Four Cheese Macaroni with Streaky Bacon

Ingredients

200 gm Meaty Speck

300 gm (Uncooked) Macaroni or Elbow Pasta

Sea Salt

1 tbls Olive Oil

150 gm Swiss Gruyere, grated

100 gm Mozzarella, grated

150 Cheddar Cheese, grated

½ Brown Onion, finely chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped

1 tbls Dijon Mustard

60 gm Butter

⅓ Cup Plain Flour

3 Cups Full Cream Milk

2 tbls Parsley, finely chopped

2 tsp Thyme, finely chopped

½ - ¾ Cup Panko Crumbs

50 gm Parmesan, grated

Extra Thyme, to serve

Cooking Method

Preheat oven to 180℃

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta until just cooked, drain and set aside.

Remove the rind from the meaty speck and cut into small cubes about one centimetre in size. In a saucepan over a medium heat, add the olive oil and cook the meaty speck until golden brown, remove from the pan and drain on paper towel.

Leave the oil in the pan, add the butter, chopped onion and garlic. Cook over a low heat until the onions are soft and fragrant. Add the Dijon mustard and the plain flour, using a wooden spoon cook the flour over the low heat for a minute.

Slowly add a cup of milk at a time, stirring to remove any lumps. Once all of the milk is added allow the sauce to come to a simmer and thicken, reduce heat.

Add the Gruyere, mozzarella and cheddar cheese and stir through the sauce. Stir in the cooked pasta, add the chopped parsley and thyme, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Lightly butter an oven proof dish, spoon in the cheesy pasta mixture and sprinkle over the panko bread crumbs and grated parmesan cheese.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the crumbs are golden and crispy. Serve immediately