Cauliflower cheese and other variations

Every time we have a cauliflower at home we say, why don't we do this more often?  It's  such a versatile vegetable, at home in a soup or a curry or simply steamed as a side dish.  Not everyone likes it, but this simple cheese sauce dish will convert the doubters.  We gave this to our two year old grandson recently and it disappeared rather quickly.  The other bonus is that they are in season now and at what is really a bargain price.  We served it with some grilled bacon and these are really complimentary flavours.  Try to use a really strong cheese.  It is more economical because you need far less to get a good flavour, also it's healthier as you will be adding less fat.

You will need;

1 cauliflower

1 pint milk

50g butter

50g flour

100g strong cheddar cheese - grated

Seasoning

Nutmeg

Strip the outer leaves and stalks from the cauliflower. Then cut it into tomato sized florets.
Heat the milk and meanwhile melt the butter in a large pan. Add all the flour to the butter and very gently cook the flour and butter together for about five minutes.  Do not allow this to brown or burn.  Now add a quarter of the hot milk and whisk quickly, this will thicken very fast so keep whisking. Now gradually whisk in the rest of the milk. Cook for 15 mins very slowly, stirring occasionally.  In the meantime boil or steam the cauliflower, it should still have a little crunch when cooked and definitely not be mushy, so check frequently.  When done turn it out into a baking dish and spread out evenly.

Finish the sauce by adding the cheese, letting it melt and season well.

Pour over cauliflower and sprinkle with grated nutmeg.  You could at this point let it get cold and heat later or freeze.

Bake this dish at Gas 4 180C for about 20 mins and allow it to brown a little.
You can serve this on it's own or as a side dish and a little tomato ketchup is not a sin.

Variations

This sauce is so versatile that you could substitute many things for the cauliflower.  Broccoli or Pumpkin as an example, or cook some Macaroni pasta and you will end up with a Macaroni cheese.

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