Thursday, June 26, 2014

broccoli and cauliflower casserole

I wanted to make a broccoli and cauliflower casserole for Jadelyn's birthday party.

Since I knew that Paula Deen has some pretty tasty casserole dishes, I decided to have a look to see if I could find something suitable. I did find a pretty good broccoli and cauliflower casserole recipe but I made some changes to it because I also wanted to incorporate roasted garlic into my casserole. For a step-by-step guide on how to roast garlic, see here.
If you are thinking of ways to get your kids to eat vegetables, this is a brilliant recipe for you to try. You can hide all sorts of vegetables in this, really, but broccoli and/or cauliflower work really well here.

I started by roasting the garlic and once it had cooled, I squeezed the garlic cloves into a bowl.
I used a fork to mash the garlic. This was then set aside.
I didn't have any panko breadcrumbs so I made my own by blitzing wholemeal bread in my food processor.
I also grated tasty Cheddar and Gruyere and mixed 1/3 of the cheese with the bread crumbs.
I cut the cauliflower and broccoli into thin slices. They were blanched in boiling water for 2 minutes, then drained and set aside.
In a hot Dutch oven, I melted some butter. Into this, I added flour and stirred.
 I added the milk slowly, stirring all the while.
Once the milk had thickened, I added the garlic and nutmeg.
Finally I added the remaining 2/3 of the cheese, along with Parmesan cheese and stirred until combined.
I seasoned with salt and lots of black pepper.

I ladled some of this sauce into my casserole dish. Then I layered the cauliflower and broccoli. And finally I topped this with another layer of the sauce.
I topped this with the cheese and breadcrumbs. I also grated some black pepper over the top.
This was baked for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the topped had turned golden brown and the sauce was bubbling.
I'd suggest that you wait a little before you start eating this as it tends to be very hot.
But I would also totally understand if you couldn't wait.

I couldn't.

:)

A giveaway!
I have tons of kitchen equipment and one of the things I cannot do without when I cook or bake are my measuring cups. Not just any old measuring cups, mind you. OXO Good Grips Angled Measuring Cups! A patented angled surface lets you read measurement markings by looking straight down into the Cup and eliminates the need to fill, check and adjust the amount of liquid you are measuring. The handle is soft and non-slip for a firm grip, and cup, ounce and milliliter measurement markings increase convenience. The set includes 1-cup, 2-cup and 4-cup versions.

To take part, click on the picture above!

RECIPE
Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole (Serves 6-8)
Adapted from Paula Deen

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, small chopped - I substituted with 3 heads of roasted garlic
1/2 cup mushroom, any kind - I omitted this
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk - I used 2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup sour cream - I omitted this
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
1/2 cup tasty Cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 cups broccoli florets, fresh and steamed crisp-tender - I par-boiled for 2 minutes in salted boiling water
4 cups cauliflower florets, fresh and steamed until crisp-tender - I par-boiled for 2 minutes in salted boiling water
1 cup panko breadcrumbs - I used fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted - I omitted this
Note: I added 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (176.6°C).
2. Lightly grease an 11x7 inch baking dish. (I used individual casserole dishes)
3. In large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
4. Add onion and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. (I omitted this)
5. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly.
6. Gradually stir in milk and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until mixture thickens.
7. Stir in sour cream, cheese, salt, and pepper, stirring until smooth. (I replaced the sour cream with mashed roasted garlic and nutmeg)
8. Stir in broccoli and cauliflower and spoon into prepared baking dish. (I layered the sauce with the vegetables)
9. In small bowl, combine panko and melted butter.
10. Sprinkle evenly over casserole.
11. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown and casserole is hot and bubbly.
12. Serve immediately.

This post is linked to Cook like a Star, Paula Deen and the Deen Brothers organised by me the Domestic Goddess Wannabe, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids.
Want to cook or bake like Paula Deen or the Deen Brothers? To join, simply cook or bake any recipe from their websites or cookbooks and link with us at this (Joyce's), this (Zoe's) or this (Diana's), post for the whole of June 2014.

To use this linky tool, please make sure that:
(1) Your post is posted in June 2014.
(2) Please mention Cook like a Star in your post and link back to us at Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe, Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and Joyce from Kitchen Flavours.

For more details, please see this.

I am also linking this post to Little Thumbs Up, hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY, and Jozelyn of Spice Up My Kitchen.




7 comments:

  1. Hi Diana! I love cauliflower and broccoli mostly in stir fries. I'll have to skip this casserole as I am not very fond of cheese. But I have to tell you that the casserole looks very tasty. I wouldn't mind trying just one bite. Who knows it might lead to another!

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  2. Hi Diana,

    I love this combination of cheese, garlic, cauliflower and broccoli in your casserole and I wouldn't wait to eat this too :D

    Burning throat? Ouch!

    Zoe

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    Replies
    1. LOL, never mind the burning throat. T'was too yummy!

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  3. wow...this dish looks really yummy! I am a fan of cheese....I have never try casserole before, but I like the way how to "bake" the garlic...
    Thanks for sharing this dish with LTU, Diana!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jozelyn, I think cheese and garlic might as well go get married since they go so well together!

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  4. Hi Diana,
    Such a delicious dish! We love both cauliflower and broccoli, so this dish would be a total winner in my house! Yummy!

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