Silverbeet & cauliflower pasta bake

I mentioned in my last post about Jamie Oliver's cauliflower risotto with chilli pangratto. I have wanted to make it since I bought the March issue of delicious. magazine. I had cauliflower in the fridge but when I went to the cupboard there was no arborio rice. I have no idea how I let that situation occur and will rectify it as soon as possible! However, I wanted to use up some of the cauliflower. I also have masses of silverbeet growing in the garden so I thought that I could incorporate some of that too. I decided that instead of a risotto I would try a pasta bake. It really was very good. I think you could use a combination of broccoli and cauliflower for something a bit extra. Plus, like JO's risotto I think that the chilli pangratto, sort of a chilli breadcrumbs mixture may add some zing to it. Actually just a combination of parmesan, lemon and breadcrumbs would be nice too. Over all though I loved it. 

Silverbeet & cauliflower pasta bake

50 g butter

50 g flour 

1 tsp salt 

2 - 3 grinds of pepper grinder 

500 g milk

chunk cheddar, diced (perhaps 100 g)

1/3 c shredded parmesan

250 g macaroni, cooked 

1/2 head cauliflower, cut into small florets and steamed

1 bunch silverbeet, chopped, steamed and drained

50 g feta 

Preheat oven to 180 C

Add butter, flour, salt, pepper and milk in thermomix jug. Cook for 9 minutes at 90 C on speed 4. Add cheddar and parmesan and cook for 1 minute at 90 C on speed 2. I prefer that some chunks of cheddar remain. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.

Combine macaroni and cheese sauce. 

Spread half the macaroni mixture in the bottom of a baking dish top with cauliflower, then silverbeet and finally spread over the remaining macaroni mix. Crumble feta over the top. 

Bake for 20 minutes and then put under the grill for 10 minutes or until golden. 

Silverbeet Pie

This is a recipe of my Mum's. It is one of my favourites and I can remember her making it from when I was little. There wasn't much that I didn't like, food wise, when I was a child. There was a few things, parsnips, brussels sprouts and some sort of "pie" thing that my dad made on mum's grocery shopping afternoon and was later home than usual. I hated it so much that I found his recipe and threw it away. I don't remember what happened for dinners when mum was late after that. 

Anyway, that really doesn't have anything to do with this. My mum was a great cook, not a fancy one, but very good. She taught me all the basics. There was also some harder things that we used to make together. Just thinking about it, it is probably time to pull some of those recipes out and give them another whirl. Although I do wonder if those things were so good just because it was my mum and I making them together. 

I was about 10 when mum showed my how she made this. It really is a cook by feel dish now. I remember that my mum used to put the eggs, milk and a chunk of cheese in a blender and pulse it until the cheese was chopped into small - medium bits. I loved it when she left them a bit bigger as the cheese would be oozy. I haven't had a blender for years so now use grated cheese. I have never played around with this recipe. With the exception of the grated cheese, I make it exactly the same way as my mum did. The pastry on the bottom is usually a bit soggy and I am sure there is something that could be done to cook it better but, to be honest, that is part of the memory of what makes it so good. You could use spinach in place of the silverbeet.

Silverbeet Pie

2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

1/2 to 1 bunch silverbeet, white stalk remove, roughly chopped, steamed and well drained

1 small onion, finely diced 

1 - 2 cloves garlic, crushed 

5 eggs

1/4 c milk (full-cream is best otherwise it can be a bit watery)

1 c grated cheese

Pre-heat oven to 180 C (fan-forced). 

Line pie plate with the puff pastry and pinch edges.

Place onion and garlic in a ramekin with a drizzle of oil and cook in microwave for 1 - 2 minutes on medium or until onion is softened. (You could do this on the stove if you want) 

Put silverbeet in the bottom of the pie plate, sprinkle on onion mix and 3/4 c cheese. 

Whisk together eggs and milk and pour into pie plate. 

Top with remaining cheese and cook for 40 - 45 minutes or until set.