In an Italian-American restaurant or household, the basic question when dealing with a vegetable is: red sauce or white sauce? In other words, should you cook the vegetable in a tomato-based sauce or a milk- or cream-based sauce? Or perhaps even compromise with a tomato cream sauce?
Some vegetables are easy: Eggplant doesn’t lend itself to cream and insists on slow cooking in a tomato sauce. Mushrooms are better with cream, especially with the addition of sherry or white wine.
Some vegetables are equally at home in red or white sauces. Cauliflower, which is a sponge for flavor, is unbeatable stewed in a tomato sauce made with anchovies, capers and olives.
But it is just as good in a béchamel made with a ton of onions, baked with a mixture of coarse toasted breadcrumbs, Gruyere and bacon.
Cauliflower and Onion Gratin with Bacon
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, sliced into ¼-inch half moons
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 cup half and half
4 cups cauliflower florets, blanched 1 minute
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper
Few gratings fresh nutmeg
¼ cup coarse breadcrumbs, toasted
3 tablespoons chopped cooked bacon bits
4 tablespoons grated Gruyere
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until golden brown and tender, about 10 minutes. Add a pinch of salt. Turn heat to low, add the flour and stir well with a wooden spoon. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
In a separate sauce pan, heat the half and half. Stir the hot half and half into the onion mixture and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes over low heat. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg .
Fold the cauliflower into the cream mixture. Stir in the cauliflower and half of the Gruyere. Spread the cauliflower mixture into a small buttered casserole dish. Mix breadcrumbs, bacon and remaining Gruyere and sprinkle over cauliflower mixture.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Serve immediately.
