Cajun Mac & Cheese

No big story here. I asked Chris to cycle through my Food Network Magazines until he found a recipe he wanted me to make during the week. It took him all of two minutes to find the recipe and demand (nicely of course) that it be made immediately. And it was.

Cajun Mac & Cheese
Adapted from Food Network Magazine (March 2012)

Ingredients:
* 12 ounces wagon-wheel pasta (my store did not have this... can you believe that?)
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 6 ounces andouille sausage or other cajun sausage, chopped
* 2 bunches scallions, thinly sliced (I omitted this due to lack of decent looking scallions at the store)
* 1 bell pepper (green or red), chopped
* 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
* 2 tablespoons flour
* 2 cups whole milk
* 8 ounces sharp-cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes (I grated to make melting easier)

To Make:
* bring pot of salted water to boil. add pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain pasta
* while pasta is cooking, combine olive oil and sausage in a skillet over high heat. cook until sausage browns, about 2 minutes. Stir in scallions and pepper and cook until pepper is soft, about 3 minutes.
* add cajun seasoning and flour. stir for 2 more minutes. gradually whisk in milk and cook until sauce is smooth and thick, about 5 more minutes
* stir in cheese until melted, add some of the reserved water if sauce is too thick. stir in pasta, and stir until nicely coated with cheese sauce.

Serve immediately. Chris topped his with a little extra seasoning (cayenne pepper or cajun) to spice it up a bit. It wasn't too spicey on its own (Alex ate it just fine) but has lots of creole-y flavor!