Baked Broccoli Pasta

Ingredients

• 1L milk
• 2 bay leaves (optional)
• 350g local broccoli, cut in small florets
• 75g butter
• 75g plain flour
• nutmeg to taste
• Small bunch of local parsley, roughly chopped
• 200g cheese, grated Cheese (Cheddar, Parmesan, Grueyere, or a mixture)cheddar cheese
• parmesan cheese
• gruyere cheese

Steps

1. Bring the milk, garlic and bay leaves to the boil in a small saucepan, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse. Cook the pasta to al dente following pack instructions (if you're freezing, cook for 1 minute less), adding the broccoli for the final 2 minutes. Drain.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in some nutmeg, the mustard powder, parsley, three-quarters of the cheese and seasoning. Combine with the pasta and fresh local broccoli and transfer to one large, or individual, heatproof dishes. Scatter over the remaining cheese and cool and freeze, or heat the grill to high and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden and bubbling. If frozen, defrost in the fridge overnight, then cook at 200 deg °C /180 deg °C fan/gas 6 for 30-40 mins until piping hot.
3. Heat the butter in the pan until foaming then stir in the flour for 1 minute. Add the milk a little at a time, stirring or whisking constantly to remove any lumps. Bubble for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly until you have a thick, lump-free sauce.