This macaroni cheese is one for those who enjoy the bold, sweet and spicy flavours of Mediterranean cooking. Nuggets of oily, paprika-flavoured chorizo are combined with roasted red peppers and fragrant basil, all bound with a creamy three-cheese sauce.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC and place the peppers on a roasting tray
Cook for 35 minutes, or until very soft and charred. Set aside to cool, then deseed, peel and rinse off the seeds. Slice into strips
Crumble the chorizo into a frying pan and cook until cooked through and crispy in places – around 10 minutes
Put a pan of salted water on to boil as you make the sauce
Heat the milk in a separate saucepan, but don’t let it boil
Melt the butter in a separate saucepan and, when foaming, add the flour, whisking. Cook this mixture out for a couple of minutes, whisking constantly
Add the milk a couple of ladlefuls at a time, whisking each addition gently into the sauce before adding the next
Once all the milk has been added, allow the sauce to cook for a couple of minutes, stirring regularly. This is important in order to cook out any remaining flour. Taste the sauce to ensure no floury taste remains; if it does, cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes longer
Remove the sauce from the heat and add the grated Red Leicester, manchego and mozzarella
Stir to melt the cheeses, then add the white pepper and stir in the cream and mustard. Taste and add salt if necessary
Preheat a grill to medium
Add the pasta to the water and cook for 6 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the sauce, mixing well. Stir through the chorizo, peppers and basil and check the seasoning once more
Transfer the mac n cheese to an oven dish and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs, then the cheeses. They won’t cover the dish completely, but will melt together as they cook
Place under the grill until browned and bubbling – around 10 minutes
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