Macaroni Cheese And Bacon
Originally from: Delia
Smith's Complete Illustrated Cookery Course.
Serves 6.
Ingredients
- 500 gm macaroni
- 2 small onions, finely chopped
- 250 gm mushrooms, chopped
- 250 gm streaky bacon
- olive oil
- 50 gm butter
For the sauce:
- 50 gm butter
- 50 gm plain flour
- 850 ml milk
- 200 gm cheddar cheese, chopped small or grated
- 75 ml double cream
- freshly grated nutmeg
- a few pinches of cayenne pepper
- seasoning
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 C.
- Bring a large pan of water to simmering point.
- Add some salt and a drop of olive oil.
- Put the pasta into the water and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Turn the pasta into a colander and rinse in cold water to
stop it cooking any further.
- While the pasta is cooking, fry the onions and bacon in
some oil in a 1.7 litre oven-proof dish until the onion and
bacon are lightly browned.
- Add the chopped mushrooms and switch off the heat.
- In a separate saucepan, melt the butter and flour, mixing
them into a paste.
- Slowly add the milk to the butter/flour paste while heating
it, to make a smooth white sauce with no lumps.
- Stir the grated/chopped cheese into the white
sauce (keeping some back for step 13) and also add the
cream; heat until the cheese is all melted.
- Season the sauce with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.
- Pour the sauce over the pasta etc. in the oven-proof dish.
- Sprinkly on the remaining cheese and some cayenne pepper as
evenly as you can.
- Cook in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the top is
nicely brown.
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