This week you took some hearty stodge on a walk via Turkey, Trinidad and India. Felicity Cloake tested the results.
It may have been eclipsed on the shelves by fancy fusilli and posh pappardelle, but there's still a soft spot in the British heart for good old macaroni. I was surprised to discover so many of you even eat it for pudding: below is a lighter take on a sweet Jewish classic (perfect for Passover) and a spicy Indian-inspired dessert, but I couldn't quite pluck up the courage to try your macaroni trifle, Mark Edwards. Sorry!
There were, of course, many takes on that old favourite, macaroni cheese: I loved Simon Ragoonanan's Caribbean beach snack and Piggy Fair's modern and moreish version, and my cynicism towards all things fusion was bowled over by Rachel Kelly's Turkish pasta with a Spanish twist. It's very cheesy - but then all the best macaroni is.
The winning recipe: macaroni with feta, cream, dill and chorizo
I had bought some Turkish dried pasta which included a recipe with instructions to "flutter the eggs". I shall never beat another egg, only flutter it! This dish may sound a bit bland, but the chorizo brightens it up. Rachel Kelly, London, marmadukescarlet.blogspot.co.uk
Serves 4
350g macaroni
25g butter
2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
200ml double cream
350g feta cheese, crumbled
30g parmesan or pecorino cheese, grated
15g fresh dill, finely chopped
150g chorizo, diced
1 egg yolk
1 Cook the macaroni in plenty of salted boiling water, then drain.
2 Melt the butter over a low heat. Fry the garlic and chilli for 2-3 minutes.
3 Stir in the cream and cheeses, and when they have started to melt, add the dill and check the seasoning.
4 Meanwhile, heat a small frying pan on a medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook for 2 minutes until it exudes fat (this is a good thing!).
5 Once the cheese has melted, stir a lightly fluttered (beaten) egg yolk into the sauce. Stir into the macaroni.
6 Serve topped with chorizo and its oil drizzled with a little chorizo oil and topped with some of the chorizo.
Piggy's sexy mac cheese for grownups
This dish can be served as a main course. It's a richer, creamier, grownup take on an old favourite, and just as quick to cook. Piggy Fair, Nunton Farleigh, piggyfair.com
Serves 6
500g macaroni
100g pancetta, diced
4 spring onions, finely sliced
A handful of fresh thyme, chopped
100g breadcrumbs
A handful of fresh parsley, chopped
For the sauce
50g butter
1 tsp mustard
50g plain flour
240ml double cream
480ml milk
200g gruyere, grated
100g parmesan, grated
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Boil the macaroni in a large pan of salted water for 10 minutes until nearly cooked, then drain.
2 Meanwhile, fry the pancetta over a low heat. When it starts to brown, add the onions and thyme, and cook for 5 minutes. Add to the drained macaroni.
3 Melt the butter in a clean saucepan over a low heat. Stir in the mustard and flour and cook for a few minutes. Take off the heat and gradually stir in the cream and milk. Return to a medium-high heat and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly until it boils; it will thicken a lot. Take off the heat, stir in half the cheese and season to taste.
4 Stir the sauce into the macaroni and pour into a large casserole dish.
5 Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs and bake for 20 minutes till the cheese is bubbling and browning. Top with parsley to serve.
The ultimate lockshen, or noodle pudding
The ultimate Jewish comfort food, but without the hefty calories - it's rich, slightly spiced and with a hit of peach brandy. Ruth Joseph, Cardiff
Serves 6
250g macaroni
2 tsp salt
2 clementines
1 unwaxed lemon
2 tbsp peach brandy
300g mixed dried fruit
1 large cooking apple
1 small russet apple
1 tsp mixed spice
1 large tbsp apricot jam/coarse marmalade
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
3 medium eggs
300g light cream cheese
200ml milk
50g soft brown sugar
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Boil the macaroni, then leave for 5 minutes before draining.
2 Grate the zest of the clementines and lemon into a medium pan and squeeze in the juice. Add the brandy and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and add the dried fruit.
3 Coarsely grate the apples into the pan and beat in the final ingredients except the sugar. Pour into a 2-litre dish.
4 Sprinkle with the sugar and bake for 1 hour until the top is golden and crisp and the inside melting and soft.
Trinidadian macaroni pie
There are probably as many macaroni pie recipes from Trinidad - where my parents are from - as there are Trinidadians, and I've evolved this one over the years. While it can be served as an indulgent main, in Trinidad it's often cooled then chopped into squares as a party, barbecue or beach snack, and served with Tabasco. Simon Ragoonanan, Wellington, New Zealand
Serves 4-6
500g macaroni
Olive oil
6 rashers of bacon
1 onion
400ml evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten
2-6 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
250g cheddar, grated
For the topping
1 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp black treacle
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tbsp demerara sugar
Breadcrumbs from about 2-3 slices of bread
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Cook the macaroni in salted water until al dente. Drain and cool.
2 Fry the bacon in the oil until all the fat has rendered, then remove from the pan, retaining the fat. Mix the topping ingredients with the fat, breadcrumbs last. Finely chop the bacon.
3 Mince the onion in a food processor with a little evaporated milk. Mix in the eggs and the rest of the milk, and season. Combine with the macaroni.
4 Stir in the bacon, chillies and most of the cheese.
5 Pour it all into a large, greased oven dish. Sprinkle the leftover cheese on top, then the topping. Bake for 30-40 minutes, then rest for at least 20 more, or overnight to serve cold the next day.
Spiced cauliflower macaroni cheese bake
Sweet macaroni, not really my thing. But savoury? Oh yes. This recipe adds the texture of cauliflower spiced with cumin, and a scattering of bright peas for sweetness and colour. Very good cold for lunch the next day. Bronwyn Wolfe, London
Serves 2
200g macaroni
100g frozen peas
½ head of cauliflower, cut into florets
25g unsalted butter
½ tsp ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp plain flour
600ml whole milk
½ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
150g grated caerphilly or other hard cheese
3 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Boil the macaroni till al dente. Drain and rinse. Cook the veg until tender. Mix with the macaroni.
2 Melt the butter in the pan over a gentle heat and add the cumin, garlic and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, till the onion is clear. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to make a paste. Cook for a few minutes until biscuit-coloured.
3 Gradually stir in the milk to the consistency of double cream. Add the nutmeg, increase the heat and stir in all but a tablespoon of the cheese. Season.
4 Put the macaroni into a casserole dish and pour the cheese sauce on top. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and the reserved cheese. Bake for 25 minutes till golden and bubbling, then let sit for a few minutes and serve in big bowls.
Brown butter sweet macaroni
I love the idea of sweet pasta, and jumped at the chance to share one of my sweet, India-inspired pasta dishes. Asha Patel, Epsom, dinnershewrote.com
Serves 2
150g macaroni
3 tsp ghee or clarified butter
3 cardamom cloves
1 stick cinnamon
35g cashew nuts, almonds or pistachios
120ml whole milk
50g sugar
30g raisins
1 Parboil the macaroni for 3-4 minutes and drain.
2 Melt the ghee in a pan over a medium heat. Add the spices and nuts. Cook until the nuts start to brown. Spoon them out and discard the spices.
3 While the ghee is still hot, add the macaroni and cook for 3 minutes.
4 Add the milk and allow to simmer. When it has reduced by half, add the sugar, raisins and nuts. Simmer until the milk has reduced completely, then serve immediately.
Photograph: Macaroni with feta, cream, dill and chorizo. Photograph: Jill Mead for the Guardian
