STOP THE PRESSES. My daughter ate what I made for dinner tonight! It was probably only about 6 bites, but still. She's not quite 4, and about as big around as my pinky finger, so that was probably enough to fill her up anyway. It's a big deal when she eats things I've cooked from scratch, though, whether it's 6 bites or a hundred. I've tried to get her more interested in eating homemade foods by getting her involved in making them. She really is becoming my little kitchen buddy. She helps measure, dump, stir, and is happy to sample certain fresh ingredients to make sure they're tasty. She's even learning to crack eggs. You would think being so invested in the meal prep should make her excited to try it when it's done. And you would be wrong.
Usually she declares, before ever trying a bite, that she doesn't like it (whatever "it" is), and ends up eating a hot dog as I shed a silent tear. "But Violet, you helped me make this! Remember when you helped me dump the <insert ingredient name here> in and stir it up?" "I don't LIKE it," she says, in her little super sass-mouth way that leaves me both snickering and infuriated. Kids are such assholes.
Tonight, things were backwards. She didn't help me with any meal prep at all. She was too busy "making crafts," i.e. scribbling furiously and claiming that somewhere in her chicken scratch was a drawing of a sea monster who lives in a castle at the top of a beanstalk and inexplicably has mashed potatoes on top of his head. "Isn't that so silly, mommy?" But then she DID try what I cooked. And--wait for it--she said, "mommy, thank you for making this yummy supper," in a sweet, dainty voice. Aww....kids aren't always assholes, thank goodness.
And she was right; it was yummy. If you like fully intact, crisp-tender chunks of broccoli, this is not for you. If you want to feel like you're eating broccoli cheese soup-covered noodles, pull up a chair. I love recipes that I can tweak, and this is nicely tweakable. Change the pasta type to rotini or penne, maybe. Leave out the asiago if it's not your favorite and bump up the amount of one of the other cheeses. Shred up some rotisserie chicken to toss on top after you serve. Put in more broccoli. Put in less broccoli. Your family hates fancy cheese that vaguely tastes of sheep but loves Velveeta so that's the only cheese you're going to put in? You do you, babe. I'm not here to judge your cheese choices. Live and let live, and all that. If you make a homemade dinner for your family, you're already doing well in my eyes.
P.S. I HATE mushrooms. Hate. Them. I'm told they're perfect for this. I'll have to take my mom and my husband's word for it. Because there was no way I was going to cook the entire dish with mushrooms in it, I sauteed them in a skillet and let the fungus lovers add their own after serving. I do not know how it would work out if you threw raw mushrooms in your instant pot, so don't even ask me if you can do that. You're on your own there. Side note: I suspect that would taste like shit. Because mushrooms.
Four Cheese Pasta with Broccoli
Note: I started with blocks of cheese and grated them fresh on a microplane grater. This is my favorite way to cook with cheese because I think the flavor is better. If you're going to start with pre-grated cheeses, measure them out by weight, because freshly grated hard cheeses are super fluffy and might measure differently in a measuring cup than pre-grated would. Pecorino romano and asiago are both strongly flavored cheeses. Real pecorino romano is especially full of character. It's made from sheep's milk and is very salty and kind of pungent. I think it's awesome, but it's worth admitting that it's not for everyone. If you find an American version it will most likely be made of cow's milk and taste milder, so keep that in mind. I used my 6 qt. Instant Pot.
1 lb. pasta--I usually use shells
4 cups water
4 Tbs. butter, cut into a few pieces
1 tsp. salt
12 oz. broccoli, cut into large florets
1/2 oz. pecorino romano cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 oz. asiago cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)
1 oz. parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
4 oz. fontina cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
4 oz. processed cheese, like Velveeta, cubed
12 oz. evaporated milk--you may only need part of the can
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
pepper, to taste
10 oz. mushrooms, optional
Add the uncooked pasta, water, butter, and salt to the pot. Scatter the broccoli over the top. Cover and set on manual on high pressure for 4 minutes, then do a quick pressure release. Turn to saute mode and begin to slowly add evaporated milk and cheeses, stirring constantly. If you feel like it's getting too hot and starting to stick, just turn the pot off and use the residual heat to finish melting the cheese. You'll likely need most of the can of milk, but maybe not all. Add until you've got a consistency you like. Add garlic powder and pepper to taste and stir to combine.
No comments:
Post a Comment