Do you already have the Christmas menu closed? At home we do not have anything closed. We do not know if we can all get together and if he will be responsible so we are waiting at the last minute to decide. For those of you who have it clearer, this cauliflower au gratin with béchamel sauce and ham I think it is a perfect first course.
This cauliflower can adapting to a vegan diet, so that everyone can enjoy it. It will be enough that you suppress the ham or that, like cream or cheese, you replace it with vegan products. The result will be equally fantastic with a tender interior, a crunchy crust and the creaminess of bechamel.
Another reason why preparing this au gratin cauliflower with béchamel and ham is a good alternative at Christmas is its simplicity. One at Christmas wants to enjoy yours and with this recipe I can assure you that there will be no problems that prevent you from doing so. Take note and think that if you don't like cauliflower there is other vegetables with which you can prepare it: broccoli, romanesco, leeks ...
The recipe
- 1 medium cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ white onion, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- 25 g. of serrano ham cubes
- Grated cheese to melt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 200 ml semi-skimmed milk, hot
- 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
- Black pepper, nutmeg and salt
- To begin with we cut the cauliflower into florets and cook them in plenty of salted water for 15 minutes or until tender. Once cooked, drain them well, place them in an oven-safe dish and reserve this.
- Next, we heat the oil in a frying pan and poach the chopped onion and garlic for 8 minutes.
- Then we remove the pan from the heat and we add the paprika and the ham, to cook them one minute before adding them to the source with the cauliflower.
- To finish we prepare the bechamel. To do this we heat the olive oil in a frying pan and
- we add the flour. Cook over low heat for one or two minutes, stirring constantly with a spatula.
- Then we pour the milk little by little, stirring with a few rods after each addition. You may not need all the milk, depending on the texture, more or less light, that you want to give to the bechamel.
- Once the béchamel has the desired texture, add salt and pepper, add a little nutmeg and mix to cook over low heat for one or two more minutes.
- Then add the bechamel sauce on top of the cauliflower and spread the grated cheese on top.
- In conclusion, gratin in the oven at 180ºC 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned.