A most delicious version of macaroni cheese from Diana Henry. It makes a little crabmeat go a long way, and will become my go to version of this dish.
Ingredients
- 30 g butter
- ½ onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic grated to a purée
- 1 red chilli halved, deseeded and chopped
- ¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 250 ml full fat milk warmed
- 45 g extra mature cheddar grated
- 20 g parmesan grated, plus extra for the top if you’re going to bake it
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 100 g crab a mixture of white and brown
- a Good squeeze lemon juice
- 150- 200 g rigatoni
Servings:
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a saucepan and sauté the onion until it’s soft but not coloured. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for another couple of minutes, then add the cayenne pepper and flour. Stir this around until it forms a paste. Remove from the heat and start adding the warm milk a little at a time.
- Keep adding in small amounts and stirring to keep the mixture smooth. Eventually you can add the milk in bigger amounts. Put back on the heat and bring to the boil, stirring continually. You should end up with quite a thick mixture.
- Allow this to simmer gently for 4 minutes, then add the cheeses, stirring to help them melt.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the mustard, crab and some salt and pepper. Taste, then add the lemon juice – it just helps to bring the different components in the sauce together – and taste again. Cover.
- Cook the rigatoni in lightly salted boiling water until al dente (usually less time than is indicated on the packet). Drain and stir it into the sauce. You can serve this now, sprinkled with a little extra cayenne and grated Parmesan, in pasta bowls, or you can bake it.
- To bake, pour the pasta and sauce into a small gratin dish, scatter with the extra grated Parmesan and place in an oven that’s been preheated to 200C/190C fan/gas mark 6 for 15 minutes.
Share this Recipe
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe