← Nouns Cooking · British & Irish

Ingredients

• 300 g macaroni
• 50 g Butter
• 50 g Plain (all-purpose) flour
• 700 ml whole milk
• 1 tsp Dijon or English mustard
• 200 g mature cheddar, grated
• 50 g Gruyère, grated (optional)
• 1 pinch Nutmeg
• 2 Tomato, sliced (optional)
• 40 g fresh breadcrumbs
• 25 g parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese, finely grated
• Salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, 400°F). Cook the macaroni in plenty of salted boiling water until just short of al dente (a little under the packet time), then drain.
2. Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the milk a little at a time, whisking constantly, then simmer for 5 min, still whisking, until thick and smooth.
3. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the mustard, nutmeg, most of the cheddar and the gruyère until melted. Season well; it should taste a little too cheesy, as the pasta will soak it up.
4. Stir the macaroni into the sauce and tip it into a baking dish. Lay the tomato slices on top, then scatter over the breadcrumbs mixed with the parmesan and the rest of the cheddar.
5. Bake for 20–25 min until bubbling at the edges and golden and crisp on top. Rest for 5 min before serving.

Tips

• Traditional parmesan is made with animal rennet; use a vegetarian hard cheese to keep it vegetarian.
• Warm the milk first and the sauce comes together faster with fewer lumps.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

BBC Good Food BBC Food Olive Magazine