Rita’s Dining, we do believe, is one of the most heartfelt and very best of London’s sudden proliferation of sexed-up fast-food joints. The difference here is that the young co-conspirators (Jackson Boxer, Missy Flynn, Gabriel Pryce, Deano Jo) are experienced engineers of good times. Their finger-licking success – all those queues and crowds of Dalston cool kids, all that praise for their fried chicken roll – is the result of canny hard work.

Chef Gabriel Pryce, who attended film school in NYC for five years but has ‘always cooked at some level’ has decided to demonstrate the awesome Rita’s mac ‘n’ cheese for Editer readers. Partly because it is awesome, but partly because his fried chicken, patty melt sandwich, and ginger and soy hot wings are deceptively technical, labour-intensive, and require days to prepare in a restaurant kitchen. The mac ‘n cheese, on the other hand, is something any home cook can manage.

If you were brought up on English-style macaroni cheese, prepare for a whole lot of cheese: Gruyère and Red Leicester, and you can throw in some pecorino and/or provolone if you have some around. ‘It’s comfort food, but bold,’ says Gabriel. ‘It’s harmonious because the chilli counters the cheese and butter.’ We have to say, it’s hard to stop eating this. Get big noodles, and serve as a main, with a simple green salad. If you must demote it to a side dish, it goes best with something plain like a boiled ham.

Rita’s mac ’n’ cheese

Ingredients to serve four to six

  • 500g macaroni
  • 100g salted butter
  • 125g plain flour
  • 250g grated Gruyère
  • 150g grated Red Leicester
  • 1 pint whole milk
  • 2 tsp English mustard powder
  • 5 green chillies
  • 1 lime
  • 2 avocadoes
  • 1 bunch of coriander
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
  • White pepper
  • 1

    Boil a pan of heavily salted water and add the macaroni, cooking until tender. Drain and transfer pasta to baking dish.

  • 2

    Make a basic roux by slowly melting the butter…

  • 3

    … then add the flour, followed by the mustard powder.

  • 4

    After about five minutes, slowly add the milk and cook until the sauce has the consistency of pouring cream.

  • 5

    Add the grated cheeses a handful at a time until the sauce is smooth and all the cheese is melted.

  • 6

    Slice the chillies into little coins, keeping all the seeds intact, then add them to the cheese sauce.

  • 7

    Pour the sauce over the macaroni and stir though, so everything is coated with a bit of sauce and all the chillies are evenly dispersed. Add a few grinds of black pepper, and salt to taste. Place in a hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

  • 8

    While the mac is in the oven, mash the flesh of the avocados with the juice of the limes, and salt and white pepper to taste to make a very basic guacamole.

  • 9

    Remove the mac from the oven and place under a grill to brown and crisp the top. Serve each portion with a small dollop of avocado sauce and a sprinkle of chopped coriander.

Rita’s Bar and Dining, 33–35 Stoke Newington Road, London N16 8BJ (www.ritasbaranddining.com)
@ritasdining
@GabrielPryce
@Jackson_Boxer