Recipe: Truffled Cauliflower Mac with Almost Alfredo Sauce

TRUFFLED CAULIFLOWER MAC
"Sometimes you can never have enough truffle-or macaroni. This dish is for those times. It has a very rich flavor, with a creamy truffle sauce, steamed cauliflower, and a panko topping. If you happen to have a fresh truffle, you can go crazy and shave a few ultra-thin slices into the sauce before baking."



8 ounces dried macaroni noodles
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 recipe Almost Alfredo Sauce (recipe follows), using the truffle variation
Truffle salt or fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Double recipe Buttery Crumb Topping (recipe follows)
Truffle oil, for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 9x13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.

In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, add the macaroni and cook according to package directions until tender. When the pasta is about 2 minutes away from being done, add the cauliflower to the boiling pasta water. You want the cauliflower to be just fork-tender and the noodles to be al dente. Drain the pasta and cauliflower well and transfer to a large bowl.

Add the prepared sauce to the cooked macaroni and cauliflower, mixing until the pasta is coated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Scoop the macaroni into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top of the casserole.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned, and the casserole is heated through. Remove from the oven, drizzle the top of the casserole with a little additional truffle oil, if desired, and serve.

VARIATIONS:
- To make a straight truffle mac casserole, simply omit the cauliflower.
- Gluten-Free: Use a gluten-free macaroni, such as brown rice macaroni, prepare the gluten-free sauce variation below, as well as gluten-free breadcrumbs in the topping.

ALMOST ALFREDO SAUCE
Makes about 3 cups

2 1/2 cups plain unsweetened soymilk*
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours and drained**
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
3 tablespoons oat flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt, or more to taste
1 teaspoon granulated onion

In the jar of a blender, combine the soymilk, water, cashews, nutritional yeast flakes, oat flour, cornstarch, salt, and granulated onion. Blend the mixture at high speed until completely smooth and no bits of nuts remain. If you don't have a big blender, blend the mixture in two batches.

Transfer the mixture to a large saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer, whisking continuously. Once mixture comes to a simmer, reduce heat slightly and cook, whisking continuously until thickened, about 5 to 10 minutes.

*Use a good-tasting unsweetened soymilk for this sauce, as the flavor really comes through.

**If you're using a high-speed blender, you can skip the soaking step for the cashews, and just use them dry. Add a little extra water to blend if needed.

SAUCE VARIATIONS:
- To make this sauce lower in fat, reduce the cashews to 1/3 cup.
- To make the sauce gluten-free: Use a gluten-free oat flour.
- To make a truffle sauce, to the blender jar add 1 to 3 tablespoons truffle oil to taste and reduce the granulated onion to 1/2 teaspoon. Add a few sprinkles of freshly grated nutmeg.
- To make a white wine sauce, replace 3/4 cup of the soymilk with an equal amount of white wine.

BUTTERY CRUMB TOPPING
Makes about 1/2 cup, enough to top an 8 or 9-inch casserole

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated vegan margarine, melted*
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced
Pinch of salt

In a small bowl, mix together the panko breadcrumbs, margarine, nutritional yeast flakes, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Adjust seasonings to taste.

*You can substitute olive oil for the margarine, if desired.

TOPPING VARIATIONS:
- For an herbed garlic-flavored-topping, add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs.
- For a richer topping, increase the melted margarine to 3 tablespoons.
- Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs. My favorite brand is Ian's, which is also egg-free and dairy-free.

Makes 4 servings
Adapted from source: Vegan Casseroles: Pasta Bakes, Gratins, Pot Pies, and More by Julie Hasson. (Running Press; October 2014)