Before heading out for Thanksgiving, I wanted to share two more vegetable recipes from the cookbook, I Know How To Cook put out by Phaidon Press. Both involve Gruyere cheese. Decadent and delicious.
I haven't tried this recipe yet (looking forward to making it tonight.) But I have high hopes for it. As many of you know, I don't often cook with a lot of vegetables as Dan is not a fan of most vegetables (it makes cooking dinner rather tough some days.) I'm slowly trying to incorporate more veggies, and I'm always scouting for recipes that will extend his palette to liking more greens. This recipe caught my eye. When I was a kid, my mom got me to eat broccoli by smothering it with Chees Wiz. Maybe it wasn't the most healthy option, but it did get me to eat greens and develop a love for broccoli. So I instantly tagged this recipe when I saw it — sounds like the grown-up, French take on broccoli with Chees Wiz.
Broccoli in Cheese Sauce
recipe by Ginette Mathiot for I Know How To Cook
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Steam the broccoli for 4-5 minutes or boil it in salted water for 6 minutes. Drain and put it in an ovenproof serving dish. Coat the broccoli with the cheese sauce. Brown in the oven for 5 minutes before serving.
to make the cheese sauce (sauce mornay):
Stir scant 1 cup grated Gruyere or Parmesan cheese into the white or bechamel sauce (see below for recipe). The cheese thickens the sauce.
Simple!
Last night I made the Spinach Croquettes (below, on my favorite tea towel from Hammocks & High Tea.) They didn't turn out as well as the photo in the book (my croquettes looked more like patties.) I noted below where I think I made a mistake, and one part that I still don't understand. Any suggestions, please leave a comment with your thoughts. I'm going to try them again as I LOVE spinach croquettes.
Spinach Croquettes
recipe by Ginette Mathiot for I Know How To Cook
1 cup bechamel sauce
1 3/4 pounds cooked spinach
2 eggs beaten
generous 3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
scant 1/2 cup butter
Make the bechamel sauce. Process the spinach in a food processor or pass through a food mill until smooth, and mix with the sauce. Add the eggs and cheese. Heat the butter in a skillet. When it is hot, drop spoonfuls of the spinach mixture gently into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until browned.
how to make bechamel sauce:
2 heaping tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
generous 2 cups milk
salt and pepper
grated nutmeg
Melt the butter in a pan. Stir in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes to form a paste. Gradually add the milk, stirring all the time to prevent lumps forming, and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
the inspiration photo from the book — oh the perfect croquettes.
Note from book about cooking spinach: To prepare, remove any large or tough stems from the leaves. Wash the spinach in several changes of water, then cook uncovered in plenty of boiling salted water for 5 minutes, using about 3 1/4 quarts of water per 2 1/4 pounds of spinach. Drain and press out water. The cooked weight will be approximately two-thirds less than the raw weight.
Notes from Jen: I know that I made a mistake on the amount of spinach as I didn't notice this note before I bought groceries. And I don't own a kitchen scale, so I don't know how to figure out that I have 1 3/4 pounds of cooked spinach anyway. This recipe made me want to invest in a scale. I definitely had too little spinach.
The part of the recipe that I don't understand is the scant 1/2 cup of butter that you're supposed to put in the pan to cook the croquettes. That's actually a stick of butter which seems like a lot! And I don't get how to cook in butter without burning the butter. I tried following this and totally burned my butter. So then I dumped the butter and started again without butter (I was using a nonstick pan anyway, so I didn't think I needed the butter.) Any thoughts here? What am I missing?
I like to eat spinach croquettes with a yogurt sauce. I whipped together a simple yogurt sauce to pair with my croquettes last night: just plain yogurt mixed with some fresh lemon juice and a little pressed garlic.
Have a happy Thanksgiving! Eat well. xo Jen
