Mac and cheese jaffle

Name: Mac and cheese jaffle
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 150g macaroni pasta; 300ml milk; 2 bay leaves; 2 tbsp butter; 1 garlic clove, finely chopped; 2 tbsp plain flour; 100g cheddar cheese, grated; 50g manchego cheese, grated; 1 tbsp smoked paprika; 1 handful parsley leaves, roughly chopped; 8 slices of bread; Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling; 

Frank Camorra

March 1, 2016

Time:30 mins - 1 hourMakes:4

After a night at the stove, the humble sandwich is the chef's saviour. My personal favourite is the jaffle, filled with gooey cheese and any meat I can find in the fridge. When I was young, we went camping with our cast-iron jaffle maker, and made fantastic lunches with ham or salami and mozzarella or gruyere cheese. I still remember the taste of it.

Ingredients

150g macaroni pasta
300ml milk
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp butter
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tbsp plain flour
100g cheddar cheese, grated
50g manchego cheese, grated
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 handful parsley leaves, roughly chopped
8 slices of bread
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

Method

Cook the pasta in lots of salted water until al dente, then strain and put aside until the sauce is ready.
Simmer the milk and bay leaves for 10 minutes, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the garlic then the flour and stir well. Add the warm milk in three lots, stirring well to remove any lumps. When all the milk is added, cook the sauce on a gentle heat for 15 minutes then add the cheese and continue cooking for another five minutes.
Pour the sauce over the pasta, add the paprika and chopped parsley and stir well.
Heat a jaffle iron. Divide the macaroni between four bread slices and top with the other slice. Drizzle a little oil on the bottom of the jaffle iron, place the sandwiches in the iron, drizzle oil on top and close the iron. Cook until golden and crispy.