Recipe Categories
Sides & Veg
Back to Vegetables

Lynn's Bleu Cheese Broccoli Cauliflower

10 ounces cauliflower florets
10 ounces broccoli florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced into eighths through the root
10 ounces brown basmati rice
1 pint boiling vegetable stock
1 rounded teaspoon salt

Bleu Cheese Sauce:
4 ounces bleu cheese, cubed
1 pint milk
1 1/2 ounces butter
1 1/2 ounces plain flour
pinch of cayenne pepper
a little freshly grated nutmeg
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Topping:
1 ounce Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
1/2 ounce fresh bread crumbs
1 level tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

Heat the oil in the frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onions and let them cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly tinged brown. Next stir in the rice and turn the grains over in the pan so they become lightly coated and glistening with oil. Then add the boiling stock, along with the salt, stir once only, then cover with the lid, turn the heat to its very lowest setting and cook for 40 to 45 minutes. Don't remove the lid and don't stir the rice during cooking, because this is what will break the grains and release their starch, making the rice sticky. While the rice is cooking, make the sauce. Place the milk, butter, flour and cayenne pepper in a saucepan; using a balloon whisk, whisk on a medium heat, continuing until the sauce becomes thick, smooth and glossy. Turn the heat to its lowest setting and give it 5 minutes to cook. Whisk in the cheese until it has melted, then season with the nutmeg, salt and freshly milled black pepper. Next, preheat a burner to its highest setting, then place a saucepan on the heat, add some boiling water from the kettle, fit a steamer in it and add the cauliflower. Put a lid on and time it for 4 minutes. Add the broccoli to the cauliflower, put the lid on again and time it for another 4 minutes. Arrange the cooked rice in an 8 x 6 inch baking dish and top with the cauliflower and broccoli florets. Pour the sauce over all. Mix the Parmesan with the bread crumbs and parsley. Sprinkle this all over the top, then place the whole thing under the broiler and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and golden brown. Serves 4.
The winds of grace are always blowing, but you have to raise the sail.

- Ramakrishna