What a clever idea this cauliflower cheese pie is, and the filo pastry makes it straightforward too. This one is from the clever people at the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen. It takes shape perfectly in the oven and then oozes appropriately when you cut into it. A definite crowd-pleaser.
Wine Suggestion: A rich white was called for, and while we’d have normally gone for a Chardonnay by default we had something different in the glass: Quinta Soalheiro’s Primeiras Vinhas. An old-vine alvarinho partially made in old oak that was velvety, concentrated and powerful. Despite it being bone dry the fruit was sophisticated and effortless. We’d opened this the day before and had to admit it was even better on the second day so a good one for the cellar.
Curried cauliflower cheese pie – serves 4
- 1 large cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-sized florets
- 2 tsp mild-medium curry powder
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 100g unsalted butter, 50g cut into cubes and 50g melted to brush the pastry with later
- 75g plain flour
- 675ml full-fat milk
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 ½ tbsp English mustard
- 150g mature cheddar cheese, roughly grated
- 6 sheets of filo pastry
- 1 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
- 1 ½ tsp lemon zest
Preheat the oven to 180C fan.
Line the bottom and sides of a 23cm springform cake tin with baking parchment.
Line a large baking tray with baking parchment and place the cauliflower florets onto it. Add the curry powder, 1 ½ tbsp of olive oil, ½ tsp of salt and plenty of black pepper. Toss with your hands to coat, then roast for 20 minutes, or until cooked through and lightly browned. Set the cauliflower aside.
Lower the oven temperature to 170C fan.
Meanwhile, make the béchamel sauce. Put the 50g of butter into a medium-sized saucepan and melt over a medium-high heat, then add the flour and stir to combine. Cook for a minute or two, then gradually add the milk stirring constantly and waiting for it all to be incorporated before adding any more. You can use a whisk to do this but we prefer a wooden spoon. When all the milk has been added, continue to cook the sauce for about 7 minutes or until slightly thickened. Keep stirring the whole time until it bubbles, then turn it down and keep giving it regular stirs. Remove from the heat and stir in the garlic, mustard, cheese and ¼ tsp of salt, keep stirring until the cheese has melted.
Get your filo pastry out of the pack and cover it with a damp tea towel to stop it drying out. Combine the melted butter with 1 ½ tbsp of oil. Take one sheet of filo at a time, brush the upper side with the butter mixture and drape into the cake tin, butter side up. Push it down gently to fit into the tin. Continue with the remaining sheets , brushing each with butter and laying in the tin, rotate the tin slightly each time so the pastry hangs over the sides at a different angle.
Spoon half the béchamel into the tin and top with the roasted cauliflower. Spoon over the rest of the sauce, then crimp the overhanging pastry to form a border, leaving the centre of the pie exposed. Brush the top of pastry with the butter mixture, then place onto a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Carefully release the outer circle of the baking tin and remove the paper to expose the sides, bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the sides are nicely browned. Leave to rest out of the oven for 15 minutes before serving.
Top with the parsley and the lemon zest and cut into big wedges to serve. Some salad is nice on the side.
(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love by Noor Murad & Yotam Ottolenghi, Ebury Press, 2021.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 