1 bundle broccoli
1 head cauliflower
2 sticks butter or margarine
4 tblsps sifted all purpose flour
3 pints milk
8 oz. cheddar cheese
Seasoning: basil, sage, clove, marjoram, dill leaf, garlic powder,
salt
Russet potatoes (>10 lb bag)
(serves 8-12)
This is a rather mild
recipe with a wide variety of nutrients. It is a variation of a
standard cheddar white sauce, loaded with broccoli and cauliflower.
It's a great single dish dinner, ideal for a cold night before the
television and your favorite movie or sports event with the gang.
The recipe starts with
steaming broccoli (one bundle) and cauliflower (one head) until
tender. (To me, done is still a bit crisp, but this goes beyond that,
to ultimately tender. Cook it like a cafeteria cooks it, done to the
limits.)
The spuds are Russets,
either boiled in quarters or nuked in the microwave (washed and poked
with a fork). With a large batch, boiling is quicker. Personal
preference here is generally the key factor. Cook as many as you need
to satisfy everyone you're serving. This is pretty filling, but it
does reheat in the microwave fairly well for up to three days, so be
your own judge. Cook spuds for the full batch of topping, or cook
just for the table and cook more potato later for leftovers.
In a third pot, melt
two sticks of oleo or butter. When bubbling but not yet burning,
remove from heat add four tablespoons of all purpose flour, sifted
and added slowly to prevent lumping. Work to a wet paste and return
to heat. Add milk slowly until you've added three pints, heating
current mix before adding more. When hot, lower temperature to
prevent burning, and grate eight ounces of cheddar (mild to sharp or
any particular style is purely personal preference) into the sauce.
Season lightly (all spices are ground) with basil, sage, dill leaf,
cloves, marjoram, garlic powder, and salt. Stir regularly to prevent
scorching. When settled, add broccoli and cauliflower, broken into
small pieces. Stir until the veges separate and blend throughout the
sauce.
Quarter the nuked
spuds or drain the boiled spuds, serve them by portion in bowls, and
smother the top of them liberally with the sauce. This is easy to set
up for buffet and eats well away from the table with proper napkin
protection. This can be served as a full meal or as a side dish for a
larger affair. It works well with steaks, some casseroles, basically
anything that works with dairy sauces.
Yes, there is some
cholesterol in the sauce, but it's notably less than you'd get with a
baked potato topped with butter and cheese, plus you're getting
broccoli and cauliflower in the swap. Use lowfat margarine and cheese
if your intake is case sensitive. This is great on a cold night when
only something warm and filling will hit the spot. This does it
easily and sure beats a burger and fries when it comes to treating
your body well. Not bad for treating a crowd either.