Who doesn't love macaroni and cheese? Short of serving a watered-down version without proper cheese, you can't really stuff it up. When it comes to comfort food, macaroni and cheese is as good as it gets. Made from pantry staples, you can size it up and down to demand. Add crispy bacon if you have a family of carnivores or a herb salad on the side if you must, but really, all you need is a fork (perhaps even a spoon!) and marvelous and mellow glasses of Leopard's Leap Merlot.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 ½ cups dry elbow macaroni pasta

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 cups full cream milk

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

1 cup grated matured cheddar

1 cup grated Dalewood Boland

Method

Preheat oven to 180C.

Bring a pot of water to a boil; add a generous sprinkling of salt the pasta.

While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a pot large enough to hold the pasta when it is done.

Add the flour and stir over medium heat until the mixture is lightly browned; 1-2 minutes.

Add the milk and whisk to remove any lumps and add the salt and pepper and smoked paprika.

Cook over medium-high heat until the sauce thickens and starts to bubble. About 6 minutes.

Stir in the cheese and whisk until smooth and melted. Turn off the heat.

When the pasta is almost done but still firm, drain it and add to the sauce.

Stir the pasta into the sauce and bake in a greased oven dish for  20-25 minutes until browned and bubbly.