Baked Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Mac n Cheese

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Two of my favorite things are food and friends. I aim to enjoy both as much as possible. I love cooking with friends too and last night I had the pleasure of making some tasty, unconventional mac n cheese with my friend, for my friends to eat on our cute patio with some beers and good conversation. What more do you need? ‘Twas a delicious night.

*guest chef spencer moore, recipe interpreted by domenica berman

**serves many people

 

 

 

  •  2 sweet potatoes
  • 500 grams/17.6 oz pasta
  • 1/4 cauliflower
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 2 pats butter
  • 3 cups mixed cheeses (we recommend raw cheddar, sharp cheddar and gouda)
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • olive oil
  • salt/pepper
  1. poke sweet potatoes with a fork a few times, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in tin foil and bake at 350°F for about an hour, until soft and mushy, remove and let cool
  2. in a food processor, blend them with a little olive oil and either water, milk or chicken broth to thin
  3. blend cheeses in the food processor (might want to clean it first) until it’s a curdy texture, cottage cheese-like
  4. move your sweet potato sauce into a medium sized skillet and gradually add in cheese as you go
  5. season with salt and pepper to taste
  6. cook pasta but slightly under cook it (like 3 minutes under the suggested time because you’re going to bake it after)
  7. mince garlic and heat butter in a medium sized sauce pan, then add garlic to the butter
  8. cut cauliflower into bite sized pieces and throw em in the sauce pan, cover and cook over medium high heat until tender
  9. pre-heat oven to 350°F
  10. mix the sweet potato sauce into the pasta, add the cauliflower when cooked through
  11. spread the pasta concoction into a large rectangular baking pan and sprinkle bread crumbs over, bake for 20 minutes or until starting to brown
  12. remove and sprinkle parm over, put under broil for 10 minutes or until golden and crispy

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© 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Baked Brie and Broccoli

  • 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1 sm head broccoli
  • 1/2 cup brie
  • 2 tbsp grated asiago
  1. pre-heat oven to 350°F, dice broccoli florets into small pieces
  2. mix with greek yogurt in a large ramekin or other oven proof vessel
  3. slice brie and stir it in
  4. bake at 350° F for 30 minutes, stirring occasional, until all cheese is completely melted and starting starting to brown
  5. sprinkle asiago on top and broil for 4 more minutes, until golden brown on top

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Ricotta

I was shocked by how easy it was to make this delicious cheese at home in less that 24 hours. Ricotta is great because of its versatility; we used it for a great dinner on fresh pasta and also had it for dessert on top of cake. We got inspiration and the recipe from Bon Appétit.
summer bulgur-heirloom tomato salad

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice or distilled white vinegar
  1. Bring milk, cream, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice; stir gently until mixture starts to curdle. Let stand 5 minutes.
  2. Pour mixture into a fine-mesh sieve lined with 2 layers of cheesecloth set over a medium bowl. Chill until cheese is spreadable, at least 20 minutes and up to 12 hours (the longer it strains, the thicker it will be).

Original recipe: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/fresh-ricotta
summer bulgur-heirloom tomato salad

After making the cheese, you’ll have quite a bit of whey leftover but don’t toss it! There are lots of interesting and useful ways to utilize it. This article explains all you ever wanted to know about curds versus whey: http://www.farmcurious.com/cheesemaking-what-to-do-with-all-that-whey/

 

 

 

 

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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