Broccoli, Cheddar & Sausage Bake
We have had a wonderful crop of broccoli so far in the early Summer of 2015, so the other night we came up with this recipe to bring together one of the best pairings- smoked cheddar cheese and bright green broccoli. We also added some spelt berries and some Italian sausage, but the dish can easily be made meatless, too.
To cook spelt berries: soak 1 cup dried spelt berries overnight or for at least a few hours. Drain and rinse, add cool water to cover by a few inches and simmer until a little bit chewy but cooked through (about 45 min.) Drain and set aside. This can be done a day or two ahead of time, or way ahead of time and be frozen.
Next, prepare your broccoli. Remove the florets from the stalk, peel away the tough outer skin, and trim off any leaves (use for another purpose, or stir in at the end.) Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and cut the florets and the stalk into even, bite-sized pieces. When the water is boiling, plop in the broccoli stalk pieces for 1 minute, and then the florets for an additional 2 minutes. Try a piece-- they should still have a little bite to them, but not super crunchy. Drain, then dunk in ice water for 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Turn your oven to 400 degrees and prepare small oven-safe dishes (like the gratin dishes, pictured.) If you're using links, remove the sausage from the casings and brown in a large, heavy bottomed pot. Remove the cooked sausage to a plate or bowl. If there is more than 1 tbsp or so of drippings, pour some off, otherwise turn the heat to medium low and add in the diced onions. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, until soft and slippery, and add in about a tsp of salt and the minced garlic, cook for 1 minute longer. Now add in your pepper paste and stir all together. Add in the cooked spelt berries, the broccoli and the sausage and stir it all into one big whomp. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, melt 2 tbsp of butter in a small sauce pot. Once melted but not burning or bubbling too much, add in the flour and whisk into a thick paste. Cook 2 minutes to get rid of the bitter flour taste. Start to whisk in 1 cup of warm milk and whisk constantly, making a roux. Once it has a little thickness to it, stir in the grated cheese, and stir with a wooden spoon until it's all melted.
Divvy up the sausage-broccoli-spelt berry mixture amongst your serving/baking dishes and set on a baking sheet. Pour about a 1/3-1/2 cup full of the sauce over top of each portion, and bake 15 minutes (maybe popping them under the broiler for the last minute or so.) Serve warm.
Ingredients
Directions
To cook spelt berries: soak 1 cup dried spelt berries overnight or for at least a few hours. Drain and rinse, add cool water to cover by a few inches and simmer until a little bit chewy but cooked through (about 45 min.) Drain and set aside. This can be done a day or two ahead of time, or way ahead of time and be frozen.
Next, prepare your broccoli. Remove the florets from the stalk, peel away the tough outer skin, and trim off any leaves (use for another purpose, or stir in at the end.) Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and cut the florets and the stalk into even, bite-sized pieces. When the water is boiling, plop in the broccoli stalk pieces for 1 minute, and then the florets for an additional 2 minutes. Try a piece-- they should still have a little bite to them, but not super crunchy. Drain, then dunk in ice water for 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Turn your oven to 400 degrees and prepare small oven-safe dishes (like the gratin dishes, pictured.) If you're using links, remove the sausage from the casings and brown in a large, heavy bottomed pot. Remove the cooked sausage to a plate or bowl. If there is more than 1 tbsp or so of drippings, pour some off, otherwise turn the heat to medium low and add in the diced onions. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, until soft and slippery, and add in about a tsp of salt and the minced garlic, cook for 1 minute longer. Now add in your pepper paste and stir all together. Add in the cooked spelt berries, the broccoli and the sausage and stir it all into one big whomp. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, melt 2 tbsp of butter in a small sauce pot. Once melted but not burning or bubbling too much, add in the flour and whisk into a thick paste. Cook 2 minutes to get rid of the bitter flour taste. Start to whisk in 1 cup of warm milk and whisk constantly, making a roux. Once it has a little thickness to it, stir in the grated cheese, and stir with a wooden spoon until it's all melted.
Divvy up the sausage-broccoli-spelt berry mixture amongst your serving/baking dishes and set on a baking sheet. Pour about a 1/3-1/2 cup full of the sauce over top of each portion, and bake 15 minutes (maybe popping them under the broiler for the last minute or so.) Serve warm.