No one is going to see this one coming. You will knock their socks off. This is a mac & cheese made with goat and sheep’s milk cheeses, laced with fragrant herbs and lemon and spiked with chili.

The flavours are totally Mediterranean; but just when everyone digs their fork in, expecting to unearth some Italian treasure, they will discover a taste sensation which is much more Grecian. Rather like finding a statue of Zeus instead of Jupiter.

When I discussed the nature of this recipe with my friend, Bobi, she scoffed at the thought of making a sauce with goat cheese:

“I think goat’s cheese generally doesn’t take well to melting. Softening with a bit of crispy brown, maybe, but not that unctuousness which a mac and cheese really needs”

Well, if you don’t trust me, trust my dinner guests who all cooed over the precise unctuousness of this dish.

With a haunch of herbed, roasted lamb, some spicy sausages or grilled chicken, this is the perfect side dish.

Here we go:

Cut the top and tail off the onion, peel off the outer layer and discard. Place it with the bay leaves, dill, mint, oregano and milk in a medium saucepan. Heat until the milk starts bubbling and foaming around the edges. Don’t let the milk boil. Remove from the heat and allow to sit and steep whilst you get on with other things.

Meanwhile…

Grate or crumble the cheeses and mix .Reserve 2 oz / 55g of the feta cheese

Heat a large pot of water for the pasta.

Melt 3/4 of the butter in a large pot or skillet. When it is melted and foaming, add the flour and mix well, a small whisk works best here. This is the roux and it is the start of a bechamel sauce. Stir constantly until the butter and flour turn a nutty brown (about 2 mins). Reduce the heat to medium-low.

Strain the milk and add 1/2 a cup to the roux. Whisk it in and when it is incorporated, add more and more until all the milk has been added. Whisk until it is a smooth, even consistency.

Add about 1 tspn each of salt and pepper and whisk in. The sauce will thicken and start to simmer.

Check the pasta water: when it boils, add a small fistful of salt and then the noodles. Cook the pasta until just al dente; the pasta needs to be a little thirsty to soak up the sauce and it will continue cooking in the oven.

Add the cheeses to the sauce and stir until they are melted and combined. Add the grated zest of 1 lemon and the chili flakes.

Drain the cooked pasta, but not too fastidiously; a little pasta water is like a yenta when it comes time to introduce the pasta to the sauce. Add the sauce into the pasta pot and mix together. (In fact, reserve a 1/2 cup of the pasta water and, if needed, you can add it later to stretch the sauce.)

Pour into a large oven dish.

Melt the remaining butter and mix with the last 2 oz of feta cheese and the breadcrumbs. Spread evenly over the top of the pasta.

Bake at 425f / 220c for about 25 mins or until golden on top.

The Goods:

3 1/2 cups milk

a good pinch of dried dill

small pinch each dried mint and oregano

2 bay leaves

4 oz / 125g butter

5 tablespoons plain flour

8 oz / 225g creamy chevre (goat cheese)

8 oz / 225g goat gouda

6 oz / 170g feta (preferably Bulgarian)

zest 1 lemon

1 tspn salt

1 tspn white pepper

1 tspn dried chili flakes

1 lb / 450 g penne pasta

1/2 cup white bread crumbs

You will need:

large pot for pasta
large skillet or saucepan for sauce
cheese grater
medium saucepan for milk
large oven dish to bake

Time: 1 hr total, 45 mins active