Baked Macaroni And Cheese

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• 1 Kg elbow macaroni
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon powdered mustard or you can take mustard seeds and ground them
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup onion, finely diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper powder
• 1 large egg
• 12 ounces cheddar, shredded easily available in super-stores
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Fresh black pepper

Topping:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente. ( not too mushy )
While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it’s free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
Melt the butter in a pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.