Casarecce and Cauliflower Cheese with Pancetta

Well I had to throw my hat into the ring with the Macaroni Cheese variations and as I wanted to add other elements to it I was politely advised that I could hardly call it Macaroni Cheese if it wasn't!  So this was the answer to find another suitable pasta and create my own dish which still essentially was mainly pasta in a cheese sauce which is pretty much what Macaroni Cheese purports to be.

The idea was pretty simple really - I like Macaroni Cheese and I like Cauliflower Cheese so why not combine the too - add some crispy Pancetta for additional flavour and texture, stick on some breadcrumbs mixed with Parmesan and bob's your uncle so to speak.


The ingredients

• 1 small cauliflower
• 8 rashers of Panchetta
• 250g of Casarecce pasta
• For the cheese sauce see Mornay sauce and change the Emmental for Roquefort (Stilton probably would have been better) and add 150ml of white wine)
• 3 slices of white bread, blended and dried in the oven.
• 1 cup full of grated Parmesan

Stage One
Boil the Cauliflower (8 minutes - must still have some crunch) and the pasta (see packet) and cook the Panchetta until crisp (then pat dry to remove all the fat)

Stage Two 
The cheese sauce was simple.  I infused some bay leaves in the milk and made a Bechamel sauce (see Bechamel Sauce).  I add white wine a heaped teaspoon of Dijon mustard and seasoned.  I then added Roquefort (as i had that in the fridge and strong mature cheddar.

Stage Three

Lay the cauliflower and the Panchetta in the bottom of a deep dish (not to be confused the dance act they would like that).

Then place the pasta on top

Then add the sauce and finish off with the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.

The flavours and textures all worked swimmingly well together especially the Roquefort and the cauliflower.  A simple and tasty dish to make, perfect comfort food for a sleety, cold Monday evening.