PASTA WITH CAULIFLOWER AND BROCCOLI
- 300 g wholemeal small pasta
- 600 g cauliflower and broccoli (both or either)
- 450 g Smiltenes Piens’ Granister, Latvijas and Smiltene cheeses, grated on a coarse grater
- 30 g Smiltenes Piens’ heavy cream butter
- 500 ml of milk
- 2 tbsps extra virgin wheat flour
- 2 small garlic cloves, pressed through a garlic press
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- freshly grated nutmeg
- 6 thyme sprigs, leaves
- sea salt to taste
- 2 bay leaves
Boil water in two pots. Add salt. When water starts to boil, add the vegetables to one and the pasta to the other and cook until ready. Drain. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Put the butter in the saucepan. Melt over a low heat. Then add the flour and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring all the time with a spoon, until the mixture is sandy and gives off a pleasant aroma of flour and nuts. Stirring all the time, add 1/3 of the milk and stir. It is important to stir vigorously to avoid the lumps. Then add the rest of the milk. When all the milk has been added, add the thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Turn up the heat. Heat, stirring, until the sauce starts to thicken, about 5-7 minutes. When it is thick, turn off the flame, remove the bay leaf. Add half the cheese, garlic and stir until melted. Then stir in the other half of the cheese. When the sauce is ready, stir in part of the vegetables and part of the pasta. Serve warm. I like to add more pepper and nutmeg.
