How to create freedom from food

Eat 17 is an award-winning, world-class East London restaurant set up by brothers Chris O’Connor and James Bundle. Whilst the two lay claim to loving vegetarians and vegans, it’s the meat-eating lot of the world that has fallen in love with them and the food that they produce. But to satisfy the demands of both vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, the two have now produced a book full of exciting, delicious, and easy weekend meals – including the beautiful mac ‘n’ cheese recipe below; you know, that Hank’s Po’Boys one? But what makes this book really special (veggies, look away now) is that it’s all about bacon. The guys not only talk about their shared love of bacon, but also explain how you can include more bacon in your dishes (which sounds like a winner to us) and even let you into the secret of those famous bacon jam recipes – the hugely popular ones that appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show and featured on QI! Now, who doesn’t want to be in on that? It’s time to tuck in to some serious grub…

TOP TIP This is also great with a handful of crayfish tails, a light dusting of smoked paprika and a pinch of cayenne pepper stirred through at the end.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

500g dry macaroni (large tubes preferably)

50g butter 65g plain flour

½ tsp sea salt

½ heaped tsp mustard powder

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

¼ tsp smoked paprika, plus extra for dusting

600ml semi-skimmed milk

150g smoked Cheddar cheese, grated

150g mature Cheddar cheese, grated

Good quality hot sauce, to taste

4 tbsp Bacon Jam

Method:

• Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water, according to the packet instructions, until al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process (if the macaroni is too soft, it will break up when added to the cheese sauce later).
• In a heavy-based pan, melt the butter, then add the flour, salt, mustard powder, pepper and smoked paprika, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Add the milk and whisk over a low heat for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens
• Remove from the heat and gently stir in two-thirds of the grated cheeses a handful at a time until fully melted. Return the pan to a low heat then add the macaroni and stir everything together for 3-4 minutes to heat the pasta through.
• Spoon the macaroni into serving bowls, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of each bowl. If you have a chef’s blowtorch, melt the cheese until nicely browned. Alternatively, if your bowls are heatproof, you can place them under a pre-heated grill for 30 seconds.
• Add a generous splash of hot sauce and top each bowl with a spoonful of Bacon Jam. Stir through before eating.