April is Earth Month and it’s been fascinating to see how a world in lockdown has so many of us gravitating instinctively towards basic essentials in our kitchens. Being compelled to cook our own food, we’ve taken to starting veggie and herb gardens, baking our own bread and making dishes from scratch.
There are great pleasures to be had from taking really basic, ordinary ingredients and turning them into something simple, yet wow-delicious. Here’s a fabulous recipe from Jackie Cameron’s School of Food and Wine student Keagan. He’s turned sweet potatoes and cauliflower into a small sumptuous feast.
Ingredients
2 Large Sweet Potatoes
4 t Oryx Salt
4 t Oryx Pepper
1 t Smoked Paprika
2 T Olive Oil
1 Cauliflower
1 Litre Full Cream Milk
5 Whole Oryx Black Peppercorns
1 Bay Leaf
150g White Onions chopped (1 Onion)
Garlic whole and peeled (2 Cloves)
2 Sprigs Thyme
63 grams Salted Butter
63 grams Cake Flour (Eureka flour)
30 grams Gorgonzola Cheese or 50 grams strong cheddar
Method
Pre heat the oven to 200°C
Wash potatoes under cold running water and scrub throughly.
Leaving the skin on, cut the potatoes in half lengthways, cut in half again lengthways then each piece in half again so you have 8 wedges per potato.
Put the potatoes in a large bowl, add 2tsp of Oryx salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika. Pour 1Tbsp of olive oil over and mix together. Place on a baking tray, spread them out evenly and cook for 35 minutes. Once cooked leave to sit for a 3 minutes then remove from tray.
Cut the cauliflower into florets or bite sized pieces. Put the cauliflower in a medium bowl, add 2tsp of Oryx salt and pepper and 1Tbsp of olive oil and mix together. Place on a baking tray and cook for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Bring the milk, peppercorns, bay leaf, chopped onions, garlic and thyme to the boil. Strain through a sieve and set aside in a bowl.
Place a pot on the heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted add the flour and cook until golden brown.
Add the warm strained milk while continuously whisking so no lumps form. Bring to the boil and simmer until the correct consistency reached. Add the Gorgonzola cheese a pinch of Oryx salt and pepper. Cover with a layer of plastic touching the white sauce so no skin will form until ready to serve, poured over the cauliflower.
