At some point in the ’60s my mom got turned on to curry powder. She began putting it in her cheese sauce, chicken salad and other chicken dishes. I remember watching Julia Child teach how to make a roux, and the next night, Mom had come up with her always great cheese sauce. She used Velveeta, which does melt beautifully, but I prefer real cheese. Other than that, this is her curried cheese sauce recipe.
I promised you great recipes for your abundant harvest. This one will come in handy when the cruciferous plants all reach harvest time together. You can use Brussels’ sprouts, kohlrabi, or rutabagas as well, but I like the combo below.
Serves 4
Preheat oven to 375°
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 1 large head of broccoli
- 1/2 c. croutons, any flavor, or leftover crusty bread, cubed
Cut both heads into bite sized florets/pieces. Put into a buttered 8″ casserole and toss with croutons and a little salt. Pour sauce over it and bake for 45 minutes, or until it has bubbled for at least 30 minutes to cook the vegetables.
Sauce:
- 4 Tbsp. butter
- 4 Tbsp. flour
- 1 – 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup kefir, plain yogurt or sour cream*
- 8 oz Mexican blend shredded cheese, or cheddar
- 2 tsp. yellow curry powder
- 1 tsp. red curry powder (if you have it; if not use 3 tsp regular curry)
- salt and cayenne pepper to taste
Make a roux by melting the butter, adding the flour, and stir while it cooks for a couple of minutes. When it begins to turn light tan, add the curry powder. Let it “toast” for a minute or so, stirring constantly. Add the milk, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in cheese and kefir, yogurt or sour cream*. (If using sour cream, you must temper it or it will curdle. Simply add a couple spoonfuls of the hot sauce to the cold sour cream until it’s warmed up to where it feels hot. Then stir it back into the hot sauce.) Season to taste with salt, bearing in mind that your vegetables are already salted.
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