Primal Mac & Cheese page

[pjgh]

Granted, this is really stretching the boundaries of primal eating, what with it being primarily a cheese and cream dish ... and one based around pasta, but please read on ...

Perhaps one for your vegetarian friends, or perhaps just for that 80/20 meal where you really don't fancy neolithic junk, but do want something simple, filling and ... well ... homely?

Mac & Cheese, I gather, is a dish at the heart of American cuisine. Sure, we have it here in Blighty, although call it Macaroni Cheese, but it's not something we'd immediately shout out when someone asks, "what's your favourite comfort food?".

So, why make it?

Well, I have a glut of cheese and a couple of turnips. Reason enough?

Primal Mac & Cheese

First we need the "Mac" ...

Here, I peel some turnip and then cut it into matchsticks about an inch long and perhaps a fifth of an inch square.

Boil for a few minutes until softened but still with just a little crunch, drain and set aside to allow the remaining steam to evaporate.

Now, the Cheese ...

You'll need cream (heavy cream, I think it's called in the United States) and some cheese. I used cheddar and a cheddar-like goat's cheese. How much? Well, probably just over half a cup of cream (say, 150ml) to 250g of cheese per apple-sized turnip. You can multiply that up.

Warm up the cream, add a dollop of English Mustard and then the cheese. Warm it through on a low heat until the cheese is combined and the sauce looks sumptuous. Yes, English Mustard, not grain, not American or Continental ... English ... it has the right bite without that sourness.

Now, pour the Mac into the Cheese ... Ecco! Mac & Cheese.



Want to primalise it more?

Shred some streaky bacon and leek, fry off together.

Meanwhile, steam some cauliflower, pouring the Mac & Cheese over the cauliflower and topping with the leek and bacon, and some chopped hazelnuts to crisp up under the grill (broiler) for a few minutes.

Neo-primal Heaven!

For another great emulation of neolithic comfort food, check out my Primal Lasagne.

[j3nn]

Sounds divine! Use rice noodles and call it a PHD win.

[JoanieL]

That looks terrific!

Spaghetti squash is also fantastic with any kind of cheese/cream sauce, but it doesn't look like traditional mac & cheese - more like a pale orange alfredo dish.

[TanyaV]

Oh my goodness that looks amazing! I would never have thought to try it with turnips. I will definitely be making this for my family soon.

[pjgh]

Thanks, folks.

Yeah, when you deconstruct the dish, the pasta element is simply bulk, soft bulk with little flavour of its own. Turnips have flavour, but it is subtle. Cooked just right, it's another potentially "better than the original" primal dish.

... a cheap meal, too, and eminently suitable for the vegetarians we know and love.

[SoccerGrok]

Nice work. Looks good. COuld also use some sweet potato noodles

[fpayqafa]

Use rice noodles and call it a PHD win.