KK found a great bargain for early bird Thai food on Friday night. We met a friend at Pinto at 5:45 (deal ended at 6!) and each enjoyed a drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), appetizer, and entree for $15. What a steal! Along with it being an amazing deal, Pinto is also very PATH-friendly for those coming from Jersey. Dinner was quicker than we expected, so we grabbed a quick beer at Lederhosen before heading deep into Brooklyn (Crown Heights) for my co-worker friend's birthday. We hung out at his apartment for awhile before migrating to Franklin Park; we enjoyed the unseasonably cool summer weather on the bar's large outdoor patio. Friday was the highlight of the weekend; KK and I spent the remainder of the weekend catching up on sleep, errands, and cleaning.
I did, however, get to have my first experience cooking with cauliflower. Along with broccoli, I tend to avoid cauliflower when it's an option on a crudite platter. That being said, I was slightly intrigued because the guy I used to sit next to at work was into Paleo for awhile, and he constantly talked about the different things he and his girlfriend cooked up using cauliflower as a base. When KK added this to the menu rotation, I was excited yet nervous to give it a try. I had a little trouble pureeing the cauliflower, perhaps because my blender wasn't working properly and my food processor was too small. I strongly recommend using a properly functioning blender because I had to use a hand blender and that got a little messy (picture flying cauliflower puree - whoops). Casserole assembly was simple, and it looked nicely crisped on the edges in 20 minutes. I've updated the ingredient list below because I recommend adding a bit of seasoning to the cauliflower crust. KK and I easily finished this by ourselves, but it would serve 4-6 as a side dish.
Cauliflower Pepperoni Casserole
Adapted from I Breathe... I'm Hungry...
Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients
1 medium head of cauliflower
4 Tbsp evaporated milk
1 Tbsp butter
20 slices pepperoni, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
Italian seasoning, to taste
Cooking spray
Directions
1. Clean and trim the cauliflower, breaking it into medium sized pieces. Place in a microwave safe bowl with evaporated milk and butter. Microwave uncovered for 10 minutes on high. Stir to coat, then microwave for another 6 minutes. Cauliflower should be tender.
2. Preheat oven to 375.
3. Place cauliflower into a blender or food processor; add 8 slices of pepperoni and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Puree mixture until smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
4. Grease an 8x8 oven-safe casserole dish with cooking spray, and spread cauliflower puree evenly over the bottom of the dish. Cover with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and layer with remaining pepperoni. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve hot.
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