1 hr
Not Too Tricky
serves 8
About the recipe
In the Oliver household, Christmas isn’t Christmas without a molten cheesy number in the mix, and this comforting-hug-of-a-recipe is a thing of beauty. I’ve used red Leicester cheese this time round, but feel free to swap in your favourites or opt for a blend – Parmesan, Gruyère or a little blue all make fantastic additions. It’s a great reheater, too (see our tips box below).
Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower (800g)
250g dried macaroni
2 cloves of garlic
2 spring onions
½ a bunch of fresh thyme (10g)
30g unsalted butter
olive oil
1 whole nutmeg, for grating
50g plain flour
800ml semi-skimmed milk
1 teaspoon English mustard
200g red Leicester cheese
Top Tip
Rattle through to step 7 on Christmas Eve, then pop it in the fridge until needed. When you take your turkey out to rest, whack it in the oven with your other trimmings – job done!
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
- Click off and discard any tatty outer leaves from the cauliflower, then cook whole in a large high-sided pan of boiling water for 5 minutes. Tip in the macaroni and cook for a further 5 minutes, then drain and steam dry.
- Peel and finely slice the garlic, trim and finely slice the spring onions and strip the thyme leaves, then place in a large non-stick frying pan with the butter and 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook for a few minutes, or until softened, then finely grate in half the nutmeg.
- Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, then gradually add the milk, stirring continuously. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes, or until starting to thicken, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from the heat, add the mustard and coarsely grate in the cheese, then stir to combine.
- Remove the stalk and leaves from the cauliflower, finely chop and place in a round ovenproof baking dish (roughly 25cm). Sit the whole cauliflower on top.
- Spoon the cooked pasta in and around the cauliflower, then pour the sauce all over on top, gently mixing to coat the pasta.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.
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