Comfort food: Mac and cheese

When I was in New York last year I was lucky enough to have been told about a lovely place on the Lower East Side which specialised in serving macaroni cheese. S'MAC took the humble dish and added a plethora of different flavours to it. My eight-portion sampler included some French, Cajun, Italian, and of course American flavours. Probably a bit to heavy for lunch, but when in America, who cares about portion size?

Here’s my macaroni cheese recipe

Ingredients
Macaroni – purists will protest, but I have been known to use penne or frusili too
Butter
Milk
Plain flour
Grated cheese – I find it best to use these three types: mozerella, mature cheddar and parmesan, cut so long as it melts, I think you'll be OK.

Cook the pasta to packet instructions, until al-dente

Melt the butter gently in a saucepan then add the plain flour. Mix until it forms a paste. Make sure all of the flour is mixed in.

Slowly add the milk and stir out any lumps. Lumps only form when the flour isn't mixed with the butter properly.

Add the cheeses and season to taste. I use lots of pepper.

Once the pasta is cooked and rained, add it to the milk, butter and flour mix and stir so the past is coated.

Transfer to an oven dish and top with more the parmesan and more grated cheese, if you wish.

Cook in the oven until the top is brown. Leave it to cool down for a bit before eating it.