Caribbean Series: Macaroni Pie

To me, you can't have any kind of Caribbean chicken dish without macaroni pie!! It's a cardinal sin, the entire world would come to a halt....ok, maybe not, but I would sulk if I didn't get any and nobody wants a stroppy Julia!

Why is it called macaroni pie, you ask?? Good question! Unfortunately, I can't answer it so if you really want to know the answer then you'll just have to Google it! I'm content enough with just eating the mighty fine stuff and couldn't care less whether you call it macaroni pie or macaroni cheese, as to me, they are both pretty much the same!

I have used 4 different kinds of cheese, it may seem a lot but trust me on this, this bad boy is the stuff dreams are made of!! I bought some in to work for a colleague to try and she literally hounds me on a daily basis to make some more!

Ingredients:

• 37sg macaroni
• 20g butter
• 2 tbsp. plain flour
• 2 1/2 cups of milk
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 packet of grated mature Cheddar
• 1 packet of grated mozzarella
• 250g grated Red Leicester
• 1 packed grated parmesan

Cook the macaroni on a pan of salted water. Once cooked (you don't want to over cook this as it will cook further in the oven) drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat until melted. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute until the mixture is just bubbling.

Gradually whisk in the milk, stirring rapidly to avoid any lumps from forming. Stir until the sauce boils and begins to thicken. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered.

Stir in the mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, stir occasionally for 5 minutes or until thickened, remove from the heat.

Stir in half the packet of grated Cheddar and mix well until all the cheese has melted and is smooth. Add the macaroni and stir well until combined.

Pour half the mixture into a 2L glass or ceramic dish. Sprinkle half the remaining Cheddar, half the mozzarella and half of the Red Leicester.

Pour the remaining macaroni on top and finish off with the rest of the cheese then add half the packet of parmesan cheese on top.

Bake in the oven at 350F/180C for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Et voila!! Your little piece of heaven is ready to serve! You can thank me later!!

Ready to eat with my jerk chicken & rice and peas...yum!