Junior Masterchef

Hannah made dinner tonight.  It’s the first time she’s attempted anything on this scale and I deliberately stepped back and only intervened when she asked for help.  Oh and to do the washing up.  We modified the recipe and I thought budding young cooks might like to try it too.

Hannah’s Pasta Bake – Serves 4

Ingredients

250g pasta shapes (we used macaroni)

pinch of salt

55g butter

40g plain flour

450ml milk

125g Cheddar cheese grated

125g of a mixture of chopped ham and salami (original recipe said just ham but we didn’t have enough)

115g sweetcorn

1/2 red pepper chopped into pieces the size of your thumbnail

25g Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 200 C. 

Heat some water in a large saucepan with the pinch of salt.

Add the pasta carefully and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet.

While pasta is cooking gently melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. 

Add the flour and mix well, cooking the mixture for a minute and then remove from the heat.

Stir in the milk, a little at a time, to make a smooth sauce.

Put the pan back on the heat and stir carefully while the sauce thickens.

When the sauce boils, turn down the heat and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring all the time.

Remove from the heat and mix in Cheddar cheese, sweetcorn, ham/salami, red pepper and drained pasta.

Place in ovenproof dish and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.