Pasta'n'Raclette Cheese with a Kale, Beetroot and Pickled Pear Salad

I’m a big fan of finding fun new ways to use up what you have left over in the fridge rather than throwing it away. New Year is the best time for that because many of us will have had people around, bought too much (rather than having too little) and then be sitting on odd bits an bobs in January.

For New Years we went on a trip with friends to France and because we had left over Raclette cheese, my friends and I came up with this cheese sauce (although we put it over potatoes as a kind of gratin). Since I am still sitting on some of that Raclette cheese I thought about what else you could do with it and decided to make it into a kind of Mac n Cheese – an ultimate comfort food. Not great for Veganuary but hey this recipe is still Vegetarian ;-).

When you have so much cheese and carbs, having just come from a festive period with a lot of fatty foods, a salad that can cut through the heaviness is essential. So I came up with this tasty bowl of goodness. Besides the taste, this salad is full of the healthy stuff. Kale, for example, is an absolute super food, but not always super tasty (I find). In this salad I love it.

The combo is great and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Ingredients

Butter [Butter] / Flour [Mehl] (equal quantity)
Raclette Cheese [Raclette Käse]
Milk [Milch]
Pasta [Pasta]
Pepper [Pfeffer]
Nutmeg [Muskat]
Smoked Paprika [Paprikapulver]

Pasta n Raclette Cheese

1. Boil pasta and pop it into your chosen dish.

2. Melt butter in a pan on a low heat.

3. Add flour and whisk together until smooth.

4. Gradually add milk and heat up.

5. While that heats up chop the cheese into slices.

6. When warm add the cheese gradually and keep stirring.

7. If you need more milk don’t hesitate to add. The consistency should end up like a smoother, less fatty, cheese fondue.

8. Once everything is melted add some pepper, nutmeg and smoked paprika, then add to the dish of pasta.

9. Put it into the oven at 180 degrees C until golden brown on the top.

Note: Rummo pasta is highly recommendable for people looking for a great gluten free option.

Zutaten

Kale [Grünkohl]
Pears [Birnen]
Beetroot [Randen]
White radish [weisser Rettich]
Pecan Nuts [Pekannuss]
Honey [Honig]
Tahini paste [Tahin-Paste]
Maple syrup [Ahornsyrup]
Dijon mustard [Dijonsenf]
Apple cider vinegar [Apfelweinessig]
Coconut Oil / Sunflower Oil [Kokosöl / Sonnenblumenöl]
Salt and Pepper [Salz und Pfeffer]
Good Olive Oil [Gutes Olivenöl]

Kale, Beetroot and Pickled Pear Salad

Part 1

Kale

Salt

Chop the kale into edible pieces removing the stalks.
Mix with salt and leave to stand.

Part 2

Pecan Nuts

Honey

Pepper

Chop Pecan nuts with a knife.
Heat up a pan with the nuts in it.
Once warm and a little honey and a bit of pepper.
Mix until the honey is around the nuts then set aside (best is out in the cold).

Part 3

Pears

Beetroot

Apple cider vinegar

Maple syrup

Coconut butter

Salt / Pepper

Water

Peel the pears and remove the core, then chop into segments.
Heat a pan with apple cider vinegar (2-3 tbsp per pear), maple syrup (1 tbsp per pear), salt and pepper, as well as enough water to cover the pears. Bring to a boil.
Add pears and reduce to a simmer until the pears are soft.
Meanwhile peel the beetroots (1 per 2-3 pears) and chop into cubes.
Heat coconut butter (or oil if you prefer) in a pan then fry the beetroot.
Once the pears are and beetroot are done, reduce the heat on the beetroot and add the pears without the liquid.
Keep in a pan together for a couple of minutes then set aside.

Part 4

Tahini paste

Maple syrup

Dijon mustard

Apple cider vinegar