Cauliflower with Bechamel Sauce

When I was a kid, I did not like to eat cauliflower until I tried cauliflower with bechamel sauce.I guess this is one of the best recipes to tempt the kids to eat cauliflower as it has a nice creamy texture, mild spices and crunchiness of the cauliflower.

Little information about Bachemel sauce and Cauliflower:

Bechamel sauce known as white sauce. Although the Bechamel sauce is made with milk unlike the white sauce which is one of the mother sauces of French cuisine and is also used in many recipes of the Italian cuisine and Turkish cuisine. It is traditionally made by whisking scalded milk gradually into a white flour-butter roux (equal parts clarified butter and flour by weight). Another method, considered less traditional, is to whisk kneaded flour-butter into scalded milk. The thickness of the final sauce depends on the proportions of milk and flour. Bechamel sauce is the base for a number of other classic sauces with additional ingredients added including Cheese, Heavy cream, mustard seed, Parmesan cheese etc.

Cauliflower is low in fat, high in dietary fiber, folate, water and vitamin C, possessing a very high nutritional density. A high intake of cauliflower has been found to reduce the risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

Cauliflower is also a good source of carotenoids. Cauliflower can be roasted, boiled, fried, steamed or eaten raw. Steaming or microwaving better preserves anti-cancer compounds than boiling.

 Ingredients:

 1 bunch of cauliflower, separated into florets
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
½ cup sweet peas (optional)
1 tsp salt to taste
A pinch of black pepper

1/3 cup mozzarella/cheddar cheese, shredded (optional) 

 1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp tomato paste

Bechamel Sauce:
 2 cups milk
2 tbsp flour
5-6 tbsp butter/margarine
1 egg, beaten
½ tsp salt to taste

Boil the vegetables in salty water till they are soft. Do not over boil them since we do not want them to be smashed. Then drain and transfer them to a Pyrex or baking dish.

Bechamel Sauce:

Place the butter in a pot and melt. Add the flour and saute over low heat till its color change to yellow. Then, add milk and stir continuously to make Bechamel sauce smooth and even. If flour particles don’t dissolve use a blender. Add salt and cook for 3 minutes. Finally stir in the egg and sprinkle some black pepper if you like.

 

 Beef sauce:

Brown beef with diced onion; drain excess liquid. Add  tomato paste. Then pour the beef sauce on the top of the vegetables. 

 

 

First pour the meet sauce, then bechamel sauce evenly on top of the vegetables and sprinkle cheese. Preheat the oven to 400F (200C) and bake until its surface turns to light golden brown (about 20-25 minutes).