2 Way Cauliflower

I know I know... this isn't a favorite of my hunnies either. He prefers straight up green beans out of the can or potatoes. When I throw something new at him, all he does is grump the whole time its being made. Ahhh... but when its finished and he takes his first taste... now THAT'S a whole nuther ball of wax!

I was nice this time around by making cauliflower the way he will eat it, smothered in cheese. But I was in the mood for mashed potatoes, minus the potatoes. I saw a very interesting dish being made on Simply Delicioso  called Spicy, Smoky Cauliflower Mash that looked like something I might eat. I just wasn't too thrilled with the idea of blending it until it became liquid. About the same time I saw Rachael Ray preparing her Cauliflower Pasta Sauce and thought I could integrate the two for a dish of my own.

Since I started the dish out the same (in a big pot with chicken broth) it was easy to make it in two different styles, each of which will make about 2 servings for a total of 4.

1 head Cauliflower, cored and chopped
Chicken Broth
1 tsp Nutmeg, fresh grated
Salt to taste
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1 cup Colby Jack Cheese, shredded and divided
1/2 cup Mozzarella, shredded

1) Place cauliflower bits in medium saucepan. Fill to just cover with the chicken broth and add in the nutmeg. Let cook about 15 minutes until tender. Taste before adding salt. The broth usually has enough sodium.

2) Using a pasta ladle (large flat ladle with holes) scoop out half the cauliflower and place in blender. Add 1/2 cup of the Colby and Mozzarella and hit the pulse to desired mushness. If needed, add some of the broth to thin it out. I like a lot of lumps so it doesn't remind me of baby food. Scoop into a serving bowl and cover with plastic until ready to serve.

3) Once the first is completed, strain remaining cauliflower and return to pan or serving bowl. Sprinkle with and red pepper as well as the remaining cheese and cover until ready to serve.

Cauliflower Casserole

Once again, the lovely Giada De Laurentiis has given me a great recipe. Of course I was unable to find some of the ingredients... so what can a girl do but improvise? Even if your not very fond of this vegetable, you should give it a try. Completely changes the taste with the sauce, and my hunny found that adding some shredded Colby to it really brings out the flavors. This recipe serves about 6-8 folks.

1 Cauliflower Head, cut up (about 6 cups)
1-2 Smoked Cheddar Sausage links (depending on how meaty you want this), diced small
*** Or try to add some ground Italian Sausage for a nice twist, just brown it up before hand***
1/4 cup Butter
1/4 cup Flour
2 cup Milk (1 1/2 cup if living in the low lands)
1 tsp Garlic, minced
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground
1/4 tsp Nutmeg, freshly grated
Bread Crumbs
Parsley, dried

1) Heat oven to 350. Using butter flavored "Pam" spray casserole dish (I used an over sized loaf pan, but any will do as long as the cooked cauliflower is 1" from the top).

2) Heat large pot of salted boiling water and blanch cauliflower for about 2 minutes (way up here your gonna have to go about 4-5 minutes), drain and pour into prepared dish. Let cool while you make the rest.

3) In large skillet, heat sausage until browned, remove from skillet and set aside.

4) In same skillet, melt butter. Add flour and stir to combine. Cook about 2 minutes until the mixture begins to turn golden, continuously stirring. Slowly add the milk, a little at a time, stirring until its smooth as silk. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes. Keep stirring a couple minutes until the sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon. Add parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg and sausage, stir to combine. At this point, if the sauce is really thick, add a little more milk. You should be able to pour it out on top of the cauliflower to cover it. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs and parsley.

5) Bake until crumbs turn golden brown and cauliflower is tender, about 25 minutes.