Macaroni cheese with pear, walnuts and chicory

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This remarkable dish from Matt Cheal looks intricate but the process is pretty straightforward. Macaroni cheese, matching Gorgonzola-coated pasta with red wine-poached pears and chicory for a refined take on a classic.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Macaroni

Poached pears

To serve

Method

1
Peel and core the pears. Combine the wine, sugar and cinnamon in a saucepan and bring to the boil, add the pears and leave to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool
2
Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and bring the cooking liquor to a rapid boil. Reduce the wine by half, then pour over the pears. Leave to cool in the fridge
3
Cook the pasta in salted, boiling water for 7-9 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking together. Once the pasta is ready, drain in a colander, leaving approximately 50ml of water in the pan to help form the sauce
4
Place the pasta back in the pan and add chunks of Gorgonzola. Stir until the cheese coats the pasta and becomes creamy
5
To serve, remove the pears from the cooking liquor and cut into thin slices. Spoon the pasta onto warmed plates
6
Cut the extra Gorgonzola into small cubes and scatter over the pasta with the sliced pear, chicory, walnuts and baby spinach. Finish with a drizzle of Balsamic vinegar and serve immediately

Matt Cheal counts his father and chef Luke Tipping as his two biggest influences; both helped him rise to the position of Head Chef at the Midlands culinary institution of Simpsons, and have helped push him forwards with his new ventures.

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