Zucchini Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini, washed, dried and sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 medium carrot peeled and coarsely grated
- 1 tin (10 3/4 oz) of Campbell's cream of chicken soup, undiluted (305g)
- 1 cup of sour cream (120g)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 TBS melted butter
- 2 1/4 cups of bread stuffing cubes, or (In the UK) 2 1/4 cups of lightly crushed seasoned croutons (I like the herb and garlic ones)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Lightly butter a 1 litre baking dish and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet on top of the stove and add a few TBS of water. Add the zucchini and lightly sauté until crispy tender. Add the onion for the last five minutes of cooking so that it gets tender as well. Drain well in a colander.
- Put the drained vegetables into a large bowl and mix together with the grated carrot. Stir in the cream soup and the sour cream. Season with a bit of salt and pepper to taste.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Toss with the bread stuffing cubes to coat.
- Layer half of the buttered crumbs in the bottom of the baking dish.
- Pour the zucchini mixture over top and then layer the rest of the buttered crumbs on top.
- Cover tightly with tinfoil and then bake it in the heated oven for approximately 45 to 50 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes or until the zucchini is tender and the casserole is bubbly and nicely browned.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before serving. Delicious!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
I don't know why I had avoided it really. I guess I thought it might be a bit silly. In any case I fell in love with the show and have been watching it ever since.
The characters in it actually reminded me very much of my brother and his friends when they were in high school in many ways. They were all science nerds!
One of my favourite episodes is where Sheldon decides he is going to prolong his life by taking certain steps. One of them was declaring that every Thursday night is going to be cruciferous vegetable night! As one might suppose this does not exactly go to plan!
Cruciferous veggies are a diverse group that includes broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, bok choy, arugula, Brussels sprouts, collards, watercress and, surprisingly, radishes.
While these all may seem quite different in size, shapes and colours, they do share quite a few health benefits.Most cruciferous vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals such as folate and vitamin K.
Dark green cruciferous veggies also are a source of vitamins A and C and contain phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are plant-based compounds that may help to lower inflammation and reduce the risk of developing cancer.
They are also rich in fibre and low in calories, a quality which helps you to feel full and satisfied without overly indulging! Of course adding a rich cheese sauce somewhat adds a bit in fat and calories but what a delicious way to go!
Most cruciferous vegetables go very well with a lovely cheese sauce. I am not sure about radishes. Somehow the thought of radishes in a cheese sauce doesn't really appeal, but that's not to say that it wouldn't be delicious.
They are awfully good in salads however, which does go for most cruciferous vegetables I have to say. When it comes to cheese however, I don't think you can get much better than Cauliflower or Broccoli Cheese!
Or, in this case, Cauliflower & Broccoli Cheese! Yummo!!
Crispy tender pieces of cauliflower and broccoli, bathed in a lush cheese sauce and baked until the whole thing is bubbling and golden brown. What could be bad about that!
Today I used these little mini heads of both. They're so cute. They look just like baby heads of broccoli and caulifower!
I cooked them until just tender to the tip of a knife in some lightly salted boiling water. Then I drained them well and cut each in half. DO make sure you drain them well or you will end up with a soggy result.
It doesn't take long. Pop them into the water. Bring back to the boil and then cook for just a few minutes longer maximum. You want them to still have a bit of a bite.
For the cheese sauce you want to use a really good cheddar. I use a nice strong farmhouse cheddar. It is the kind of cheese you won't mind eating on its own with some crackers and it is excellent in a sauce such as this.
The important thing is to use a cheese that is well flavoured. You won't want to use a mamby pamby cheese. You want to be able to taste it.
I always add a touch of mustard and cayenne to my cheese sauces. It truly makes a difference.
These two ingredients make cheese sauces taste even cheesier. I am not sure how that works, but it works very well, just like magic.
Of course you can use just broccoli or just cauliflower in this. It does not have to be both. It will truly be delicious either way.
This makes for a very lush side dish for any main meal and an excellent main dish for a vegetarian. Its delicious and lush no matter how you serve it.
Cauliflower & Broccoli Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 very small cauliflower, trimmed
- 2 very small broccoli crown, trimmed
- salt and pepper
- 1 clove
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 small onion, peeled
- 2 1/2 cups (600ml) of milk
- 2 TBS butter
- 2 TBS all purpose flour
- 2/3 cup (150ml)of single cream
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
- 1 2/3 cup (7 ounces) grated strong cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 TBS grated strong cheddar cheese
Instructions
- First make the cheese sauce. Attach the bayleaf to the onion with the clove, pressing the clove through the bayleaf and into the onion. Place in a saucepan along with the milk and the cream. Warm the milk mixture slowly to a simmer. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to infuse with the flavours of the studded onion for 15 minutes. At the end of that time, strain the onion out. (reserve the onion)
- Melt the butter for the sauce in a clean saucepan. Whisk in the flour and dry mustard powder, and cook over low heat for several minutes. Whisk in the warm milk, a little at a time, until the mixture forms a smooth bechamel sauce.
- Add the onion again and allow to cook, over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes. At the end of that time it should be lovely and thick and rich. Scoop out the onion and discard.
- Season to taste with some salt and pepper, and the cayenne. Whisk in the cheese until it melts. Set aside and keep warm.
- Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the cauliflower and broccoli. Cook just until tender. This should only take a few minutes, leaving a slight bite. Drain off the water. Season with some salt and black pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Spoon a little of the cheese sauce into an ovenproof dish. Arrange the cauliflower and broccoli on top. Pour the remaining cheese sauce over top to coat. Sprinkle with the additional cheese.
- Place in the oven to melt and colour for 10 to 15 minutes. It should be nicely browned and bubbling. Enjoy!
I could quite happy sit down with a plate of this and nothing else. If you are not fond of cauliflower, simply use all broccoli. If you don't like broccoli, use all cauliflower. If you cannot find the miniature heads of these vegetables use a small sized head of each, broken into florets. You can add buttered breadcrumbs to the top if you wish.
With the leftovers I made a delicious soup. Simply add the leftovers to a saucepan with chicken or vegetable stock to barely cover. Bring to a simmer and heat through. Puree with an immersion blender or in a regular blender (carefully). Enjoy!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I have long said that my favourite potato is the humble potato. That seems kind of fitting I suppose, seeing as I was born on Prince Edward Island, which is the potato capital of Canada! They grow a lot of potatoes on PEI!
But I so wanted to get it, to enjoy it too. I was not ready to give up on it just yet. I couldn't understand why so many people waxed poetic about it. I wanted to be able to do the same.
And so I kept with it, persistently. Periodically trying a new recipe to see if I might not come up with something that I enjoyed. I so wanted to be able to taste what it was that other people were tasting.
A few weeks back I saw a video on Tasty for what looked like a really pretty ratatouille. It was composed of a sauce that was cooked first on top of the stove and then layered in a dish.
Next they added layers of thinly sliced rounds of vegetables to the top. They were arranged so prettily. It looked like a picture.
They drizzled a basil oil over top and then covered it tightly and baked it, until the vegetables were meltingly tender. It looked quite promising.
This week I added all of the vegetables to my grocery order so that I could make it. I bought myself some fresh yellow and green courgettes (zucchini) and ripe roma tomatoes. I also bought some baby aubergine (eggplant).
I did not want to make a full recipe, as I knew it would be far too much for us to conceivably eat. We do not have the appetites these days that we used to have in the old days.
Instead of their suggested topping for the vegetables I created one of my own using basil pesto, olive oil and a splash of Balsamic vinegar. I cannot think of anything that doesn't taste much better when having added a bit of Balsamic vinegar to it.
It looked as pretty as a picture before it went into the oven. I was so pleased with how it looked. I was almost dancing around the room. If this tasted even half as good when done as it looked before baking, we were in for a real treat!
I envisioned this beautiful pie dish of ratatouille coming from the oven. We eat first with our eyes after all, and it did smell quite lovely when it was baking.
Hmmm . . . it came out looking a bit like a dog's dinner I am sad to say. LOL I had to laugh when I saw it. Where was the visual appeal?
Anyways, I dutifully scattered some fresh basil over top and took some photos. If I am honest, and I always am, I wasn't feeling very hopeful.
To say I was more than a tad bit disappointed in how it looked is a bit of an understatement. The proof of the pudding is in the eating however, so I was reserving my judgement for that.
Even though there was a huge part of me that was thinking that if this looked this nasty, then it was going to taste nasty also. Admittedly it looked quite a bit better once I broke through and spooned some of it onto a plate.
But how would it taste . . . I held my breath. I had some lovely fresh French Bread that I had been saving to dip into it when it was done.
Admittedly, I hate to waste food. Fresh vegetables are somewhat expensive, even at this time of year when they are plentiful. If you don't have a garden, you are at the mercy of the shops.
I have to say the fresh veg I have been getting from Ocado have been really nice. They cost a bit more than Asda, but quality speaks for itself, and I have been more than happy with everything. They have now partnered with M&S and M&S is quality.
I spooned some out onto the plate. It didn't look half bad. It smelled gorgeous if I don't say so myself. I was feeling rather hopeful.
I had my crusty bread at the ready. Was I going to be happy? Was I finally going to see why people wax lyrical about Ratatouille?
I was pleasantly surprised just by what it looked like spooned onto my plate. It actually looked so good that my tastebuds started to tingle . . .
It was filled with colour and texture. It smelled amazing. I was beginning to be hopeful.
I spooned some onto my bread. I did not butter the bread. I did not want my palate for the ratatouille spoiled by my love of butter. I wanted to try it completely unadulterated . . .
I did toy with the idea of toasting my bread, but in the end, I left it in its natural crusty state. I am happy that I did.
This was amazingly delicious! I was really pleased. The zucchini and the eggplant were properly tender. The tomatoes melted in the mouth . . .
There was none of the bitterness that you can sometimes get from both zucchini and eggplant. Both were somewhat buttery, almost sweet and somewhat indulgent.
The flavour of the sauce that was on the bottom perfectly enhanced and had flavoured everything. The pesto/balsamic mixture I had sprinkled on top had done its job perfectly.
The crusty bread was perfect without butter. It did a beautiful job of mopping everything up. I did what I had not done in a very long time. I went in for seconds.
Baked Ratatouille for Two
Ingredients:
- 1 14-oz (400g) tin of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
- 1/2 small red bell pepper, trimmed and chopped
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 6 basil leaves chopped
- 1 medium green zucchini (courgette) thinly sliced, 1/8 inch thick
- 1 medium yellow zucchini (courgette) thinly sliced, 1/8 inch thick
- 1 very small egg plant (aubergine), trimmed and thinly sliced, 1/8 inch thick
- 2 roma tomatoes, cored and thinly sliced, 1/8 inch thick
- fine sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 TBS basil pesto
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- torn basil leaves to garnish
- crusty French bread to serve
Instructions:
- Begin by making the sauce. Add the oil to a saucepan. Add the peppers, onions and garlic. Sweat over medium heat, stirring frequently for 4 to 5 minutes until tender. Add the tomatoes and seasonings. Simmer for about 15 minutes until nicely thickened. (This is important as the vegetables will give out more liquid in the oven and you don't want them to dilute the sauce too much.) Pour into an 8 inch pie dish, smoothing over the top. Place on a baking tray.
- Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.
- Arrrange the sliced vegetables decoratively over top of the tomato sauce, pushing them down into it a bit.
- Whisk together the pesto, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Drizzle this over top of the vegetables in the baking dish. Cover tightly with aluminium foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are meltingly tender.
- Serve warm or at room temperature, garnish with fresh basil and with some fresh French bread to help mop all of it up. Delicious!
notes:
I am really pleased that I decided not to give up on ratatouille. If you have never tried it before, I really hope that you will. Especially now when we have an abundance of fresh zucchini and tomatoes to work with! Thanks so much for visiting. Do come
Tandoori Cauliflower
Ingredients:
- 1 medium cauliflower, leaves trimmed off and discarded
- 125g plain thick unsweetened yogurt (1/2 cup)
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
- 1 TBS of grated ginger
- 1 TBS of tandoori spice (see note below)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 TBS light olive oil
- Thinned yogurt
- red chili flakes
- lime wedges
- steamed jasmine rice
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line a baking tray with some aluminium foil. Spray lightly with low fat cooking spray. Set aside.
- Trim the cauliflower and cut 3 (1/2 inch thick) steaks out of the centre, slicing down horizontally. Break the remainder into florets.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet.
- Whisk together the yogurt and all of the spices and seasonings. Dip the cauliflower steaks into this mixture on both sides. Place cut sides down into the hot oil. Cook for 1 minute per side, flipping them over. Remove to the baking sheet. Take the cauliflower florets and stir them into the remaining yogurt mixture and scatter them over the baking tray.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the point of a sharp knife slips easily without much force into the cauliflower.
- Serve hot with hot steamed rice. Drizzle with some thinned yogurt and red chilies (optional) and accompanied with lime wedges for squeezing over top. Delicious!
notes:
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