CRUNCHY TOPPED MAC ‘N’ CHEESE WITH ROASTED PEPPERS & BROCCOLI

ingredients | serves 6 | time 1 hour 30 mins

4 red Romano peppers, halved and deseeded • 1 tbsp olive oil • 300g macaroni • 125g pack tenderstem broccoli, cut into short lengths • 60g butter•60g plain flour • 2 pints skimmed milk • 1 bay leaf • 250g Duchy Organic Mature Farmhouse Cheddar, grated • 2 tsp English mustard •Grated nutmeg, to season • 2 tbsp thyme leaves •3 tbsp Cooks’ Ingredients dried Breadcrumbs

step 1

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Cut each pepper half into 3-4 pieces and put in a bowl. Toss with oil, then tip onto a roasting tray. Roast for 25-30 minutes until softened. Reduce the oven temp to 180°C. Meanwhile, cook the macaroni for 7-9 minutes, adding the broccoli for the final 3 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water and drain again. Tip into the bowl along with the peppers.

step 2

Melt the butter in the saucepan, then stir in the flour and cook over a low heat for 30 seconds. Take the pan off the heat and add the milk, little by little, whisking between each addition, then return to the hob. Add the bay leaf and bring to a simmer, stirring all the time. When thickened, simmer for 5 minutes. Take off the heat, stir in 200g of the cheese, the mustard, a generous grating of nutmeg and half the thyme leaves. Stir until the cheese has melted. Season and remove the bay leaf.

step 3

Tip the sauce into the mixing bowl, mix everything together. Tip the whole lot into a 2.5-litre capacity ovenproof dish. Mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining cheese and thyme and scatter on top. Bake on a baking tray for 25-30 minutes or until golden and bubbling.