To Burundi with Love: Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food (excluding vegans of course). This is another recipe for my dear friend in Burundi, where it appears cauliflower is also plentiful.  During my own short lived vegetarian life, cheese was an important part of my diet, not just for the protein factor but for the decadence factor.  If you can't have meat what would be your next go to when you want to indulge a little?  So I am feeling some serious empathy pangs for Melissa in a country where only one type of cheese is available.

Still, there is one.  And one that sounds pretty versatile at that.  Melissa mentioned that there is a Congolese cheese that is akin to a mild cheddar.  I usually use three parts of sharp cheddar with one part of a cheese that has a little tang like gruyere or blue.  With a milder cheese, I found that you have more room for a balance of flavors.

Have your cauliflower chopped and cheese shredded before you start.

I always start my mac and cheese with a roux.  Melt 2 tablespoons of butter, then add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir rapidly.  This will only take 30 seconds to cook.  Then add 2 cups of milk.  A dutch oven is perfect for this recipe so you can take it from the stove to the oven.

When your milk is heated, add your shredded cheese a handful at a time.  The amount of cheese you add is to taste.  I just stop adding when I get the thickness I like.  I shred about 6 oz. beforehand.

I added the cayenne pepper (to taste) and a tablespoon of dijon mustard to the cheese sauce to round out the flavor and give it a little kick.  Bread crumbs are going to give a nice texture later on so keep them on hand.

Sautee` your cauliflower in a skillet.  I like to use grapeseed oil for sauteeing this, but if your in Burundi, try to use butter.  If you can't use the corn oil and let me know how it turns out.  Add salt and pepper to taste. You will know it is done when it is tender and the edges turn golden.  For the last step toss your cooked pasta and cauliflower into the cheese sauce and mix well.  Then sprinkle bread crumbs to the top and stick under the broiler until the top sets. 

Mmmmm... What's missing? A beer? 

Dinner on the Fly: Chunky Cauliflower, Leek and Potato Soup

Okay, so it is 8pm on a Thursday evening and I have just gotten home.  Yesterday was our CSA pick up  and we have a fridge full of veggies just calling my name.  There is no way I can order some greasy, not-so-extraordinary, delivery pizza just so we can eat before 10pm.  This is just one more weekday night of Iron Chef in Steph's kitchen.

Here are this evenings ingredients.  A leek, a cauliflower, some potatoes and one hour to put dinner on the table.  So I here is what I came up with:  a variation on the classic leek and potato soup but using cauliflower as well.

You want to start with a good, old fashioned roux.  Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add the same amount of flour, stirring all the while.  This will cook quickly, not much more than 30 seconds.   Add your diced potato, leek and cauliflower, then cover with milk (preferably warm).  Give it some sea salt and black pepper, and let it simmer.  I left it on the heat until the potatoes were tender.  I am not sure exactly how long that was but I managed to answer my emails before setting the table.  So maybe a half an hour.  Garnish it with parmesian cheese and chives.  It would probably be great if you pureed it also.  I may try that with my leftovers!