Chorizo, red pepper and basil macaroni cheese
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.
Ingredients
- 350g of macaroni pasta , or other small pasta shapes
- 2 red peppers
- 250g of cooking chorizo , picante
- 1l milk
- 50g of butter
- 50g of Doves Farm Plain White Flour
- 100g of red Leicester cheese
- 100g of manchego cheese
- 50g of mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
- 100ml of cream
- 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard
- 1 bunch of basil , leaves shredded
- olive oil, for cooking
- salt , to taste
Topping
- 50g of Panko breadcrumbs
- 50g of mozzarella cheese
- 50g of Parmesan
Method
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
- 250g of cooking chorizo , picante
Put a pan of salted water on to boil as you make the sauce
- salt , to taste
Heat the milk in a separate saucepan, but don’t let it boil
- 1l milk
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
- 50g of butter
- 50g of plain flour
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
- 100g of red Leicester cheese
- 100g of manchego cheese
- 50g of mozzarella cheese
Stir to melt the cheeses, then add the white pepper and stir in the cream and mustard. Taste and add salt if necessary
- 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
- 100ml of cream
- 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard
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
- 350g of macaroni pasta , or other small pasta shapes
- 1 bunch of basil , leaves shredded
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
- 50g of Panko breadcrumbs
- 50g of mozzarella cheese
- 50g of Parmesan
Place under the grill until browned and bubbling – around 10 minutes
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Chorizo, red pepper and basil macaroni cheese
