I’m cooking macaroni cheese today. I’ve followed the same basic recipe for years, originally adapted from one I found on bbc.co.uk/food which doesn’t seem to be available any more.
Pasta and cheese is usually one of those meals I reserve for days when I don’t have time or energy to shop or cook, or I want something really cheap. I’d normally just mix a little bit of grated cheese into some cooked pasta, ideally while it’s still hot enough for the cheese to melt and go stringy.
Macaroni cheese is a completely different dish. The flavour and texture are really deep and soothing compared to plain ol’ pasta-and-cheese, but it’s really simple to make and doesn’t require any special skills. In fact, the only part which might prove tricky for a novice is avoiding getting lumps in the sauce. The trick here is to be really patient and not try to rush it - the slow, careful addition of the milk and the gentle stirring is the reason macaroni cheese is so nice to make!
This recipe is enough for 2 very hungry people, or 4 if you add a salad on the side.
Ingredients
1 pint full cream milk
A small onion
6 black peppercorns
2 bays leaves
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
50g butter
25g flour
175g (uncooked) macaroni
175g grated cheddar cheese
1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
Method
Infuse the milk by bringing it to the boil with the onion, peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme and nutmeg. Remove it from the heat, cover, and allow to stand for about 15 minutes, then strain it into a jug.
Gently melt the butter in a saucepan, mix in the flour, and cook for a few minutes to make a roux.
Take the pan off the heat, add a very small amount (really small - about a tablespoon) of the milk to the roux, and keep gently stirring until the mixture is completely smooth. Keep adding more milk, a tiny amount at a time, always mixing until it’s smooth before adding more, so you don’t end up with lumps. As the mixture becomes thinner, the milk can be added in larger amounts, until all the milk has been used.
Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions. While this is cooking, return the pan of sauce to a gentle heat and keep stirring until it thickens. Remove from the heat again and stir in two thirds of the cheese and the parsley.
Mix the drained pasta and sauce together and tip into a baking dish, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Either grill the dish until the cheese starts to bubble and change colour (about 5-7 minutes), or re-heat the dish in the oven later in the day.
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