Cauliflower Augratin

For the 3rd day of Baked Vegetables, here is a cheesy, yet easy recipe with cauliflower. I originally thought of making just roasted cauliflowers, but then the weather wanted something more, so topped it some white sauce and cheddar. It was a delectable dish and fitted my lunch bill perfectly. I just had a tall glass of buttermilk after this and i was full till my dinner.

You can very well experiment with the spices. I just kept it simple, by adding just red chili powder and pepper powder. A sprinkle of oregano and basil might also jazz up the dish.

Ingredients (Serves 3)

2 cups of cauliflower florets

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon red chili powder

½ teaspoon freshly pounded black pepper

salt to taste

For the White sauce

½ cup milk

1.5 tablespoon wheat flour

1 tablespoon butter

½ teaspoon freshly pounded pepper powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Method

Blanch the florets in hot water for 5 -10 minutes. Drain completely. Spread them on a baking tray. Toss with olive oil, red chili, pepper and salt.
Preheat the oven to 180C and bake the florets for 45-50 minutes or until the tops turn brown and crisp.
While the cauliflower is roasting, let's prepare the white sauce. Take milk, butter, flour together in a sauce-pan. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens. Add pepper powder and salt, Mix well and take it off from the stove. Let it cool completely before using it in the bake.

Once the florets are baked, take it out of the oven. You can either bake this in a single baking dish or use 3 small pie -dishes for the same.

I used pie-dishes. First spread 2 tablespoon of white sauce to the base of pan. Divide the florets into 3 pans. To the remaining white sauce, add the shredded cheese, mix well. Divide the sauce among the 3 pans. Top the florets with the sauce. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of black pepper powder on top.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Bake the dish for 23-25 minutes or until the cheese turn bubbly and browns on top. Take it off the oven, let it come down comfortable heat. serve warm.

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