Thursday, May 15, 2008

Noodle Love VI: Rotini

When I first saw Rachael Ray’s cauliflower mac-n-cheese, I had two thoughts. The first one was, Yum-o! (I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist that.) The second one was, This reminds me a lot of Ina Garten’s cauliflower gratin, which I’ve made previously and really liked.

There are some fundamental differences between the two dishes. For one, the seasonings are different. Rachael's dish is seasoned with cayenne, paprika, and Dijon, whereas Ina’s dish features nutmeg. Rachael uses smoked Gouda, and Ina uses Gruyère. There’s also, obviously, the omission of noodles in Ina’s cauliflower gratin. Rachael’s recipe calls for cavatappi, but my store, much to my disappointment, has a pretty limited pasta selection and no cavatappi. I didn’t think elbows would work that well. I’d have to cut the cauliflower up pretty small to get it to be similar in size to the pasta, and I wanted to leave the cauliflower in larger chunks, like it is in Ina’s gratin.


What I finally settled on was the following: I went with Rachael’s seasonings (cayenne, paprika, Dijon) but used Ina’s cheese (Gruyère). I chose rotini for my noodles, because I thought they’d be about the right size, and their ruffly edges sort of remind me of the bumpy surface of the cauliflower. To finish the dish, I topped it with a fresh breadcrumb crust, just like in Ina’s recipe.


The end result was really good! I already want to make this again and experiment with the ingredients. I think a combination of cheddar and Gruyère might be good, and I’m also thinking I might try using nutmeg next time. Has anyone ever used nutmeg in a pasta dish before? I don’t think I have, and I’m intrigued by the idea.


Cauliflower Mac-n-Cheese
adapted from Mac-n-Smoked Gouda with Cauliflower
3 servings


Coarse salt
1/2 pound rotini
1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 cups whole milk
2 cups shredded Gruyère
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
4 slices white bread


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.


Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt to season the cooking water, then add the pasta. Return to boil and cook for 3 minutes, then add the cauliflower and cook for 3 minutes more or until pasta is cooked to barely al dente and the florets are just tender. Drain well and return to the pot.


While the pasta cooks, heat a medium sauce pot over medium-low heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and heat until it melts. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes to sweat them out and turn the juices sweet. Raise the heat to medium, then whisk in the flour, cayenne, and paprika. Whisk together until the roux bubbles up, then cook for 1 minute more. Add the milk and, whisking frequently, bring the sauce to a quick boil. Once it bubbles, drop the heat back to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens, a couple minutes more.


Add the cheese to the thickened sauce and stir to melt it, a minute or so. Stir in the mustard and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Combine the sauce with the pasta and cauliflower and then transfer to a greased shallow baking dish.


Remove crusts from bread and pulse bread to fine crumbs in food processor. Melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter and toss with breadcrumbs to distribute evenly. Scatter breadcrumb topping evenly over cauliflower mac-n-cheese, then bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until edges are bubbly and topping is golden brown.

14 comments:

Fitness Foodie said...

I have to say I do not cook with cauliflower often, but you just gave me a reason to. I like the thought of the smoked cheese with those spices.

Anonymous said...

I adore cauliflower and with the cheese...how perfect is that?

Peter M said...

I'm a big fan of smoked Gouda and this is a novel way to sneak in cauliflower...it's a beauty!

giz said...

Cauliflower turns out to be far more versatile than I ever imagined. I like Rachel's seasonings and Ina's ideas (only because she's my favourite).

I recently told my sister to mash cauliflower in with potatoes to trick her son into getting more veggies - he said it was the best mashed mom ever made. Go figure.

kat said...

Oh i bet this is wonderful. Definitely bookmarking it to try.

Anonymous said...

Interesting! I love both Rachael and Ina. Something about gruyere that makes it really gooey. Definitely should try that next time. I love how they blend the veggie and the pasta. It's always nice to mix it up plus then I don't eat that much pasta. :)

Anonymous said...

I've used nutmeg before in a mac n cheese recipe. It definitely adds a subtle, different flavor which I liked a lot. Always worth experimenting!

test it comm said...

Cauliflower mac and cheese sounds great!

Vicki said...

I love adding a dash of nutmeg in (almost) any recipe that uses a bechamel sauce. You don't taste "wow, nutmeg!", but it definitely adds a little spicy warmth.

Tarah at Genesis of a Cook said...

Oh man, that looks delicious!!

Anonymous said...

mmm, that sounds really good. plus, i can give this to my toddler and he'll be getting some veggies too! :-)

i usually put nutmeg in cream sauces. you don't necessarily taste the nutmeg, it just enhances the flavor.

Katie B. said...

Looks tasty - can't wait to try this out myself!

Elle said...

I love this idea! Who doesn't love cauliflower and cheese??? Great post!

Anonymous said...

Gruyere ALL THE WAY! Nice choice.