Random Blatherings

This afternoon, I made a very tasty cheese & veg bake. In the veg box a few days ago, we had a head of Romanesco, and I wanted to do something new with it. So I poked about in the fridge and freezer, found some other veg, and made a vegetable and cheese bake.

My apologies for the half-eaten-ness of it, but I was hungry, and had 2 helpings. Anyway, to make it, you will need:

• 1 pint (600ml) of milk.
• 3oz (90g) of grated cheese. Make sure it’s a strongly flavoured cheese, as this is what will be providing the flavour to the sauce. If you only have cheap stuff (like I did), just add more.
• 1½ oz (40 g) of plain flour. I used self raising (because it was all we had in the cupboard) and it turned out fine.
• 1½ oz (40 g) of butter. I used margarine, and slightly less (~30g), because I wanted it to be healthier.
• 3-4 handful of whatever veg you fancy. I used Romanesco, Broccoli and a Leek. I think I’d use 2 leeks next time.
• Salt/pepper/spices/Worcestershire sauce to flavour. I used cayenne and turmeric.

Method for cheese sauce:

1. Gently melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Use a smallish one because it’s easier to break the lumps up.
2. Add the flour and stir in. It should lump together pretty quickly and look like wallpaper paste. Don’t worry. Just add a little of the milk if you think it’s going to go funny or not mix. Keep the heat low.
3. Slowly add the milk, about a tablespoon (15ml) at a time. I used a silicone spatula to break up the inevitable lumps. They’ll keep forming for a while, until the sauce is more liquid, so just keep working them out.
4. As the sauce gets more and more liquid, you can add the milk faster and faster. At this point, use a hand or electric whisk. If you’re finding you still have lumps, get rid of them before you slosh the milk in, or you’ll have trouble shifting them afterwards. Always work your lumps out before you add too much milk.
5. Once all the milk has been added, and you have no lumps (just strain your sauce if you find them at this point), turn the heat up. Get it to about medium-hot, and whisk like mad. Don’t let the mixture sit at this point. As the mixture starts to boil, it will thicken. When it does, turn the heat down to low, and let it simmer for a few minutes.
6. After a few minutes simmering, and stirring occasionally, add the cheese. Put some in, stir it about to melt it, then taste the sauce. If you need more cheese, add more. Once you’re happy with the cheesiness of it, add the salt & pepper. I used freshly ground black pepper, which meant I had little black bits in the sauce. White pepper might have been better. Stir.
7. Taste your sauce. I added a little cayenne for some heat, and some turmeric to make the sauce a more appetising creamy yellow colour. Neither are essential, so if you don’t have them, just leave them out.
8. Stir, taste, and leave to simmer.

Method for vegetables:

1. Use whatever veg you like. Cauliflower is traditional, but try Brussels Sprouts, Courgettes, Peas, Purple Sprouting, etc. Use something that will hold it’s shape (ie, not leafy vegetables). This is just for aesthetics, and who really wants to eat a 1″ square bit of Cabbage?
2. Cut your veg up small. Smaller than you think. Anything bigger than your thumbnail is too big. You wont be able to see them easily in the cheese sauce, and this isn’t the sort of dish you eat with a knife. Small bite-sized pieces are what you’re aiming for.
3. Cook them how you like them. I steamed mine, but you could boil or microwave or whatever. I like mine crunchy, too, so I cooked them for just a couple of minutes.
4. Set aside to drain.

Method for completion:

1. Put your veg in the bottom of the serving dish. I jumbled mine up, but you might like to get all fancy and layer them regularly. Whatever works for you.
2. Pour over the hot cheese sauce. Heat it up a little to make it run better. The sauce should freeze OK, so don’t feel you have to make the veg swim. This recipe will make over a pint of sauce.
3. Add your topping. I use crunched up maize based snacks (cheesy poofs) on top of mine, but you could use ordinary potato crisps (chips).
4. Serve.

Variations:

1. Mix in some cooked pasta to stretch the veg. Penne would work well, but just use what you have in the cupboard.
2. Add some fried pancetta (cubes of bacon) to the sauce. The saltiness would go well with the creaminess of the cheese. If you don’t have pancetta (and who does?) just grill some bacon and cut it up into strips.
3. Instead of putting a crispy topping, use some potato slices. Parboil them, then layer attractively (think fish scales) on top of the mix. Cover lightly with cheese sauce, then bake until golden.

This is great for fussy eaters, because they can’t see the veg so easily. If you have any questions, suggestions or comments, please leave me a reply below.