Heads of cauliflower, which look funny and taste great, are not as well preserved as its white-relative, and therefore they occupy a slightly different line in the vegetable "ranking table".
But in taste preferences, and especially in children, delicate succulent inflorescences markedly pressed less attractive leaves of the white squirrel.
If it is already agreed that it is not possible to buy vegetables fresh on the shelves infrequently, then let's prepare various delicious dishes from it - more, but more varied.
Baked cauliflower in the oven with cheese - general principles of preparation
• In cooking, use whole heads of cabbage or cauliflower disassembled for individual inflorescences. The vegetable is thoroughly washed with cold or slightly lukewarm water. If the inflorescences are too polluted, the head is soaked for some time in water and only then washed.
• First, remove all the leaves and immediately cut out the tainted places. If inflorescences are needed for cooking, a head of cabbage is unfolded on itself and cut in half in it. Then, gently with a knife, successively cut off all the inflorescences, trying not to capture the rough stems.
• Vegetables before baking are blanched in slightly salted water. A whole head of cabbage or inflorescences alone is lowered into intensely boiling water, brought back to a boil, then the heating is reduced and cooked for no more than 10 minutes. To preserve all the useful and nutritious substances, liquids do not pour much. It should only slightly cover the cabbage. After that, the vegetable is cooled and dried, laid out in a colander.
• For baking take hard and brine cheese. It is ground with a grater, hands or cut into plates. Hard cheese is used mainly for sprinkling a formed dish so that a golden crust forms on its surface. Pickled cheeses overlay cabbage layers in casseroles.
• Cauliflower dishes are only baked in a well-heated oven. The temperature regime for all dishes is the same - 180 degrees, and the cooking time is indicated in the recipe.
A simple classic recipe for cauliflower baked in the oven with cheese and sauce
Ingredients:
• a pound of cauliflower inflorescences;
• 200 ml cream of low fat content;
• 5 gr. freshly ground nutmeg;
• cheese, varieties "Russian" - 70 gr.;
• a spoonful of pure oil, preferably olive;
• sweet cream butter - 20 gr.;
• 20 gr. breadcrumbs, coarse crumbs;
• one raw egg;
• a spoonful of flour.
Cooking method:
1. Pour crackers in a dry frying pan and fry over low heat until a bright golden color is obtained. Pour crispy breading into a bowl.
2. Melt the butter, add flour to it and stir well. Then, with a thin stream, add cream into the flour mass and beat the sauce well with a whisk until smooth.
3. Break the egg into the prepared sauce, add the nutmeg, rub the cheese with large chips and mix thoroughly. Do not salt.
4. Blanch the inflorescences in slightly salted water and fold it onto a sieve.
5. On the bottom and sides of a small refractory form, apply a thin layer of vegetable oil and lay out dried inflorescences in it with an even layer.
6. Pour in cheese sauce and cover everything with fried breading.
7. On the surface of the crack layer, evenly spread a little butter in small pieces and place the frypot for 15 minutes in a preheated oven.
Cauliflower baked in the oven with cheese - "Romanian casserole with cheese"
Ingredients:
• fresh cauliflower, only inflorescences - 1 kg;
• two chicken eggs;
• 200 gr. salted feta cheese;
• garlic - 3 cloves;
• sweet fleshy pepper - 1 pepper;
• four small tomatoes;
• a small pinch of ground basil and white pepper;
• two onions.
Cooking method:
1. Blanched inflorescences in salted water finely chop with a knife.
2. Select seeds from pepper, cut its flesh into thin strips.
3. Add chopped onion with a heavy knife and garlic, and mix well all the vegetables.
4. Lightly beat eggs with a fork and introduce the egg mixture into the vegetables. Add the cheese crumbled with your hands, but not the whole, leave some cheese to decorate the dish.
5. Season the vegetable mixture with white pepper, sprinkle with basil. Stir well again and transfer to a form lubricated with any vegetable oil, smooth.
6. On top, evenly spread the tomatoes, sliced into thin circles, and place in the oven. Bake until the top of the casserole is lightly browned for about 25 minutes.
Baked cauliflower in the oven with cheese - "Mushroom casserole with cabbage"
Ingredients:
• a small fresh head of color and 400 gr. Brussels sprouts; frozen cabbage;
• two "Dutch" processed cheese cakes;
• 200 gr. fresh mushrooms;
• cheese, varieties "Russian" - 150 gr.;
• creamy 72%, butter - 2 tablespoons;
• three large onion heads;
• 200 gr. high fat mayonnaise without flavoring.
Cooking method:
1. Fill two pans with water and set on high heat. Be sure to slightly add the liquid in both containers. As soon as the water begins to boil, dip the cauliflower in one pan, sorting it into inflorescences, and in the other - frozen, Brussels sprouts. With a slight boil, boil the vegetables until cooked, dry.
2. Chop the two onion heads in small pieces. To it, on a medium grater, rub the processed cheese and add mayonnaise, about 150 gr. Salt, slightly pepper and mix the dressing thoroughly.
3. On a small fire in butter until cooked, fry the sliced mushrooms. Do not dry as soon as the moisture evaporates, remove from heat.
4. Cut the remaining onion into thin half rings and spread evenly throughout the deep bottom. Put the boiled Brussels sprouts on top and cover it with a uniform layer of mayonnaise dressing (half of it).
5. The next layer, lay the inflorescences, and on them fried mushrooms and fill the mushroom layer with the remaining dressing.
6. On the surface of the molded dish, firmly lay thin plates of hard cheese and set to bake.
7. As soon as the cheese layer melts and starts to brown well - get it. Minimum cooking time is a quarter of an hour.
Oven baked cauliflower with cheese and chicken
Ingredients:
• 600 gr. cauliflower disassembled by inflorescence;
• 300 gr. chilled chicken breast;
• a glass of 11% cream;
• three eggs;
• cheese, "Kostroma" or "Dutch" - 200 gr.;
• to taste - garlic.
Cooking method:
1. Put the prepared inflorescences in a small roasting pan with high sides. Pre-grease the container with butter or margarine.
2. Cream slightly salted, pepper. Beat the eggs in them and beat thoroughly.
3. Cut the chicken into small thin strips and lightly fry the pieces of meat. You need to get a brown crust on pieces, so dip the meat only in hot oil and fry very quickly - at maximum heat. Spread the fried chicken slices on the surface of the cabbage laid out in a mold.
4. Mix the grated cheese into large chips with the egg-cream mixture and garlic crushed on the press.
5. Pour the cooked fill onto a molded dish, flatten and send for half an hour to bake.
Baked cauliflower in the oven with whole cheese
Ingredients:
• medium-sized heads of cauliflower;
• 100 gr. hard or semi-hard cheese;
• 150 gr. 20% sour cream;
• a tablespoon of mild mustard;
• one egg;
• garlic;
• a spoon of high-quality refined oil;
• one leaf of lavrushka;
• three peas of pepper.
Cooking method:
1. Fill a wide pan with water and set it to boil. In a boiling liquid, lay peppercorns and lavrushka. Salt and immediately lower the whole unassembled head of cabbage. Wait for boiling again and boil at moderate temperature for five minutes. Then remove and cool by laying the head out in a colander.
2. Mix sour cream with olive oil and mustard. Add the loosened egg and mix the sour cream sauce thoroughly. Rub garlic into it - smaller, and through large grater cells - cheese, and mix the components of the sauce.
3. Put the dried head out into the mold, with a cob down and coat it well with cooked sour cream and mustard sauce on all sides.
4. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for half an hour.
Oven baked cauliflower with cheese and minced meat
Ingredients:
• a small head of fresh cauliflower;
• five spoons of breadcrumbs large crackers;
• two tablespoons of cow's milk;
• 40 ml of refined sunflower oil;
• 200 gr. minced meat;
• 150 grams of semi-hard or hard cheese;
• seasonings "For minced meat", garlic - to taste;
• one glass of sour cream of 20% fat content.
Cooking method:
1. Boil the whole head in slightly salted water. No need to bring to readiness, just boil 10 minutes with a slight boil.
2. Add minced meat to the minced meat spices, add a little salt. Add finely grated garlic and cheese, breadcrumbs (3 tbsp. L.). Pour in the milk and thoroughly knead the meat mass until smooth.
3. Gently pushing the inflorescences, fill the gaps between them with minced meat. This should be done very carefully so that the inflorescences do not fall off. A stuffed head will look like a ball.
4. Lubricate the surface of the workpiece with sour cream and sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumbs.
5. At the bottom of the frypot with low sides, apply a layer of butter, pour a little water into it and put a “ball” on its center.
6. Place the roasting pan in a red-hot oven for half an hour.
Baked cauliflower in the oven with cheese - small tricks and useful cooking tips
• White elastic inflorescences, without any dark spots, not faded leaves - these are the main criteria for freshness, which should be paid special attention when choosing a vegetable.
• To prevent the cabbage from losing color when blanching, do not cover the pan and add a little table vinegar or lemon to the water.
• The taste of baked cauliflower will be more saturated if a little milk is added to the water during blanching.
