BAKED MACARONI CHEESE

Mum’s American background definitely influenced the food we ate at home. When I was growing up on our farm in East Sussex, things like macaroni cheese did not exist in the local village. You couldn’t buy fancy ice cream, for instance, or bagels, pickles or mayonnaise, but all these things were common in our household. Mexican food wasn’t a big thing in England at that time, but because Mum had gone to the University of Arizona it was something she was familiar with. We all grew up loving Mexican food and other dishes from around the world. I think that Mum really loved being on the road with

the band and every time she travelled to a new city or a new country, she would absorb the food culture, the ingredients and the menus and bring a little piece of that home to us.

When the family first gave up meat, Linda created a turkeyshaped macaroni cheese so there was something to carve at the Christmas lunch table! It’s lovely with some salad or green vegetables at any time of year. The ‘cheesy’ taste comes from the nutritional yeast flakes – a natural product that can add extra flavour in many recipes.

Serves 4

50g raw unsalted cashew nuts, finely chopped

¾tsp turmeric powder

40g nutritional yeast

1½tbsp miso

2tsp apple cider vinegar

1tsp fine sea salt

½tsp onion powder ¾tsp garlic powder

½tsp sweet smoked paprika 1½tbsp Dijon mustard

350g macaroni

30g fresh breadcrumbs

1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to grease

Sea salt

Put the chopped cashew nuts into a pan of boiling water and cook them for 10 minutes over a high heat. Drain them thoroughly in a fine sieve and transfer to a highspeed blender. Add the rest of the ingredients – except the macaroni, breadcrumbs and oil – and 230ml of water, then blitz until completely smooth. This may take a few minutes, depending on the power of your blender. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Grease a medium baking dish with a little olive oil.

Cook the macaroni in a pan of boiling, salted water for 1-2 minutes less than the packet instructions – the pasta should still be quite al dente, not soft. Drain thoroughly and transfer to the baking dish. Add the sauce and stir to combine. Scatter over the breadcrumbs, drizzle over the olive oil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden and crisp on top.