Cauliflower Pasta

This pasta is so easy and quick to make, it's delicious, and inexpensive even when cauliflowers are pricy.

All you'll need is
-a cauliflower, cut into florets
-butter
-garlic
-egg noodles (or pasta of your choice); if you've been reading my blog, you'll know I love egg noodles
-about 250 ml of heavy cream
-chili peppers, crushed (adjust amount to your taste buds)
-fresh or dry thyme
-1tbsp of breadcrumbs
-s&p

Cook the cauliflower in a pot of salted water for about 10 minutes, you don't want it to be overcooked.  Drain or remove with a slotted spoon, but save the water.  In a pan melt the butter and add garlic for a few minutes.  Depending on your taste buds and the garlic you're using, you may need one clove or a few cloves.  Add bread crumbs, chili, thyme and cauliflower to the pan.  Add about 5 tbsps of the reserved water, stir, and simmer.  After about 10 minutes, take the pan off the heat, beat in the egg and add the cream.  You can cook the pasta in the remaining cauliflower water.  You always want pasta to be al dente, as in not cooked all the way through, because it absorbs the sauce once mixed, and continues to get softer.  Drain pasta, put in a dish, pour the sauce over, and enjoy.

Another variation is to cook the cauliflower as above.  Melt the butter and add garlic.  Then add the cauliflower to the pan.  Cook you pasta in the cauliflower water.  Once done, drain and pour the pasta into the pan with the cauliflower.  Season with s&p, put on plates, and top with Parmesan.

Soup

I love soup.  Make a basic stock and the possibilities are endless.

I like meat based stocks, but you can make an all veg stock as well.  If using meat, boil the meat on it's own first.  Dump out the water, clean the pot, and rinse the meat if necessary; meat gets frothy, so this keeps your stock clean.  In a clean pot, add water, parsley, carrots, celery, peppercorns, sea salt, bay leaf.  You can add other vegetables and spices, this is just a basic stock.  If you're making a sour soup, add the cooked meat closer to the end of the soup being done, just to heat it up, otherwise the meat will get too hard from the acidity.

I used pork riblets for this soup base.  A package for about $4 is enough for 3 stocks, could've been 4, but this way there was enough meat to be part of the meal.  Here are some soup ideas:

Cream of mushroom, goes great with a sandwich, like porchetta on rye with butter and mustard.

Or with egg noodles, I left the carrots and meat in this one.

Pickle soup with star noodles.

I left the celery in for James, with carrots and pork.

Beet soup with flat noodles, using veal stock.

Pumpkin soup, specifically Rouge vid D'Etampes, my fave.  Great with any sandwich.

Tomato soup, which is tasty with noodles, rice, or even mashed potatoes, or on its own in a mug with a grilled cheese sandwich.

Tripe soup.  Try it before you decide you don't like it.

Smacznego!  (Polish)