Curried Macaroni
If the idea of curry spices with pasta sounds strange, just try this recipe. It isn’t “fusion cuisine,” just good old American melting-pot food. Curried Macaroni is simple and easy to make, and it can be done early in the day or even a day ahead.
Serve it with a salad of spinach leaves, pomegranate seeds and Bartlett pear slices. For the dressing, put 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 teaspoons water and 4 tablespoons olive oil in a bottle with a lid and shake until mixed.
Cunningham’s latest book is “Learning to Cook With Marion Cunningham” (Alfred A. Knopf, 1999).
Bring 5 quarts salted water (add 1 tablespoon salt and stir so the salt dissolves in the water) to boil. Add macaroni and again give a stir so macaroni doesn’t stick to bottom of pot. Set a timer for 8 minutes and test macaroni for doneness by spearing a piece with a fork, running it under cold water and taking a bite. If it is tender it is done; if it still seems firm, give it another 2 minutes of cooking and test again. Drain macaroni. Place in bowl and, if you are making it ahead of time and don’t plan to serve it right away, take a fork and stir it, then let it sit while you make the sauce.
Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and stir constantly until butter and flour are smooth and blended. Add curry powder and continue cooking and stirring a couple of minutes; then slowly add milk, stirring constantly so no lumps form. If you have trouble blending smoothly, brisk stirring with a whisk will help. Stir sauce so it thickens, about 5 minutes, taking care it does not burn. Remove from heat and add salt, a little at a time, stirring and tasting, until you like the taste. Add pepper to taste too.
Pour sauce over macaroni and toss until blended. Add cilantro and serve.
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