Mac and cheese can be made creamier and more indulgent by adding one ingredient before cooking: Grana Padano cheese. This swap gives the dish a richer, nuttier flavour than the traditional mature cheddar.
A British twist on a classic
Mac and cheese is a much-loved comfort food made with macaroni pasta coated in a rich, creamy cheese sauce. While closely associated with American cuisine, the dish has a history stretching back centuries, with early recipes combining pasta and cheese appearing in European cookbooks long before it became the familiar dish known today.
However, mac and cheese has also found a natural home among Britain's favourite comfort foods, with strong, mature cheddar adding a distinctly British twist. For the best results, it is not simply a case of adding as much cheese as possible.
The recipe and method
The recipe comes from Farmer J, serves four people, and has a preparation time of 20 minutes and a cooking time of 30 minutes. It has only four simple steps to follow.
Ingredients include 500g short macaroni, 200g grated Grana Padano cheese, one teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg, two teaspoons of sea salt, half a teaspoon of coarse-ground black pepper, one litre of béchamel (homemade or shop-bought), five large kale leaves (washed and shredded), and eight medium-sized broccoli florets (blanched in boiling water for two minutes, then chilled under running cold water).
Simple steps for a creamy finish
Place all the ingredients in a large bowl, except for 50g of the Grana Padano. Gently mix until all the ingredients are distributed evenly, then use a spatula to empty the ingredients into a baking tray and level off. Finish by topping with the remaining Grana Padano.
Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and serve with seasonal greens.
