CAULIFLOWER CHEESE 🧀

[RECIPE IN SHOW NOTES]

The other cheese (and to Simon’s mind, the far superior option to the mac ‘n’ cheese that Yumi loves so much she’s put it in TWO of her books). Why is it better? Well, veg makes it SO much more nutritious/delicious/interesting; however, it can be made very, very badly. And a bad cauli cheese is a horrible thing – often watery, sulphurous and just generally repulsive.

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THE RECIPE

Main tips: AVOID WATERY CAULI AT ALL COSTS! The problem is, the cauli needs a bit of pre-cooking before it hits its doona of silky cheese sauce and bubbles in the oven, or else it will be crunchy (and that’s almost as bad). The secret. DON’T PARBOIL AS PER TRAD RECIPES. Instead roast. Why? You’ll reduce the water content, up the veg’s sweetness and even introduce those elements of char. SD has taken this to extremes and cooked it in the wood-fired oven, but a normal oven at 200-220 for 20 mins or so will do. You just want it nicely charred and starting to soften.

What then? Make a roux. Not hard, just add a few tbsp of flour and butter to a pan and melt together to form a bubbly paste. Then pour in a little milk, add a bit more and more, getting it a bit thicker, then add a good few handfuls of grated cheese (tasty/cheddar) and maybe a bit of mustard for a little kick. When it’s nice and bubbly and molten and fondue-y, you’re good to go.

Now arrange the cauli florets in a baking tray. Add a few extra ingredients if you like at this point (I like torn olives, a few small cherry tomatoes sometimes, a few handfuls of spinach, maybe some leftover cooked french style lentils or homemade baked beans) then spoon over the sauce to cover. Shower with a few generous handfuls of grated parmesan, scatter over some breadcrumbs if you like for added crunch then slide into the oven at 180-200 and cook for 20–30 minutes until bubbling, deep mahogany and majestic. Eat.

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