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Mac ‘n’ cheese with rich beef ragu

Name: Mac 'n' cheese with rich beef ragu
Total time: 4 h
Ingredients: beef shin 1 kg, cut into chunks; plain flour 2 tbsp, seasoned really well; olive oil; onions 2, finely chopped; carrots 3, grated; star anise 1; tomato purée 3 tbsp; beef stock 200ml; red wine 200ml; passata 200ml; basil a bunch, chopped; butter 35g; plain flour 35g; whole milk 700ml; English mustard powder 1 tsp; mature cheddar 200g, grated; gruyère 100g, grated; emmental 100g, grated; macaroni 250g

4 hours
serves 8
Easy

We've reinvented a classic mac 'n' cheese dish by adding a hidden layer of rich beef ragu to this recipe to make it really special and indulgent

By Janine Ratcliffe

Published: April 7, 2017 at 9:10 am

Ingredients

beef shin 1 kg, cut into chunks
plain flour 2 tbsp, seasoned really well
 olive oil
onions 2, finely chopped
carrots 3, grated
star anise 1
tomato purée 3 tbsp
beef stock 200ml
red wine 200ml
passata 200ml
basil a bunch, chopped

MAC 'N' CHEESE

butter 35g
plain flour 35g
whole milk 700ml
English mustard powder 1 tsp
mature cheddar 200g, grated
gruyère 100g, grated
emmental 100g, grated
macaroni 250g

Method

Step 1

Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Start with the ragu. Toss the beef in the flour and shake off the excess. Heat a little oil in a heavy casserole then cook the beef chunks in small batches until they have a good colour on all sides, then scoop them out and do the next batch.
Step 2

Once all the beef has browned, tip it back into the casserole and add the onion, carrot and star anise. Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes, then stir in the tomato purée. Add the stock, wine and passata and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan with foil and put on a lid to create a seal. Transfer to the oven and cook for 3 hours, then check the beef is done – you want it to fall apart easily. If it doesn’t, put it back in the oven for another 30 minutes to an hour. Stir in the basil.
Step 3

Meanwhile, make the mac and cheese. Melt the butter in a pan then stir in the flour. Keep cooking and stirring for 3 minutes then gradually whisk in the milk to give a smooth sauce.
Step 4

Add the mustard powder, cheddar, gruyère, emmental and stir until melted. Season.
Step 5

Turn up the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Cook the macaroni until just al dente then rinse under cold water and drain well. Mix with the cheese sauce.
Step 6

Spoon the ragu into a large baking dish. Top with the mac and cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden and bubbling. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.