Seasonal local food recipe No.348 – Nadiya’s mustard kale mac and cheese
We’ve had this dish twice since Nadiya’s Kitchen arrived in our household at Christmas. I’ve used both curly kale with penne and cavolo nero with macaroni but the biggest recommendation must be from my husband who usually turns his nose up at plain macaroni cheese!
If you don’t have any cream, just use milk. Nadiya, the BBC’s last Great British Bake Off winner, doesn’t pre-cook the kale but I blanche it with the pasta at the end of the pasta cooking time.
Serves 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
500g pasta
2 tbsps unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp English mustard powder
3 tbsps plain flour
250ml whole milk
25 ml single cream
250g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
a large handful of kale leaves, chopped
50g Parmesan cheese, grated
freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas mark 6. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, and cook the pasta for the recommended time on the packet. Drain and add the oil, stirring it through, this will stop the pasta sticking together.
Melt the butter in a small pan over a medium heat, then add the garlic and mustard powder and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the flour, and cook for another minute, mixing all the time. Add the milk and the cream, and whisk until the sauce is smooth and lump-free. Continue to whisk until the sauce thickens. Take the pan off the heat, add the grated Cheddar cheese and leave it to melt, stirring occasionally.
Now tip the pasta and kale into an oven proof dish, and pour over the sauce. Bake for 20 minutes, until the top is crisp and golden. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and a good grind of black pepper to serve.
