breadcrumb topping for cauliflower/broccoli cheese.

cooking-mama

morning folks,im planning on making macaroni cheese with broccoli and cauliflower today,but to add a bit of crunch i was thinking of topping the cheese n veg with breadcrumbs,ive collected a little bag of crumbs from slicing a crusty loaf i baked yesterday...Do i simply sprinkle these over the cheesy veg and pop under the grill for a couple of mins to toast?(sorry never topped with crumb before-normaly just bin the crumbs:o-but going for a "waste not want not "approach in my cooking;))

CCP

That sounds right to me - you could also add a bit of extra grated cheese and/or some black pepper, if you fancy, which makes it even tastier. That's what I usually do, anyway, and very nice it is too!

jbreckmckye

Should be okay.

Technically, you make breadcrumbs from stale bread - toast it for dry breadcrumbs - then whizz in a food processor. Those crumbs should be a little stale already, though. If not, leave them in the open air for a couple of hours.

cirrus18

cooking-mama wrote: »

morning folks,im planning on making macaroni cheese with broccoli and cauliflower today,but to add a bit of crunch i was thinking of topping the cheese n veg with breadcrumbs,ive collected a little bag of crumbs from slicing a crusty loaf i baked yesterday...Do i simply sprinkle these over the cheesy veg and pop under the grill for a couple of mins to toast?(sorry never topped with crumb before-normaly just bin the crumbs:o-but going for a "waste not want not "approach in my cooking;))

Well, by now I suppose you have made your macaroni cheese and topped it with your breadcrumbs.

I make my breadcrumbs by putting slices of bread in the microwave, on a low setting and microwave them until they completely dry out and have gone hard. Then put the dried slices in a food processor and process them until they are crumbs.
I make quite a lot in one go and keep them in a sealed jar, they will last for a very long time, months.

To get a nice tasty crispy topping and what works for me, is to mix the crumbs with some olive oil, plenty of grated cheese and dots of butter. Sprinkle a nice thick layer over the macaroni cheese and bake in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes or so.

Your idea of just sprinkling a few crumbs over the macaroni cheese won't really work.

mardatha

I've been throwing out tons of bread... use the BM now and by the time it gets down to the last few slices I have made more and just chuck it to the birdies...

Tia_Maria06

And I dont have a food processor, I've tried grating it and it doesnt work as well..

valk_scot

Tia_Maria06 wrote: »

And I dont have a food processor, I've tried grating it and it doesnt work as well..

Dry it out in the oven as above, put it in a sturdy plastic bag, place on a chopping board and bash it to crumbs with a rolling pin or hefty wooden spoon. Most theraputic!

aliasojo

You can also use crackers. A few cream crackers in a sandwich bag and belted with a rolling pin like valk says....and bob's your uncle.

morganlefay

Too late for OP and no good if you haven't got a processor of some sort, but what I do is make a thickish cheese sandwich with lots of butter and cheese, then pull it to bits and whizz it in the processor - and there you have lovely buttery, cheesy crumbs to put on top of anything. Easy and quick !