BEER MAC N CHEESE

Love it or love to make jokes about it, veganism is becoming a huge thing in South Africa. We’ve recently added a whole vegan section to the menu at Banana Jam Café and since both of the brewers at Afro Caribbean Brewing Co are vegan, I’ve started experimenting with recipes – ideally ones that also feature beer.

INGREDIENTS

THE SAUCE
1 large potato
1 large carrot
60ml craft beer of choice (I used ACBC Hopsession)
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp Ina Paarman powdered chicken stock (yes, it’s vegan!)
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp lemon juice
30ml olive oil
salt
pepper

THE MAC
250g macaroni
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp nutmeg
15g Panko breadcrumbs
150g grated vegan cheddar cheese

METHOD
Peel and dice the potato and carrot. Add the stock to boiling water until it dissolves.
Add the potato and carrot and boil in the stock until soft.
Remove the carrot and potato from the stock and place in a blender.

Add all of the sauce ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
Add a little water to the blender until the consistency is right.
You could add more beer instead of water if you prefer but be careful of IPAs since they add a lot of bitterness.

Boil the macaroni until it is just undercooked as it will continue cooking in the oven.

Mix the macaroni and cheese sauce in a bowl with 50g of the vegan cheese.  Add to a flat baking dish.

Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese and the panko crumbs on top, then sprinkle on the paprika and nutmeg.

Bake for 30 to 40 min at 180°C until the top is golden.
Garnish with chopped chives and amaze all your vegan friends.
Serve with a glass of IPA or a hoppy pale ale if you didn’t drink it all while cooking.