Mac and cheese eats its vegetables
When it comes to foods blanketed in cheesy béchamel, we Americans think of macaroni, not vegetables. But in Britain, pale, craggy chunks of cauliflower are as likely to be doused in cheese sauce as pasta is here. This recipe combines these two great things into one cozy, creamy bowl.
It’s a little like a pasta primavera — except wintry, and made primarily with a brassica vegetable. Oh, and did I mention the blue cheese?
First and foremost, however, there’s the pasta. For this recipe, you have many options, as long as they resemble a cauliflower floret. Think short, whorled and crevice-y: campanelle, conchiglie or orecchiette. Even farfalle or fusilli will work in a pinch. Short pasta shapes with lots of nooks and crannies catch the melting blue cheese and tiny bits of cauliflower that fall off as you mix them together, not to mention all those wonderfully oily, caramelized leeks.
Had I mentioned the leeks? They are roasted with the cauliflower, turning floppy and sweet — sweeter even than the cauliflower, which softens and crisps at the corners. Regular white cauliflower is the classic choice. But the green, purple or orange varieties work, too, and will add a touch of festivity to the usual midwinter dinner table doldrums.
While the vegetables are in the oven getting golden and tender, cook up your pasta, then drain, saving some of the pasta water. This starchy liquid is what transforms the Gorgonzola into a luscious sauce, melting and binding it.
Then the whole shebang meets up in the bowl.
There’s the perfectly al dente pasta. (Don’t overcook it because the pasta is what provides the texture here.) There are the burnished, sweet vegetables: cauliflower, leeks and garlic. (Did I mention the garlic? It gets mixed with the roasting leeks.)
There are the crumbles of funky, earthy Gorgonzola dolce (or whatever good blue cheese you can get; the creamier, the better). Finally, mix in some thyme and chives for herbal depth and a big squeeze of fresh lemon juice for verve.
The result is nothing like macaroni and cheese, or like cheesy cauliflower. It’s complex and richly flavorful, with a bite. But it’s still got the luscious creamy factor, which in this last gasp of winter, may be exactly what you need.