Comfort food at it's very best....what could be better than a plate of Macaroni Cheese. Rich, warming and so flavoursome. I've made this a complete meal with the addition of cauliflower, tomatoes & spring onions . The Pancetta or bacon is optional especially if you prefer to keep the dish vegetarian but the addition of a little bacon will really satisfy the meat lovers in your family.
This recipe should easily serve 4 good portions or more
Ingredients-
150g / 5oz of Macaroni or similar pasta ( I used Penne as that's all I had)
150g/ 5 oz chopped pancetta or bacon (optional)
1 medium sized cauliflower broken into florets
2 tomatoes diced
4 Spring onions (scallions) chopped
for the sauce:-
4 tbsps flour
3 tbsps butter
1 pt milk ( I used semi skimmed)
a bay leaf
60g/ 2oz grated Parmesan
150 g/ 5oz mature (strong) cheddar cheese
1 tbsp mustard ( I used English but Dijon will do)
1 tsp Tabasco Sauce
1 tsp grated nutmeg
3 tbsps double (half and half) cream
Method:-
Cook the cauliflower florets in a large pan of boiling water for 4 minutes exactly, remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate ... reserving the water to cook the pasta in .
Cook the pasta as per packet instructions until al dente.
Drain
If using the pancetta fry until crispy
now make the sauce:-
Melt the butter in a saucepan
Add the flour and cook to combine.
Slowly whik in the milk a little at a time to prevent it from lumping
Add the Bay leaf , turn down the heat and simmer gently for around 8 to 10 minutes
Add the mustard, tabasco and all but a handful of both cheeses ( you will need these for sprinkling over)
Stir well then add the cream, stirring again
Add the cauliflower, pasta, tomato, pancetta (if using) and spring onions and mix well together
Place this into a large gratin dish
top with the grated cheeses
Bake in a hot oven 200c/ 400f / gas 6 for around 20 minutes or a little more until golden brown, hot & bubbling.
Serve.
I don't know about you but we have at least one curry a week in this household. It's certainly become the number one meal amongst us Brits.... we've taken Indian cuisine to our hearts.
Although every town has more than it's share of curry houses I still much prefer a good wholesome home made version.
Packed with spices& flavour it certainly packs a punch but it has the usual Indian delicacy that you expect in a good wholesome curry. The Roasted cauliflower tikka is my little addition. I regularly make chicken tikka using the same method... I thought ...why not try it out with vegetables and of course cauliflower was probably the very best choice one could make... to me it's a triumph and I would enjoy a plate of it just on it's own....delicious .
This dish is light on carbs as I've been following a great diet . The principles are mainly not mixing carbs & fats. The great thing about is you can eat fats in abundance, eggs, bacon, steaks & cheese etc with endless vegetables & salads as long as you keep the carbs at bay ...
well at least not on the same plate.
... it suits me perfectly and most of my group have astounding weight losses.
As you may have noticed I've been devising so many of my recipes around the diet... there's absolutely no loss in flavour and no need to feel hungry... absolutely wonderful.
Of course if you're not weight watching then just serve it up with your normal rice and naan... I'm not compromising flavour in any way at all with this recipe. Quite the opposite it's packed with mouthwatering tastes as you ill discover when you try it .
Recipe for the Coconut Beef Curry to serve 4 -6
2 lbs / 1kg either braising steak, shin beef or stewing steak cut into large cubes approx 2" square
1 400ml can of coconut milk
1 large or 2 small red peppers sliced
2 onions sliced
1 400ml can of chopped tomatoes
1 red chilli minced
4 cloves garlic minced
a 1" piece of fresh ginger finely chopped
small bunch of fresh Coriander (Cilantro) chop the stems finely and roughly chop the leaves
a handful of toasted cashew nuts chopped (optional)
1 tbsp coconut oil
The Spices:- (can be sustituted for 2 Tbsps of your favourite curry powder)
2 tsps ground cumin
2tsps ground coriander
1tsp hot chilli powder
1tsp turmeric
1 whole cinnamon stick
6 cloves & 4 cardamom pods crushed (throw out the green outer pods)
1 beef stock cube (I'm a Philistine I used an Oxo cube but it worked brillantly)
1 heaped tsp sea salt
2 tsps white wine vinegar
Method:- The curry can be made the day before you need it and tastes all the better for being reheated
Heat the coconut oil in a large pan until hot
Throw in the meat, a few cubes at a time to brown...set aside
Add the onions to the pan and saute until soft
Then add the garlic, ginger, fresh chilli and coriander stems & cook through
Add all the spices .. cook on until they all become very aromatic ( around 1 or 2 minutes that's all)
Add the vinegar, salt, stock cube, tomatoes (rinse out the can with a little water and add this too)
then add the meat, chopped red pepper& the coconut milk
Bring to the boil then turn the heat right down to a simmer and add a lid to the pan
Continue to simmer gently for around 2 hours until the meat is tender.
Now remove the pan lid ... continue cooking until the sauce reduces & starts to thicken
for around 10 minutes
The curry should be quite dense... if it isn't then add a little cornflour slaked in some water.
Add the remaining coriander (cilantro) leaves and the cashew nuts (if using) at the very end of cooking
Remove the cinnamon stick and serve.
Roasted Tikka Cauliflower
This delicious side dish couldn't be easier to make
Ingredients:-
a large cauliflower leaves & stems removed and cut into bite sized florets
for the marinade:_
6 Tbsp Greek Yoghurt
the zest & juice of 1 large lemon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp hot chilli powder
½
tsp Turmeric
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 tsp sea salt
a tsp or 2 of Garam Marsala or curry powder to sprinkle over before baking
Method
In a large bowl mix all the marinade ingredients together
Add the cauliflower and mix well until it it's coated in the marinade
Transfer to an oven proof ceramic dish ( I used my Pyrex tray)
Sprinkle over with the Garam Marsala or curry powder
Heat the oven to 175c approx 350 f
Bake for around 20-25 mins until the cauliflower is tender but still has a little bite and the top is beautifully golden
If you prefer your cauliflower soft with no bite then I suggest you steam it for a couple of minutes then cool it thoroughly at stage 1 of the recipe.
