Cauliflower Gratin with Garlic and Sage

https://www.feastingathome.com/cauliflower-gratin-with-garlic-and-sage/

Ingredients
• 2 medium cauliflower heads (about 10 cups, 20 ounces florets)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil for drizzling
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 Tablespoon olive oil or butter
• 1 onion, diced or sub 2 fat shallots)
• 6–8 garlic cloves, rough chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage (or 2 teaspoons dry sage, or sub rosemary or thyme)
Bechamel Sauce:
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk, hot
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4  teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ cup grated gruyere cheese- (or mozzarella -plus 3 Tablespoons for the top)
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan or pecorino
Optional Additions:
• ¼ cup crispy bacon bits, or crispy pancetta
• bread crumb topping

1.Preheat oven to 400 F.

2.Roast the Cauliflower: Cut cauliflower into bite size pieces, toss with olive oil (just enough to lightly coat) salt and pepper and place on one (or two) parchment-lined sheet pans ( in a single layer) and bake until tender and golden, about 20-25 minutes.

3.Saute the onions: In an extra large skillet saute the onion over med- high heat in olive oil until tender and fragrant, stirring often, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and sage and lower heat to medium and sauté 3-4 minutes, until fragrant, season with salt and pepper. Take your time here and make sure onion and garlic are golden and tender. Set aside.

4.Make the Bechamel Sauce: In a small pot, melt butter over medium heat. Stir until butter just begins to become golden and becomes nutty and fragrant. Add flour. Stir and cook flour for at least 1 minute. Whisk in ½ C hot milk making sure to whisk all the flour from the corners and sides of the pot. Add another ½ C milk, whisking well. Add the final cup of milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper and whisk constantly until mixture thickens and just comes to a simmer. Turn heat to low and whisk in cheese and set aside.

5.Assemble:  Use a greased, oven-proof 10 inch cast iron skillet,  8×11 inch baking dish or greased individual ramekins. Toss the roasted cauliflower with the Bechamel sauce and onions/garlic/ sage mixture. Taste for salt and pepper, adjusting to your liking.
6.Top with optional bread crumbs (see notes), optional crispy bacon or pancetta  (or vegan bacon bits) a few sage leaves or a little more cheese. You could refrigerate this overnight at this point if making ahead (perhaps not in the cast iron). If refrigerating, be sure to bring to room temp before baking.

7.Lower heat to 375 F and bake uncovered in the oven,  until golden and bubbly, about 20-25  minutes.

Version: Roast or steam some Broccoli instead, or in addition, to using the Cauliflower.

Welsh Lamb Paella

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4 people

Author Eb Gargano from https://www.easypeasyfoodie.com/lamb-paella/

Ingredients
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 Welsh lamb leg steaks (roughly 600g/1¼lbs)
• 2 litres hot lamb stock (I used 1 Knorr lamb stock cube)
• Pinch saffron
• 1 onion  sliced
• 1 red pepper  sliced
• 3 cloves garlic  crushed or grated
• ½ to 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes  (or to taste)
• 3 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 medium tomatoes  roughly chopped
• 300 g paella rice
• 100 g frozen peas
• 2 lemons  cut into quarters
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley  (plus extra for garnish)

• Place a griddle pan over a high heat and heat until smoking hot. Meanwhile drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over the lamb steaks and season well with salt and pepper. Rub the oil and seasoning into both sides.

• Place the lamb straight into the hot pan for 1 minute each side. Turn the heat down and cook for a further 1 minute each side (for medium-raror 2 more minutes each side (for well done). Remove the lamb leg steaks from the pan and rest for 10 minutes.

• Add the saffron to the hot lamb stock, stir thoroughly and set aside.

• Place the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large, wide frying pan and add the onion and red pepper. Cover with a lid and cook over a gentle heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• Remove the lid, turn down the heat and add the garlic, chilli and paprika. Cook for 1 more minute, stirring frequently

• Add the tomatoes, paella rice and lamb stock, plus a little black pepper (to taste). Bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 15 minutes, with the lid off.

• When the lamb has rested for 10 minutes, chop into bite-sized pieces

• After the paella has been cooking for 15 minutes, add the frozen peas and lamb pieces to the paella and cook for a further 3 minutes. By this time all the stock should have all been absorbed and the peas should be just cooked.

• Finally stir in the juice from 2 of the lemon quarters and the chopped parsley. Serve scattered with more parsley and with the remaining lemon quarters.


Playing with Garlic

From Chef John Nash

A simple way of taming garlic’s sometimes dominating flavor is to roast, poach, or toast it first.  When you cut into raw garlic you break the cell walls and it immediately begins to oxidize.  A product of that oxidation is the development of hot, often funky flavors that can overpower a dish. By applying heat, the enzymes that account for those flavors are neutralized, and the garlic will remain sweet and delicate.  This is especially important for things like pesto which often is made in big batches and stored refrigerated or frozen for later use.  You definitely don’t want the garlic to take over down the road.  With all of these methods, garlic can be stored in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container for at least a week.

To Roast Garlic:  Slice off the top quarter or so of each garlic head to expose the cloves.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Loosely but completely wrap each head in a piece of foil and roast in a preheated 400-degree oven or until garlic is very soft and lightly browned, about 45 minutes or so.  To use simply squeeze the buttery soft garlic out of the head just like you’d do toothpaste.

To Poach garlic: Separate cloves but don’t peel.  Place in a small saucepan and cover with at least ½ inch of cold water.  Place on stove over high heat and bring to a boil.  As soon as water boils, drain and repeat process one more time.  Rinse to cool off cloves and now easily remove husk.

To Toast garlic:  Separate the cloves and place them unpeeled in a dry sauté pan over moderate heat.  Shake and turn them occasionally until the cloves develop toasty brown spots on the skin.  Remove, cool and the skin will easily slip off.  The additional benefit of this method is that you’ve added a lovely toasty flavor to the garlic.

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Garlic over a naked flame - Another technique I saw on TV the other week is to get some cloves over a naked flame on the hob. I use a metal BBQ fish thing that sandwiches the garlic and holds it in place and makes it easy to flip over.
Get the unpeeled cloves blackened, and chop them as is for a wonderfully smokey garlic flavour.

Italian Chicken and Cauliflower Bake

* 5 tsp. tomato paste
* 5 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
* 1 tsp. dijon mustard
* 1/4 to 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
* 1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
* 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
* salt
* coarse black pepper
* One medium head of cauliflower
* 4 large chicken breasts (about 1 lb. total)

1 Preheat oven to 425ºF.

2 In a large bowl whisk together the tomato paste, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and dijon mustard. Note that the olive oil will not fully incorporate. That’s o.k.. Add 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the oregano, garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper.

3 Break a head of cauliflower into florets and add them to the tomato paste mixture. Stir using a spatula to make sure the sauce is getting onto the cauliflower, which should end up stained red. Use the spatula to transfer all the cauliflower and sauce to a large baking sheet, spreading the cauliflower around the outside of the pan.

4 Cut the chicken breasts in half width-wise. Put them in the middle of the pan in a single layer. Brush them with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkled with the Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of coarse black pepper.

5 Roast until cauliflower is darkened in spots and is tender-crisp when stuck with a fork and the chicken is cooked through to 165ºF, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle everything with remaining Parmesan cheese to serve.