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Chevre Fontina Mac and Cheese with Sweet Pea Pesto and Smoked Salmon

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 454g (16oz) macaroni dried
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 2 1/4 cups 2% milk
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 150g (5oz) fontina cheese shredded
  • 150g (5oz) goat cheese crumbled
  • 1/2 batch Sweet Pea Watercress Pesto see below
  • 7-8 sheets smoked salmon
  • 1 handful pea shoots for sprinkling

Sweet Pea Watercress Pesto

  • 1 1/2 cups sweet peas shelled and cooked
  • 1 1/2 cups watercress tightly packed
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled
  • 100g (3.5 oz) unsalted walnuts coarsely chopped
  • 3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese shredded
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

Instructions
 

Sweet Pea Watercress Pesto

  • Shell the peas and set aside. Bring a small pot of water up to a boil. Add the peas and cook until they turn bright green and rise to the surface, about 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse the peas with cold water and transfer to a large food processor.
  • Add the watercress, garlic, walnuts, cheese, salt and lemon juice to the food processor and blitz until a thick paste forms.
  • Set the food processor on low and slowly stream in the olive oil. Blitz until the oil is well-integrated and the mixture is silky. Transfer the pesto to a bowl and set aside until ready to use.

For the Mac & Cheese

  • Bring a large pot of water up to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package's directions.
  • While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large, deep skillet. Whisk in the flour to form a roux. Cook until the roux takes on a slightly warm, nutty smell, about 2 minutes.
  • Whisk in the wine and slowly whisk in the milk. Stir in the salt and the Dijon mustard. Cook the sauce until thickened and bubbles form on the surface, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted and is well-integrated.
  • Take the sauce off of the heat and stir half of the Sweet Pea Watercress Pesto into the sauce. Reserve the other half for future use.
  • Drain and rinse the pasta and add it to the sauce. Toss to coat. Divide the pasta amongst 4 to 6 bowls. Drape one or two pieces of smoked salmon on top of the each dish and garnish with a sprinkling of pea shoots. Serve immediately.