Thanksgiving Food. The ultra- alternate

 

 

While a skillfully

roasted Thanksgiving bird is delicious, I’ve always thought the sides were the best part of the holiday meal. The savory stuffing, buttery mashed potatoes, sweet yams, tart cranberry sauce—pile them on. The only problem is that when you serve the same beloved sides every year, your Thanksgiving meal can start to seem unoriginal. Now, there’s nothing wrong with tradition, but how about starting a new one? I propose a new Thanksgiving ritual: Try a new recipe every year.

Consider adding this cauliflower gratin to the mix this year. The creamy, cheesy dish sounds like it would induce a recliner nap, but the cauliflower tastes light and the leeks add a hit of onion. The breadcrumbs add some crunch for good measure.

Best of all, like many Thanksgiving foods, this recipe tastes great—if not better—the next day.

Cauliflower Gratin
Recipe by Kenneth Johnson, executive chef of Gran Morsi in New York City

What you’ll need:
1 head cauliflower, cleaned and cut in 1-inch pieces
1 leek, diced and rinsed well
3 garlic cloves, grated
2 cups of whole milk
1 tsp nutmeg
½ cup + 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, shredded
½ cup + 2 Tbsp Fontina cheese, shredded
Butter, for greasing
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper, to taste How to make it:
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the cauliflower and until slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl of ice water. Reserve.
2. In a large pot over medium heat, bring the garlic, milk, nutmeg, the ½ cups of cheeses and salt and pepper to a simmer, stirring the mixture so that the cheeses don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Add the vegetables and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Reserve.
3. Butter a 9” X 9” baking dish. Transfer the cauliflower mixture to the baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix the breadcrumbs and the remaining cheeses. Sprinkle this mixture over over the cauliflower. Bake in a until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Makes 8 servings.






Source: Men's Health