Romanesco and almond gratin

Show ingredients

Vegetarian mains

Romanesco and almond gratin

Main Serves 4 1h

An easy-to-make, oven-baked dish of romanesco mixed with mustard, Cheddar and milk and topped with crunchy flaked almonds. It makes a good, midweek vegetarian main eaten with rice or quinoa and sautéed cabbage or kale. Use 50g of rice flour if you want to make this gluten-free.

Print recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 Romanesco, cut into even florets
  • 50g butter
  • 50g flour (or use another starchy gluten-free flour, e.g. potato)
  • 500ml milk
  • 100g Cheddar cheese, grated, plus a little extra for sprinkling
  • 1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 small handfuls flaked almonds
  • salt and pepper

Method

Prep time: 15 min
Cooking time: 45 min

  • Step 1

    Preheat oven to 220°C/Gas 8.

  • Step 2

    Steam or boil the Romanesco for 4 minutes. Drain and allow any excess moisture to evaporate off.

  • Step 3

    Melt the butter in a pan. Add the flour and stir on a very low heat for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, add 3-4 tablespoons of the milk and whisk to a thick, smooth paste.

  • Step 4

    Gradually add the rest of the milk, whisking all the time, until the sauce is smooth. Return to the heat, add the cheese and gently heat for a few minutes, until the cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened. Stir in the mustard and season to taste.

  • Step 5

    Put the Romanesco in a snug fitting baking dish. Pour over the sauce and sprinkle over a little extra cheese. Bake for 15 minutes.

  • Step 6

    Sprinkle over the almonds and bake for a further 10-15 minutes or so, until the almonds are golden.

You may also like…