Or, what to make to feed your inner Midwesterner when she moves to the West Coast.
Food geography is a funny thing. Certain foods make everyday sense to folks in one place, but are exotic/forbidden/eyebrow-raising in others. Actually, I feel exactly like that most of the time, too.
This is something I probably wouldn’t have made in former lives and places where baked casseroles were a thing, because I was a stranger in casserole land at the time. It wasn’t my food. Of course, now I feel free to nostalgically bake the bastard child of cauliflower cheese and mac and cheese with impunity. And to add quinoa, which makes no nostalgic sense. It’s where I’m at now. Longing for things that were never mine to begin with.
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- the same amount of broccoli
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup grated sharp cheese
- Heat your oven to 375 F.
- Combine the quinoa and water in a small pot. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and place a colander or steamer basket full of the cauliflower and broccoli on top. Cover and steam veggies for about 10-12 minutes, or until just tender.
- Remove the veggies and check the quinoa. I needed to cover the pot and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter and oil in a small pot over medium heat. Add the flour, stirring and cooking for 3-4 minutes. Add the milk, stirring well to prevent lumps. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper, adding any spice you remember from your childhood (mustard and chili are both at home here).
- Spread out the veg in a medium sized baking dish. Top with the quinoa, then spread the cheese sauce over the top. Spread the sauce so that it covers everything and drips into the nooks and crannies. It is okay if the quinoa gets incorporated into the sauce.
- Bake for about 15 minutes and turn on the broiler to brown the top, if desired.