Mac ‘N’ Cheese Arancini

What You’ll Need:

• 300g macaroni
• 20g plain flour
• 20g butter
• 300ml milk
• salt and pepper
• 200g cheddar cheese
• 100g parmesan cheese
• plain flour for coating
• 1 egg
• 3 large handfuls panko breadcrumbs
• vegetable oil for deep frying
• 225g tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tbsp chilli flakes
• 1 garlic clove
• 125g caster sugar
• 30ml balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper

How You Make It:

1. Make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Mix with a wooden spoon to form a paste and cook for 1 minute. Take off the heat and gradually add the milk, whisking to create a smooth liquid. Return to the heat and slowly mix until it thickens.
2. Once your sauce has thickened, add the cheese and melt in. Taste and season. Set aside.
3. Cook your macaroni as per packet instructions.
4. Once your macaroni is cooked, drain well and stir it in with the cheese sauce to coat. Pour into a shallow dish and refrigerate for 1 hour until firm.
5. Meanwhile, make your chilli tomato jam. Put all the ingredients in a mixer, transfer to a saucepan and simmer for half an hour, then cool.
6. Take your firm macaroni cheese and slice into cubes. Line onto a tray and when you have used up all the ingredients, chill for 20 minutes.
7. Now set up your bread crumbing station: you will need a plate of plain flour, a bowl of beaten egg and a plate of fresh breadcrumbs.
8. When the macaroni cubes have firmed up, coat in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. When you have coated each cube, heat the oil in a frying pan.
9. Heat the vegetable oil for deep frying. Test the oil with a piece of bread- a small piece should go golden brown in 20 seconds on each side. Cook in batches and drain on kitchen paper.
10. Serve hot alongside the chilli tomato jam.