Macaroni Mamma Mia
– How to Cheat

Why the name? Well, actually because of my mum. I was brought up on evocative bowls of heavenly Macaroni Cheese, which were a regular part of her repertoire but always with subtle changes – like the addition of mushrooms or bacon or whatever was to hand. The recipe below is the modern cheats’ version. In practice this can be made with any kind of shape or make of pasta, but it is part of my philosophy of cheating and tweaking here and there that the one thing you need to put some effort into is getting the very best ingredients. Martelli dried pasta is in a different league from most bog-standard varieties. Sainsbury's sometimes have it, but if not it’s worth ordering by mail order from Camisa (see the link to their website at the end of the recipe). Add to that Sainsbury’s Four Cheese Sauce and some pancetta cubetti, and what you will then have is a Macaroni Cheese every bit as good as mamma’s.

Serves 2

Ingredients

6 oz (175 g) Martelli maccheroni
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
half a 130 g pack Sainsbury’s cubetti (cubed) pancetta
½ medium or 1 small onion, chopped small
3 oz (75 g) chestnut mushrooms, cut in chunks
1 x 150g ball mozzarella cheese
1 x 300g Sainsbury’s fresh Four Cheese sauce
1½ tablespoons ready-grated fresh Parmesan (for sprinkling)
1 bunch small ripe tomatoes on the vine
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5, 375°F (190°C) .

You will also need a gratin dish – we used an oval one measuring 8.5 inches (22 cm) x 6.5 inches (17 cm).

First fill a large saucepan with 4 pints (2.25 litres) of water, bring it up to a fast boil, add a teaspoon of salt then the macaroni and let it boil for exactly 6 minutes. Meanwhile heat a tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan, then add the pancetta and onion and cook these for about 2 minutes on a high heat before adding the mushrooms and cooking for a further 2 minutes.

While that’s happening, cut the mozzarella into smallish cubes. As soon as the pasta’s ready (it won’t be fully cooked because it’s going to get further cooking in the oven) tip it first into a colander to drain off the water then quickly back into the saucepan.

Next add the contents of the frying-pan to the pasta, followed by the cubes of mozzarella and the cheese sauce. Add a good grinding of black pepper, stir well then transfer the whole lot to a gratin dish – we used an oval one measuring 8.5 inches (22 cm) x 6.5 inches (17 cm). Sprinkle the surface with the Parmesan, snip the bunch of tomatoes in half and place them on top.

Finally drizzle the tomatoes with a few drops of oil, place the dish on a high shelf of the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese is golden-brown and the tomatoes cooked through.

How To Cheat Hero Ingredient: