Cauliflower cheese is a family favourite but adding wild garlic pesto to the cheese sauce makes it into a special spring tasting dish! Make the most of the first green leaves of the year. The large almond-like leaves grow in moist woodland and in damp hedgerows and shady lanes. Wild garlic can be distinguished by its strong garlic smell and the young leaves are the most flavoursome. When the flowers start to appear the leaves are starting to loose flavour. The flowers are wonderful in salads and the flower buds can be pickled to use throughout the year.
Recipe for the wild garlic pesto
- 100g pistachio nuts or sunflower seeds, lightly toasted
- 100g Parmesan style cheese, grated
- 150ml olive oil
- Two large handfuls of wild garlic leaves, washed and dried (I use a salad spinner)
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method: Simply blitz the wild garlic leaves, cheese, nuts/seeds to a rough paste in a food processor or use a pestle and mortar (that is the traditional method and that is where the name comes from in Italian!). Then slowly add the olive oil and season with ground black pepper. I don’t add salt as the cheese is salty. For the cauliflower cheese recipe you don’t need it too thin. If you are making the pesto for another recipe then do add more olive oil to make it thinner. Transfer the pesto into a clean jar and keep in the fridge until needed.
Recipe for the cauliflower cheese
- A whole cauliflower, taking a few of the green leaves but leaving some
- 50g strong cheddar cheese, grated plus extra the topping
- 20g butter
- 20g plain flour
- 350ml milk
- 2 heaped tablespoons wild garlic pesto plus extra for garnish
- A handful of chopped pistachio nuts, lightly toasted for garnish, optional
Method: Steam the cauliflower in a little water for about 10 minutes until just tender, depending on the size of the cauliflower as it may take longer. Transfer to an ovenproof dish.
To make the cheese sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan over a gentle heat, then stir in the flour. Mix to a smooth paste. Cook for a couple of minutes. Then gradually add the milk, a little at a time, whisking it well into the roux as you add it until it is all mixed in. Simmer for a minute and then add the grated cheese. Take off the heat and add the pesto. Taste and add more if you like it strong flavoured! Add more milk to make the sauce the consistency you like, as it may become thick with adding the pesto.
Heat up the ESSE grill.
Pour the green sauce over the cauliflower and around it. Grate extra cheese on top. Grill until the topping and sauce is golden and bubbling.
To serve add extra pesto and nuts if you wish and serve with a green salad.
If you want to make this dish in advance, cool it once assembled and refrigerate. Before serving, bake in the oven at 180C for about 30 minutes.
Philippa Vine has worked with ESSE Cookers for approaching ten years. Initially owning a wood-fired ESSE range cooker, Philippa opened a cookery school at her farm in East Sussex showcasing the benefits of cooking with both electric and wood-fired ESSE cookers. Philippa now produces colourful, seasonal recipes using her ESSE 1000 T in her own kitchen, presents exciting cookery demonstrations and is an ambassador for Love British Food. Discover more by visiting Philippa’s Instagram profile @philippavinecooking.
