The Cooking Ninja

Cauliflower Gratin (Gratin de Chou-fleur) is one of the classic French gratin dish - a casual dish in every French family. It's another great way to eat this veggie besides eating it simply boiled, fried, steamed or even raw.

Cauliflower has very high nutritional density: obviously low in fat, it's also high in dietary fiber and an excellent source of vitamin B5, B6, C and folate. It also contains sulforaphane, which has anti-cancer properities. So to make it short, it's supposed to be healthier than fries and you should eat some. There, I said it

How to Select and Store

Season: December to March. Look for clean, creamy white and compact curd, while avoiding spotted or dull-coloured ones or those that have small flowers on them. Uncooked cauliflower can be stored up to a week if kept in a paper or plastic bag, preferably upside down to get any moisture out of it.

This recipe is also an entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by The Expatriate's Kitchen.

Cauliflower Gratin

Ingredients

• 1 cauliflower (trimmed and separated into florets)
• For the Béchamel Sauce :
  • 30 g plain flour
  • 30 g butter or margarine
  • ½ litre milk
  • salt, nutmeg & pepper

Directions

1. Cook the cauliflower in a pot of boiling salted water for about 20 minutes or until soft (according to your preference). Drained and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven at 180°C (350°F - gas mark 4)
3. Spread the cauliflower in a baking dish, pour the béchamel sauce all over it. Sprinkle generously grated cheese on top.
4. Bake it for about 15 to 20 minutes or just 5 minutes under grill mode until the top is golden brown.

To prepare the Béchamel sauce

1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan at medium heat. Make sure that the butter doesn't turn brown.
2. Add the flour into the melted butter and stir it vigorously with a whisk. Continue to stir vigorously until you obtain a mousse like mixture.
3. Stir in the milk a little at a time (make sure it's well incorporated), vigorously to avoid getting lumps.
4. When about half the milk is in, switch to a balloon whisk and start adding large amounts of milk instead, but always whisking briskly. Your reward will be a smooth, glossy, creamy sauce.
5. Whisk it until it thickens, then turn the heat down to its lowest setting.
6. Season it with salt, nutmeg and pepper.
7. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes (whisk it from time to time) and then remove from heat.

The Verdict

I'm a big fan of cauliflower, I love the naturally sweet, milky and slightly nutty flavor of the plant. Combine this with the béchamel sauce and grilled cheesy top and you get some extra 'oomph' that will encourage children (or adults who aren't keen on eating vegetetables) to give it a go. My picky 1 year old loves it very much.

Notes

For an additional crunch, sprinkle some bread crumbs on top of the grated cheese before baking it in the oven.

Heat up the leftover in the oven at 180°C for about 10 minutes. I usually do it the lazy way - just pop it in the microwave oven.

Bibimbap (literally means "mixed rice" or "mixed meal" ) is one of most popular dish in Korea - a simple yet highly nutritious meal incorporating a variety of different vegetables along with beef and egg. In many parts of Korea, they also serve a vegetarian version, as well as another variation called dolsot bibimbap ("dolsot" meaning "stone pot" ) - served in an iron or stone pot or bowl with a raw egg on top of it. The bottom of the pot is then coated with sesame oil making the layer of the rice touching the bowl golden brown and crispy.

My Korean friend Sol-Yi, who introduced me to Gochujang Bulgoki, also prepared Bibimbap for my Japanese friend Yumi and I for lunch in her tiny student apartment. It was simple yet filling, nutritious and delicious. Both of us loved this dish immediately. Since then, I have made it a few times at home and as I change the ingredients, each time the taste of my Bibimbap is unique and different.

Bibimbap

(Sol-Yi's receipe)

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 1 carrot (cut in thin sticks)
• 1 zucchini (cut into thin sticks)
• ½ yellow bell pepper (sliced)
• 125 g ground beef
• 2 eggs
• Gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
• Salt, pepper & sesame Oil
• a pot of Japanese or round rice

Directions

1. Marinate the ground beef with a bit of sesame oil and salt or light soya sauce and pepper.
2. Heat the wok with a bit of oil, stir-fry the carrot till cooked. Do the same with zucchini and bell pepper.
3. Heat the wok with some oil, fry the eggs sunny side up.
4. Lastly stir-fry the ground beef with a bit of oil.
5. Scoop some cooked rice in a large bowl, put the egg in the centre, then arrange the vegetables and the meat around the egg.
6. Serve it hot with a spoonful of Gochujang and a drop of sesame oil (optional). Mix (stir) them all together well and enjoy !
7. Add more Gochujang if needed according to one's taste.

Conclusions

Hehehe... when you mix it up, it really doesn't look that appetizing but it is truly delicious. Normally I always put some bean sprouts in my Bibimbap but this time, I decided to try out with the bell pepper. It gives a different taste but still delicious. I have yet to try it with mushrooms and other chinese vegetables.

Notes

What I like about this dish is its versatility - you can use any type of vegetables. You can turn this dish into totally vegetarian or you can include some meat. Some of the vegetables commonly used in bibimbap include julienned cucumber, zucchini, carrot, mu (white radish), mushrooms, doraji(bellflower root), and nori, as well as spinach, bean sprouts, and gosari (bracken fern stems). Dubu (tofu), either plain or sauteed, or a leaf of lettuce may also be added, and beef can be substituted with chicken or seafood.