese. It sounded so good to me, so I made up my own version. We enjoyed this last week and had enough for several meals.
2 TB of good Veg Oil or a not so flavorful Olive Oil
Gypsy Peppers, probably all of them (but as much as you would like to use), washed, seeded and chopped
1 or 2 Onions, diced
Summer Squash, probably all of them (but as much as you would like to use), cut into disks or cubes
1 basket Artisan Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half
1 lb good Chorizo - this is not necessary to the dish, so you can make it vegetarian
1 tsp ground Cumin
Pinch of Cayenne
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 TB Butter
4 TB Flour
2.5 cups Milk
16 oz of Elbow Macaroni, cooked according to instructions
4 cups of grated strong cheddar, more if you like it cheesier
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high. Add onions and peppers, and cook until the onions turn glassy. Then add the cumin, cayenne and summer squash. Cook for about 5 minutes. You can cook the chorizo in this skillet or in a separate pan if you want it browner and would like to skim off the oil from the sausage; once the chorizo is cooked though, add it to the vegetables along with the cherry tomatoes. In a heavy bottomed pot, melt butter over medium heat just until it is foamy. Whisking constantly, add the flour and cook until the flour just begins to turn golden. Then slowly add the milk. It is actually best if the milk is pre-warmed. Whisk constantly to prevent lumping. This should be fairly thick, but you should be able to stir in the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and season with salt and pepper.
Butter the sides of a large casserole dish or dutch oven, then put in the cooked macaroni. Mix in the vegetables and chorizo (if using), pour the cheese sauce over, and mix well. You can top with bread crumbs if you like or cotija cheese or a little more grated cheddar (that is what I usually do). Bake until the top is just turning a little brown.