Macaroni cheese

• 1 large leek
• a little olive oil
• 20 g butter
• 1 heaped tbsp. plain flour
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• 350ml milk
• a pinch of grated nutmeg
• salt and pepper
• 60g grated Cheddar, Gruyere or Comte cheese
• 20g Stilton or Roquefort
• 30g freshly grated Parmesan
• 250g dried macaroni or similar shape pasta

METHOD

1. Slice the leek thinly and cook it with a little oil on low heat, covered, for about 10 minutes, until just softened.

2. In a large pan (an oven-proof casserole if that’s the dish you’ll eventually be baking the pasta) melt the butter, add the flour and the mustard powder and stir with a wooden spoon to make roux. Add the sliced garlic and cook it in the roux for a couple of minutes.

3. When it turns golden start adding milk, little by little, stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Bring it to a simmer, season with salt and pepper and add the nutmeg. Cook it on low heat for a few minutes, then add three quarters of the hard cheeses, all of the blue cheese and half the parmesan. Continue cooking and stirring for another 3 or 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the cooked leeks.

4. In the meantime boil the pasta in plenty of salted water, 2 minutes less than the package instruction. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, toss and mix it in very well.

5. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/gas 7. Bake the pasta in the dish the sauce had been cooking in or transfer it to a lightly buttered gratin dish.

6. Sprinkle the rest of the cheeses over the top and bake for 30 minutes until bubbling, crispy and browned on top.

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See also

Aubergine pasta bake

Leek and potato bake

Cauliflower cheese