Cauliflower crumble

Time for another vegetarian recipe!  I really liked this cauliflower dish: 

   -  despite the lengthy description, it is quite easy and requires about 15 minutes of active cooking

   -  it is light, flavourful, and filling

   -  it keeps and reheats nicely, making left-overs ideal for a next-day-lunch.

Original recipe comes from one of my French cookbooks: "Les indispensable plats végétariens" so most of the measurements are in grams - I provided conversions in bracket.

What you need

1 cauliflower, separated in medium sized florets

2 tsp of oil (sunflower, olive or any of your favorite)

25 g of flour (it's a little bit less than 1/4 cup)

350 ml of milk (about 1 1/2 cups)

325 g can of corn, drained

2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

1 tsp fresh thyme, minced

140 g grated Emmental cheese (could be replaced by cheddar, Parmesan, or even mozzarella)

Crumble

55 g flour (a little bit less than 1/2 cup)

25 g butter (a little bit less than 2 tablespoons)

25 g rolled oats

about 25 almonds, crushed (I used a mix of walnuts and hazelnuts instead)

What to do

• Preheat the oven to 375F
• Boil cauliflower for 5-7 minutes.  Let cool.  Reserve the water. (I roasted my cauliflower instead of boiling)
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan.  Add flour and keep stirring for one minute.
• Remove from heat, add milk and 1/2 cup of cauliflower water, mix well. (I replace water by an equal amount of homemade vegetable broth)
• Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the mix to boil.  Cook for 3-5 minutes, until it thickens and, once again, remove from heat.
• Add corn, parsley, thyme, and half of the cheese - mix well.  Taste the filling and add salt and pepper to taste.
• Gently mix in cooked cauliflower florets. 
• Laden the filling into the cooking dish (I used a square 9x9 one).

• The topping
• The easiest way to make the topping is to pulse butter and flour in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• If you do not want to get your food processor out, you can mix flour and butter with your hands.  
• Once you achieve the coarse crumb consistency, add oats, remaining cheese and nuts.

• Spread the topping evenly over the cauliflower mixture
• Bake crumble for 30-40 minutes.
  

Tips and Suggestions: 

Like many other recipes, this one could be used as a base for your own creation: use different vegetables and spices to create a taste you like.

For an interesting presentation, bake individual portions in small oven-proof forms. 

“Three Sister Casserole” with Pumpkin Pesto.

From Vegetarian Times

The colder days are here and it is time to cook in the oven. I made this casserole Saturday night. I used pumpkin instead of squash, and white kidney beans instead of pinto beans. The result was mmmmmmmmm yammyyyyyyy.

Note: My squash mix was pretty liquid. I hesitated, but pour the leftover “juice” before covering with the second layer of polenta. The result was very good.

A Native American expression “three sisters” refers to the practice of growing beans, corn, and squash together. This filling casserole can be frozen for an upcoming party or made fresh for diner.
 

Image from Vegetarian Times

Polenta Topping
1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal

1 tbsp chili powder

¾ tsp salt

Filling
3 tbsp olive oil divided

1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 large yellow or red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch dice (about 1 cup)

1 lb kabocha (sweet mama) squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 2 cups)

1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes with chilies

2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp)

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp salt
1 15-oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

To make the topping: 

• Whisk together cornmeal, chili powder, salt and 4½ cups water in double boiler, or in the large metal bowl over barely simmering water (bain maraine)
• Cook 40 minutes, or until polenta is thick and stiff, stirring 3 or 4 times
• Remove from heat

To make the filling

• Preheat oven to 375F. 
• Heat 2 Tbs. oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and cook 7 minutes, or until soften, stirring often
• Add bell pepper and cook 5 more minutes, stirring often
• Stir in squash, tomatoes, garlic, coriander and cumin. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in ½ cup of water and salt. Bring mixture to boil, reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, 10-15 minutes, or until squash is tender
• Stir in beans and corn, and cook 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally
• Coat 8x11-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 2 cups polenta over bottom.
• Spoon squash mixture over polenta. Smooth remaining polenta (~ 2½ cups) over top
• Score casserole into 6 squares with knife. Brush top with remaining 1 Tbs. oil. Bake 30 minutes, or until heated through and top is lightly browned.

Pumpkin Seed Pesto.

The pumpkin oil tends to be expensive (mine was ~12$ for a small bottle). The recipe advices to substitute it with olive oil.

1 cup unsalted hulled (green) pumpkin seeds

1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
½ cup toasted pumpkin seed oil
¼ cup fresh lime juice

1 tsp salt
Pinch cayenne

• Toast pumpkin seeds in a large skillet over the medium heat 4-5 minutes, or until puffed and golden, stirring constantly
• Transfer seeds to food processor. Add remaining ingredients, and process until smooth.
• Store in airtight container in a refrigerator for up to a week.

Yield: 1 cup