emergency supper; emergency blip

A message from Anniemay; her eldest son Chris will be joining us for supper tonight. (Or tea or dinner depending which part of the country you live in and which social class you belong to.)

So - something for two that will easily stretch to three; cauliflower/macaroni cheese. The simple way.

Cook macaroni in pan of water; steam cauliflower over macaroni. Grate cheese into gratin dish. (Or pie dish depending on …….)

Add a couple of ladles of the cooking water to the dish; stir in a couple of dollops of creme fraiche and mix it all together with the cheese. Instant white sauce.

Drain macaroni and cauliflower and add to dish. (When cooked, obviously....)

Now here’s the tricky part, because it involves choice. And cooking is always difficult when you have to make choices. If you’re feeding a carnivore who considers cauliflower cheese part of their 5-a-day, then add some cooked pancetta cubes. Otherwise forget it.

Finally, the decorative bit; sprinkle breadcrumbs on top (a fine artisan loaf that’s been sitting in your pantry for a few days will do nicely, or a couple of slices of Mother’s Shame, depending on …)

Then into the oven at 200C for 15-20 minutes.

Serve with a green salad (because we live in the middle of the country and are therefore middle class.)