Whole cauliflower cheese with crispy onions, herbs & pomegranate
Even though this dish from Zoë Simons is meant to be a side, it always steals the show. It’s also a fantastic centrepiece for a vegetarian meal if you leave out the parmesan. For the sauce, combine Cheddar and parmesan with creamy mascarpone to make it rich and indulgent. The final touch is some crunch from crispy fried onions, sage and cauliflower leaves, and a sprinkle of jewel-coloured pomegranate seeds to contrast with the creamy sauce.
- Serves6 as a side, 4 as a main
- CourseSide
- Prepare5 mins
- Cook1 hr
- Total time1 hr 5 mins
Ingredients
- 1 large cauliflower
- 4 tbsp olive oil, for drizzling and frying
- 100g butter
- ½ x 20g pack sage
- 50g plain flour
- 400ml skimmed milk
- 250g tub mascarpone
- 200g Essential Medium Cheddar, grated
- 80g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
- 25g pack flat leaf parsley, leaves chopped
- 50g Cooks' Ingredients Crispy Fried Onions
- 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4. Remove the cauliflower leaves and put onto a baking tray with 1 tbsp oil and a pinch of salt. Rub the oil over the leaves and roast for around 15 minutes, or until crispy.
Put the cauliflower into a roasting tin. Melt half the butter in a medium saucepan with 4 chopped sage leaves. Baste the cauliflower in the sage butter until fully coated, then roast for 45 minutes, until just cooked through.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Melt the remaining butter in the same pan, then add the flour and cook out in the butter, stirring, for around 4 minutes. Slowly stir in the milk, then the mascarpone. Keep stirring until the sauce starts to simmer – you may need to add 100ml milk later if it’s too thick to pour. Stir in the cheeses, remove from the heat, then season to taste with ground white pepper and salt.
To make the crispy sage leaves, add 3 tbsp olive oil to a frying pan. Add about 12 whole sage leaves and fry for a few minutes until they stop sizzling and turn a slightly darker green. Place on some kitchen towel to drain – the leaves will crisp as they get cold.
For the topping, mix the crispy sage leaves with the parsley and crispy onions.
Briefly reheat the cauliflower leaves in the oven. Place the cauliflower on a serving plate and pour over the cheese sauce. Scatter the cauliflower leaves around, then top the cauliflower with some crispy topping and pomegranate seeds. Serve the remaining topping and pomegranate seeds alongside.
Nutritional
Typical values per serving (for 4 as a main) when made using specific products in recipe
Energy | 4,423kJ/ 1,067kcals |
|---|---|
Fat | 88g |
Saturated Fat | 50g |
Carbohydrates | 34g |
Sugars | 15g |
Fibre | 5.6g |
Protein | 33g |
Salt | 1.6g |