Carbohydrates for cold weather! Call me old-fashioned but this is just what you need when the temperature drops. Fed to hungry harvesters to boost energy levels, it can do the same for us now.
FOR 4 - 6 PEOPLE
(depending on whether served alone or with a meat dish)
250 g (8 oz) macaroni 100g (3 1⁄2 oz) grated Gruyère 45 g (1 1⁄2 oz) butter
200 ml (7 fl oz) crème fraîche salt, pepper, freshly grated nutmeg
Preheat the oven to gas mark 7, 425°F, 220°C.
Cook the macaroni in a large pot of boiling salted water. Drain thoroughly.
Butter a gratin dish. Put in half the macaroni, half the cheese scattered over them and half the crème fraîche. Season with pepper and grate some nutmeg over them. Cover with the remaining macaroni, cheese and crème fraîche.
Bake in the hot oven for about 30 minutes, till bubbling and brown on top. Couldn't be easier!
(Also works a treat with chard stalks or celery).