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I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos." Please visit and let me know what you think.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Cauliflower and Veggie "Mac" & Cheese

It is "Mac & Cheese" at Food Network's Comfort Food Feast. So...on one hand, we have my New Year's Resolution to eat healthier as I overindulged during the holidays. On the other hand, I have two blogs which mean two different Mac & Cheese recipes in one week. (plus the test batches) My solution? Substitute cauliflower for the pasta in one of the recipes and provide a vegan option. Add additional veggies and use as a side dish instead of a main course. A little cheese is a good thing...right?

This recipe starts by parboiling the cauliflower to keep it al dente (firm) and then making a delicious white sauce (called Bechamel by the French). I used both aged extra sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, but you could just use one type if you wish. Because the white Monterey Jack cheese and the white cauliflower is so pale, I added a bit of nutritional yeast for taste and color. The green onions and red bell pepper also add color, taste, and texture. Yeah...a delicious alternative to traditional Mac & Cheese. This recipe is a keeper. Enjoy!

You can make this a vegan recipe by using the olive oil, almond milk, and vegan substitute suggestions offered.

Cauliflower and Veggie "Mac" & Cheese
(serves 4-6 depending on cauliflower size)

1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
1/4 cup unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unbleached flour
3 cups milk or almond milk
1 teaspoon prepared mustard

6 green onions chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups extra sharp aged cheddar cheese, shredded (or vegan substitute)
1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (or vegan substitute)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
sea salt
black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter (or vegan substitute) a medium sized casserole dish, Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously salt water and add cauliflower. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, drain into a colander. Add drained cauliflower back to the pot and cook over medium heat for 1 minute stirring constantly. You are working to dry the cauliflower as much a possible. Add back to colander and set aside.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, one tablespoon at a time, ensuring well blended. Add 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Heat milk in a microwave for 2 minutes. Add 1/3 of the milk and stir until combined. Repeat with additional thirds. Whisk in mustard and 1 large pinch each salt and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until sauce is beginning to thicken. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Add onions, bell pepper, and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Let simmer 3-4 minutes or until sauce is as thick as you like. Stir in nutritional yeast. Remove from heat.

Place cauliflower and 1 cup cheese sauce in the large pot and stir to combine. Add enough additional sauce to ensure cauliflower is completely coated. Pour into prepared casserole dish and drizzle 1/2 cup cheese sauce over top. Sprinkle with paprika.

Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese sauce is hot and bubbling. Serve immediately.

Note, you will have leftover cheese sauce. Refrigerate the sauce as soon as it is cool. Delicious on pasta, steamed vegetables, a substitute for Hollandaise sauce on Eggs Benedict, or heated and used as a dip with tortilla chips. You will find many uses for this delicious cheese sauce.

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Winter means comfort food at Food Network and this week we are celebrating Mac & Cheese. Do you have a favorite Mac & Cheese recipe? Share in the comments section and/or link to your blog if you have one. And be sure to check out the delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network.

The Heritage Cook: Gluten-Free Cream Cheesy Risotto
The Mom 100: One Skillet Carroty Macaroni and Cheese
Daisy at Home: Squasheroni and Cheese
Creative Culinary: Smoked Gouda with Bacon Macaroni and Cheese
The Cultural Dish: New England (Lobster) Mac n' Cheese
The Wimpy Vegetarian: Curried Cauliflower and Greens Mac ’n Cheese
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Cauliflower and Veggie "Mac" & Cheese
Red or Green: Mac & Cheese with Ham and Jalapenos
Swing Eats: Super Creamy Crab Mac-N-Cheese with Scallions (gluten-free)
Taste with the Eyes: Korean "Mac and Cheese" with Beef, Kimchi, Cheddar
Weelicious: Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese
FN Dish: Food Network Chefs' Takes on the Gooiest Mac and Cheese Ever

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos." Please visit and let me know what you think.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Spicy Pizza with Garlic Confit & Pesto

Pizza, salad and a glass (or two) of red wine and I am a happy girl. For my pizza, I like simple toppings, a delicious crust and just a small amount of sauce and cheese. And I am one of those people that likes cold and crisp salad paired with the hot pizza. Literally paired...as in pile the salad on top of the pizza. Does that sound weird?

I discovered this pizza at at Italian restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico a couple of weeks ago and decided I needed to recreate it for myself. Very thin crust spread with a smidge of very flavorful tomato sauce and fresh buffalo cheese, topped with garlic confit, roasted jalapeno peppers and then drizzled with olive oil and basil pesto. So delicious. This one is a keeper!

Spicy Pizza with Garlic Confit & Pesto

1 head garlic
extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 small jalapeno pepper, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
1 750 g (26.46 oz) box Italian chopped tomatoes (I like the Pomi brand)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 14 inch pizza crust (dough recipe here) or high quality store bought
8 oz buffalo mozzarella, sliced
basil pesto (recipe follows)
sea salt
black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Peel garlic from head and place in a medium saucepan. Cover with 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, a pinch each salt and pepper and the red pepper flakes. Heat over medium-low heat for 45 minutes or until the garlic is very soft and spreadable. Let cool in oil. Set aside.

Add jalapeno to pie plate and roast in oven 5 minutes or until soft. Do not let brown. Remove from oven and set aside. Do not turn off oven.

Saute onion in 1 tbsp olive oil in medium saucepan until translucent. Add tomatoes, oregano and small pinch each salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 40 minutes or until slightly thickened. Set aside.

Assembly:
Add dough ball to lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll into a 14 inch circle. (It does not have to be perfect. A rustic look is more authentic.) Roll the dough up around the rolling pin to make it easier to move. Unroll the dough onto a pizza stone or baking sheet which has been lightly oiled with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with coarse cornmeal. (the cornmeal adds a delicious flavor and helps ensure the pizza dough will not stick to pan.) Prick dough with a fork all over and bake 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and spread 1 1/2 cups prepared tomato sauce over dough. Cover with mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with the jalapeno and drizzle pesto over pizza. Top with the garlic confit and place pizza in preheated oven. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling. Remove from oven and drizzle a little of the oil from the confit over the pizza. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Pesto
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 oz parmigiano-reggiano cheese, cut into 2 pieces
2 garlic cloves
1 fresh red cayenne pepper (or other fresh hot red pepper), seeded
5 cups basil leaves (packed)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper

Toast pine nuts in skillet until just beginning to brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Add cheese to food processor fitted with the chopping/mixing blade. Process until cheese is grated. Add cooled pine nuts, garlic and red pepper and process until all ingredients are finely grated. Add half of basil leaves, and 1/4 cup olive oil and process until smooth but with a bit of texture. Add remaining basil, remaining olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Process until well mixed. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.

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Other Pizza recipes you may enjoy:

Winter means comfort food at Food Network and this week we are celebrating Pizza. Do you have a favorite pizza recipe? Share in the comments section and/or link to your blog if you have one. And be sure to check out the delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network.

Dishin & Dishes: Crab Rangoon Pizza Flatbread
Daisy at Home: Mini Pizza Bites
The Cultural Dish: Mini Eggplant Pizzas
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Spicy Pizza with Garlic Confit & Pesto
Red or Green: Tostada Pizza
Swing Eats: Mini Deep Dish Polenta Pizzas (Gluten-Free)
Weelicious: Quilt Pizza
Taste with the Eyes: Pretty Little Cast Iron Skillet Pizzas
The Mom 100: Two-Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Naan Pizza
FN Dish: 6 Newfangled Ways to Get Your Pizza Fix

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos." Please visit and let me know what you think.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Lasagne al Forno with Chard & Mushrooms

I am not a fan of American-style lasagna. Heavy, ricotta cheese-laden, huge portions. Not my style. But the Italians? Now that is a different story. Their version (lasagne in Italian) is completely different. Light and delicious. Sauced...but not too much. Less cheese. Maybe some vegetables. This style is the only type I make. BTW, "al forno" means baked in Italian. So when you see al forno pasta dishes on menus it means some type of baked in the oven pasta.

I spent Christmas week at my sister's home in Seal Beach California. 70 degrees on Christmas day with a long walk on the beach was lovely. Then my sister, brother-in-law and twin nephews spent New Year's week at our home in Taos. Cold, snow, skiing, eating, talking, laughing. What a perfect holiday season. My nephews are 18 years old, tall (6'5) and thin. The thin part is surprising because they eat more than the rest of us combined. The night they arrived I wanted delicious food and plenty of it. My menu included a salad, garlic bread, pesto baked chicken and my lasagne recipe. The lasagne included marinara sauce, bechamel, sauteed greens and mushrooms.You wanna know how I know the recipe was a hit? I woke up the next morning to witness one boy eating a big piece of leftover lasagne cold out of the refrigerator. This was his pre-breakfast "snack"! He said, "This is really good Auntie. I don't even need to heat it".

So, I have a confession. Not only did I use packaged dry noodles, I used the "oven-ready" kind. Italian cookbooks state the best lasagne recipes use freshly made noodles. I do not disagree, however, when pressed for time, the oven-ready version made a surprisingly light and airy casserole. The beauty is, of course, that you do not have to precook the noodles. And, while I used some frozen marinara sauce from the freezer that I made last summer, excellent quality jarred sauce works perfectly also. Most purchased jars contain 25 ounces which is a little less than called for, but the final result is just fine. I love it when shortcuts actually work. Enjoy and Happy New Year!

Lasagne al Forno with Chard & Mushrooms
(serves 6 as a main course, 8-10 as a first course)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 sweet white onion, chopped
1 head Swiss chard, center ribs chopped into 1/2 pieces, leaves torn into large pieces
8 oz sliced baby portabello mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
3 1/2 cups marinara sauce (homemade or best quality jarred)
2 1/2 cups bechamel sauce (recipe follows)
1 1/2 cups parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated
1 package oven-ready lasagne ( I used Barilla n.399)
sea salt
black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large skillet, saute onion and chard ribs in olive oil over medium-high heat until soft. Add chard leaves and mushrooms and continue cooking until mushrooms are soft and beginning to brown and chard leaves are wilted. (5-7 minutes) Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for an additional minute. Season with salt & pepper and remove from heat. Set aside.

Oil a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover the bottom of the pan with 1 cup marinara sauce and 1/2 cup bechamel sauce. Top with 3 sheets of lasagne noodles. (the noodles will expand to the edges during cooking). Spread 1/3 chard mixture over noodles. Cover with 1/2 cup marinara and 1/2 cup bechamel sauce. Sprinkle 1/3 of cheese over sauce. Repeat with 3 additional noodles and the chard, sauce and cheese layers continuing until all ingredients are used ensuring the top is well coated with cheese.

Cover pan with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until lasagne is hot and cheese is bubbling and browned. Remove from oven, allow to rest for 10-15 minutes and serve.

Bechamel Sauce

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
3 tbsp flour
2 cups whole milk
nutmeg
sea salt
pepper (white if possible)

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add the shallot and saute over medium heat until soft. Reduce the heat to low. Whisk in flour, stirring until just beginning to turn golden brown. Whisk in milk and a pinch each salt and pepper.

Cook sauce over medium heat, stirring constantly, until beginning to thicken. Season to taste with nutmeg and additional salt and pepper if needed. Continue cooking until it is as thick as you like. I cook until the consistency of heavy cream for the lasagne.

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Winter means comfort food at Food Network and this week we are celebrating Casseroles. Do you have a favorite casserole recipe? Share in the comments section and/or link to your blog if you have one. And be sure to check out the delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network.

The Cultural Dish: Mediterranean Fish Casserole
The Heritage Cook: Arroz Con Pollo Casserole (Gluten-Free)
The Wimpy Vegetarian: Baked Artichoke Radicchio Risotto with Lemon-Caper Breadcrumbs
Taste with the Eyes: Mini Shrimp and Grits Casseroles
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Lasagne al Forno with Chard & Mushrooms
Red or Green: Pasta "al forno" Casserole with Mushrooms, Peppers & Vegetables
Swing Eats: Pastitsio: A Delicious Greek Pasta Casserole (gluten-free)
Virtually Homemade: Tamale Pie
Weelicious: Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
Haute Apple Pie: Tex Mex Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Domesticate Me: Baked Orzo with Turkey Sausage, Broccolini and Fontina
FN Dish: 5 Hearty Casseroles Ready to Warm You Up

diane

napa farmhouse 1885