Showing posts with label Crucifers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crucifers. Show all posts

Monday, November 18, 2013

Cauliflower Cheese - Simple suppers

Crucifers - Cauliflower Cheese I get very excited at this time of year for the wonderous group known as Crucifers: Cabbages, Cauliflowers, Greens, Brussels Sprouts. I have always eaten them all, Raw and cooked. The one I fell out of love with for a while was Broccoli, I am not sure why this happened.
One of my favorite dinners is a plate of Cauliflower, good potato - a waxy golden one like the French fingerlings and a carrot, all covered with a leek sauce. When we were children we would often have cauliflower cheese with a thick slice of granary bread alongside it. Again, a perfect dinner. I am not a milky person, never drink it, quite repulses me. So, I often think this was one of Mum’s ways to get some dairy into me. My trick now, is to make a spicy cheese sauce, so that the milk taste is really hidden
1 cauliflower, cut into pieces. I like to cut the large florets down Place florets in rolling boiling water. Bring back to the boil, quickly, high heat. Strain the cauliflower in a collander, I like it to sit and really drain. Then lay the cauliflower out in an oblong baker.
Stick of butter, melted. 1/2 an onion, finely chopped and gently sauteed in the butter with salt and pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard powder and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne powder. When the onions are clear, add 3/4 cup or so of flour. Stir into the butter cooking and mixing for a minute then gently start to pour in about 4 cups of milk. When you have the thickness you desire. Add a cup each of grated sharp Cheddar and Gruyere. Cook for a couple of minutes longer. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower.
Mix a little more grated, cheddar, gruyere, parmesan and panko bread crumbs, scatter over the sauce. Bake in 375 oven for approximately 45 minutes or until golden.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Planting Crucifers

Over the weekend we pulled up the canteloupe and watermelon plants. We had thought the fruit was not setting but upon further investigation discovered that the dratted squirrel had been biting the baby fruit off and taking one bite - usually leaving two halves of perfect mini melons in the dirt. In the upper bed a week ago I had wondered where the unusual berries were coming from. Not thinking they were baby melons! We have planted crucifers: Purple and regular kale, 2 types of collards and callaloo.