Cauliflower Gratin
There is little rhyme and reason to last night’s dinner. Honestly. Who bakes a casserole in the middle of the summer? And why would someone with her jaw wired shut torture herself by preparing something with both cheese AND bacon in it? The most rational-sounding explanation was my need to use up ingredients to make room for a new CSA share today. But I also just felt like doing the normal person activity that is cooking, despite a complete lack of appetite and ability to eat properly.
And besides, it was only turkey bacon, not REAL bacon.
If you have a broken jaw in the middle of winter AND/OR have non-vegetable-loving kids (or adults) for whom you are nutritionally responsible, this recipe is particularly useful. It looks and tastes rich and not a whole lot like cauliflower, yet the daily intake calculator I’ve been using claims that 1 cup contains the following:
Calories: 181, Total Fat: 10.07g, Total Carbs: 9.76g, Protein: 13.7g
Not too shabby, and then consider the decent amounts of calcium (31% of daily recommended intake), vitamin C (78%), and vitamin K (57%). So, you’ll need:
- 1 small/medium head of cauliflower, chopped
- 3 slices turkey bacon
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1/2 garlic scape, finely chopped
- 1 1/4 cup 2% milk
- dash of nutmeg
- dash of black pepper
- 1 cup parmesan cheese (the real stuff), finely grated
- breadcrumbs
Steam the cauliflower for about five minutes then set it aside in a baking dish. At the same time in a different pan, cook the turkey bacon, set aside to cool, then chop and sprinkle over the cauliflower. Saute the celery and garlic scapes in butter, then add the flour. Cook for about two minutes, then add the milk, stir continuously until it’s all smooth, add the nutmeg and pepper, then add the cheese. Stir for a minute until it’s a saucy consistency. Pour the cheese sauce into the baking dish, over the cauliflower, and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake all that cheesy goodness at 350F for about 25 minutes, until bubbly and the edges are just right:
Dish out to your chewing friends and family:
Then add some broth or water and blend thoroughly for the patient. The only significant downside is getting past the feeling that you’re drinking Béchamel sauce (which, in a sense, you are). If you still believe my trick about masquerading cauliflower as a less-starchy potato, you can pretend you’re eating baked potato soup.
