Mac ‘n Cheese

Serves 6

This recipe has received the most hits of any on our Shared Kitchen site. Why is that? Because it is freakin’ exceptional, that’s why! I could just about write a book on macaroni cheese – so beloved when made well, and so unappetising when gluey, tasteless or flabby. It’s imperative not to overcook the pasta when boiling it in the first stage of cooking. 

Mac n Cheese Photo: © Manja Wachsmuth Photography

Ingredients 

• 6 small vine tomatoes
• 150g free-range dry-cured streaky bacon, chopped
• olive oil
• 50g butter
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 level Tbsp standard flour
• 2½ cups whole milk
• ½ cup cream
• 1 T creamy Dijonnaise mustard
• Salt
• 2 cups grated vintage cheddar cheese
• 300g Italian elbow macaroni or small shell-shaped pasta
• ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup fresh white breadcrumbs

Method

1 Quarter tomatoes, discarding cores, and chop finely. Transfer to a sieve and drain for 15 minutes.

2 Cook bacon over medium heat in an oiled frying pan until crisp, then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.

3 Melt butter in a small saucepan, add onion and cook gently until tender and lightly golden. Remove pan from heat and stir in flour, then milk, a third at a time, then cream and mustard. Place pan back on heat and bring to the boil, stirring with a whisk. Cook for 2 minutes. Season with half a teaspoon of salt, remove pan from heat and blend in 1 cup of cheddar. The sauce should be like a rich, thick cream (thin it with a little milk if necessary – if it is too thick it will be gluggy in the finished dish). Do not reboil after the cheese has been added. Cover pan with a lid to stop a skin from forming.

4 Preheat oven to 200°C. Cook pasta in plenty of gently boiling, well‑salted water until 60-70% cooked – you should still be able to see some visible white uncooked starch if you bite into a piece. Don’t over-cook it or it will be soft by the time it is served. Drain, turn it into a large bowl and stir through the hot or warm sauce. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the pasta, but thin enough so excess pools in the bottom of the bowl. Pay attention: these tips make all the difference.

5 Mix parmesan and breadcrumbs together. Put half the macaroni and sauce in a shallow ovenproof dish (or dishes), then put in some diced tomato and a little bacon. Fill with more macaroni and sauce and scatter with remaining cheese, then parmesan crumbs.

6 Have a baking sheet in the oven to catch spills. Put the dish (or dishes) on the tray and bake for 15–20 minutes, until bubbling around the edges, crusty and a good golden brown on top.

Recipe Notes: Choose a good brand of pasta – I’m only going to recommend Italian – to be sure it holds together after cooking and gives the dish ‘bounce’ (lightness). Inferior pasta collapses no matter how carefully you cook it. Simple instructions make all the difference.