Cauliflower cheese is such a wonderful comfort dish loved by all, this curried cauliflower cheese pie recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi from his book Shelf Love is absolutely delicious and makes a great supper dish served with a side salad.
Crispy filo pastry is filled with curried cauliflower in an oozy cheese sauce, the ultimate comfort dish. Feel free to play with the ingredients, use puff pastry or shortcrust if preferred (adjust cooking times accordingly) swap out the cheddar for any oozy cheese or add a bit more spice if desired with a bit of chilli powder.
Ingredients:
1 - large cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-size florets (700g)
2 tsp - mild curry powder
3 tbsp - olive oil
100g - unsalted butter, 50g cut into roughly 3cm cubes and 50g melted
75g - plain flour
675ml - whole milk
2 - garlic cloves, crushed
1½ tbsp - English mustard
150g - mature cheddar, roughly grated
6 - sheets of good-quality filo pastry
salt and black pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Line the bottom and sides of a 23cm springform cake tin with baking parchment.
Put the cauliflower on a large, parchment-lined baking tray and toss with the curry powder, half the oil, ½ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, until cooked through and lightly coloured. Set aside, and turn the oven temperature down to 170°C fan.
1 large cauliflower cut into bite-sized florets, 2 tsp mild curry powder, 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, good grind of black pepper |
Meanwhile, make the béchamel. Put the cubed butter into a medium saucepan on a medium-high heat and, once melted, whisk in the flour and cook for 1–2 minutes – it should start to smell nutty (like popcorn). Turn the heat down to medium and slowly add the milk a little at a time, whisking continuously to prevent any lumps, until incorporated and the sauce is smooth. Cook, whisking often, for about 7 minutes, until thickened slightly. Off the heat, stir in the garlic, mustard, cheese and ¼ teaspoon of salt until the cheese has melted.
50g cubed butter, 75g plain flour, 675ml whole milk, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 1/2 tbsp English mustard, 150g cheese, 1/4 tsp salt |
Keep your filo sheets under a damp tea towel to prevent them from drying out. In a bowl, combine the melted butter and the remaining 1½ tablespoons of oil and keep to one side.
Working one sheet at a time, brush the exposed side of the filo with the butter mixture and drape it into your prepared tin (buttered side up), pushing it down gently to fit. Continue in this way with the next filo sheet, brushing it with butter and then laying it over the bottom sheet, rotating it slightly so the overhang drapes over the sides at a different angle. Do this with all six sheets.
50g melted butter, 1 1/2 tbsps olive oil, 6 sheets of filo pastry |
Spoon half the béchamel into the base and top with the roasted cauliflower florets. Spoon over the remaining béchamel, then crimp up the overhang so that it creates a messy ‘scrunched-up’ border around the edges, leaving the centre of the pie exposed.
Brush the top of the filo border with the remaining butter mixture, then transfer the tin to a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes.
Using a tea towel to help you, carefully release the outer circle of the springform tin and return the pie to the oven for another 20–25 minutes, or until the sides are nicely coloured and everything is golden and bubbling. Leave to settle for 15 minutes before serving.
Can be served as it is or sprinkled with roughly chopped parsley and some finely grated lemon zest.
Yotam Ottolenghi's books are available to buy at any good bookshop or on Amazon, if you are interested in buying his book Shelf Love or any other cookbook, please click 'here'
Thank you -Jacqui
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