My friend Raffaella comes from a huge family and fondly recalls making dumplings with her sisters growing up. (Her brothers just ate them.) Dumplings are a great way to use up veggies that don’t look fresh anymore. Minced inside a dumpling, they come back to life! I’ve provided a couple of ideas here, but as with so many recipes, the filling is up to you. If you mess up and it comes out bland, just dip the dumpling in soy sauce or chile sauce and you’ll still be happy. Or if you’ve made peanut sauce or spice oil lately dip in those.
If budget allows and you want to save time, see whether your grocery store has pre-made dumpling wrappers, usually in the freezer section or Asian aisle. They come round or square and might be called gyoza or wonton wrappers, but any will work.
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When the weather turns cool, I only want to eat warm, flavorful food—in comes roasted vegetables season. Roasting is easy, it warms up the kitchen, and it makes the house smell like the holidays. If you’re uncertain how to prepare a new vegetable, you usually can’t go wrong with roasting— most things end up sweeter, with nice crunchy bits. If you roast a bunch of vegetables at the beginning of the week, you can eat them throughout the week in various ways: with eggs at breakfast, folded into an omelette, as a side dish, in a taco or sandwich, on toast, or with any grain.
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If you know what welsh rarebit is you will probably instantly realize what a good idea a mac and cheese version is—feel free to skip to the recipe below. For those of you uninitiated into it’s glorious presence, listen up. Forget the strange name (British people love naming things all crazy)—welsh rarebit is an ultra savory, gooey cheese sauce made with dark beer and spiked with mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and a little cayenne pepper. It’s super indulgent, but a little more complex and grown up than your standard cheese sauce and is usually served bubbling on top of broiled toast at your favorite cozy pub.
So now that you are with me that this is the greatest sauce ever made, let’s make a macaroni and cheese out if it! I added some pan-fried broccoli to the dish as a nice counterpoint to the richness. It seemed like a good idea because it brought two amazing soups together, broccoli and cheddar, and beer-cheese soup.
This mac and cheese came together quickly, in just about 20 minutes. Quick enough that I made it for my lunch on a workday. It’s the simpler version of mac and cheese where you pour the pasta into the sauce, stir and eat. If you want the more traditional baked version, it will just take a little longer. For the baked variety follow the alternative instructions in the note at the end.
Welsh Rarebit Mac and Cheese with Broccoli
Welsh Rarebit, the hot, savory, cheesy, beery and a little spicy sauce that is a favorite of late night snackers in Great Britain, makes an appearance in mac and cheese with a little pan-fried broccoli for a counterpoint.
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Welsh Rarebit Mac and Cheese with Broccoli
Welsh Rarebit, the hot, savory, cheesy, beery and a little spicy sauce that is a favorite of late night snackers in Great Britain, makes an appearance in mac and cheese with a little pan-fried broccoli for a counterpoint.
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Ingredients
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2 cups
cavatappi or elbow macaroni (approximately 1/2 lb or 1/2 standard box)
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salt for pasta water
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3 Tbsp
butter
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2 Tbsp
flour
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12 oz
dark beer (or sub. 6 oz beer and 6 oz milk)
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1 Tbsp
dijon mustard
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1/2 tsp
Worcestershire sauce (optional)
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1/4 tsp
cayenne pepper (optional)
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3 cups
sharp cheddar grated
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1 crown
broccoli chopped into small pieces
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1/4 tsp
salt (or to taste)
Instructions
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. The water should taste like salty seawater. This is how the pasta is seasoned so don't be shy on the salt.
When the water is boiling, cook the pasta to al dente according to the package instructions. In my case it took 6 minutes. Finally, drain the pasta before adding to the sauce. (While you wait for the water to boil get on with the rest of the recipe by following the instructions below, but keep an eye on the water.)
In a medium-sized pot melt 2 Tbsp of butter on medium heat. Add the flour and whisk briskly to combine the butter and flour and create a roux which will thicken the sauce. Cook for about 30 seconds.
If you are not a huge beer and cheese fan or you are unsure about the strong taste, use the half beer, half milk variation. If you know you love beer and cheddar together do the all-beer version.
Slowly pour in the beer (or milk and beer mixture) about a half a cup at a time, whisking to incorporate the roux. It will look thick and pasty at first but thin out once you add all the beer.
Whisk in the mustard and the Worcestershire sauce and cayenne if using. Let the mixture heat until it just starts to boil. The sauce should be thick and beery smelling and dark.
Turn the heat to the lowest possible setting and add in the cheese. Whisk until it is all melted and incorporated into a smooth, gooey sauce. Turn the heat off and put a lid on the sauce while you finish up the recipe. (Check on the pasta water at this point and start cooking the pasta if you haven't yet).
In a pan on medium heat melt the last Tbsp of butter. Add the broccoli stem pieces and cook for 2 minutes, tossing occasionally. Add the broccoli crown pieces and salt and cook, tossing now and then, for about 4 minutes, or until just tender. Taste and add more salt if you think it needs it.
To assemble the final dish, turn the heat in the sauce pot to low and add the drained pasta and broccoli. Using a wooden spoon or serving spoon mix everything together to coat it. Heap into bowls and serve.
Recipe Notes
For a more traditional baked mac and cheese: cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package suggests. Then pile the mac and cheese into a buttered baking dish and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes before serving.
I rarely bother making anything but the simplest sandwiches at home—grilled cheese, PB&J—but this broccoli gochujang sandwich has all the cheesy, crunchy, tangy satisfying elements you want from a sandwich, while coming together quite quickly, just in the time it takes to boil the water and then steam the broccoli.
It was at least partially inspired by both a broccoli rabe sandwich with mozzarella and the broccoli sandwich at NYC’s famed No. 7 Sub. Their garlic chips are amazing. I think I might have to start putting garlic chips on all my sandwiches.
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