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Home » Cauliflower Casserole & Chardonnay | A Vegan Recipe & Pairing

Cauliflower Casserole & Chardonnay | A Vegan Recipe & Pairing

Cauliflower Casserole | Easy Vegan Recipes | The Grape Kitchen

Cauliflower is a versatile vegetable and can make amazing dishes, whether it’s complimenting meat or being the star of the show. We’re big advocates of vegan cooking and our Cauliflower Casserole dish and wine pairing is simple and incredibly tasty!

Take a look at our video, recipe and Chardonnay crash course below!

WATCH


INGREDIENTS & METHOD

As always, we like to stress that we’re up for chopping and changing, however with this being quite a complex dish we’d recommend largely sticking to the recipe for consistency of the sauce. Having said that, if you want to add some different herbs in then go for it!

All you need for a lovely healthy vegan casserole

Ingredients

Main Ingredient
1 x Cauliflower

Crumb
3 x Tablespoon pine nuts
6 x Tablespoon breadcrumbs

Sauce
1 x Medium-large potato
2 x Shallots
2 x Garlic clove (add more if garlic is your thing)
10 x Tablespoon/3/4 cup cashew nuts
250ml x Almond milk (unsweetened preferably)
2 x Teaspoon apple cider vinegar (white wine vinegar will also work)
1 x Generous crack of salt
1 x Squeeze lemon juice
Optional: Vegetable stock. Not imperative, but it will add a little more flavour and volume.

Garnish/Seasoning
Fresh Thyme

Serves four people – adjust accordingly

Method

  1. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Peel and chop the potato and shallots, then put them in boiling water. Boil until soft
  2. While the potato and shallots are boiling, take the pine nuts and breadcrumbs. Put in a blender and pulse until combined, yet a little coarse. (If you don’t have a blender then you can crush will a rolling pin or pestle and mortar)
  3. When the shallots and potato are soft, combine all the sauce ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Have a taste. If the sauce is lacking in flavour, add some vegetable stock. Be careful though, as you want the sauce to have a thick texture, so too much liquid will make it too thin
  4. Turn your attention to the cauliflower. Slice it into thick steak like cuttings. Be careful as cauliflower has a tendency to crumble
  5. Layer the cauliflower in a roasting dish (two layers), sprinkling bits of crumb in between in order to make the dish texturally complex
  6. Pour the sauce over the Cauliflower, covering every part of the dish
  7. Sprinkle the remainder of the crumb on top and then take four/five sprigs of time and place on top
  8. Place in the oven for 35-40 minutes
  9. While the casserole is in the oven pour yourself a glass of Chardonnay
  10. Drink some of the Chardonnay and think about how great a pairing it will be with the vegan cauliflower casserole
  11. Take the dish out of the oven, let it rest for five minutes. Serve and enjoy

CHARDONNAY CRASH COURSE

Chardonnay is an extremely versatile grape and is planted in most wine regions. Here is our Chardonnay crash course that will help you wow your friends and make you look like a wine expert.

What is Chardonnay?
Chardonnay is a white/green grape that produces non-aromatic white wine. This isn’t to say that it doesn’t have varietal aromas, but it offers less aromas than that of Gewürztraminer or Riesling for example. This means that Chardonnay can be influenced by winemaking/ageing practices e.g. oak ageing and malolactic fermentation (MLF).

Where is Chardonnay Grown?
All over the world. Chardonnay has the ability to grow in nearly any region. The most famous region being Burgundy, France. It’s also one of three grapes used in Champagne. New-world regions such a Napa in California are also famous for making premium Chardonnay.

What Does Chardonnay Wine Taste Like?
There are a lot of different expressions, however in general Chardonnay is known to be buttery and creamy. This is because most Chardonnay goes through malolactic fermentation. This is where the malic acid present in wine turns into lactic acid (the same acid found in milk). This changes the texture and taste of the wine, making it more creamy, full and buttery.

Because Chardonnay isn’t an aromatic grape, it benefits from oak ageing. This imparts flavours of vanilla, oak (duh) and gives the texture a more rounded feel to it. More affordable ‘everyday drinking’ Chardonnays may have been aged in stainless steel to bring out more fruit-forward flavours.

Can Chardonnay Be Aged?
Yes! Processes like MLF and oak ageing help the structural complexity of Chardonnay, which helps its potential for ageing. Depending on the quality it can generally be aged for up to 10 years.


Well that was our Vegan Cauliflower Casserole and Chardonnay pairing recipe. Let us know what you thought! Also don’t forget….

The Grape Kitchen is an independent online wine shop, specialising in great wines at affordable prices. Wine and food are our lives and we pride ourselves on great wine, great pairings and great customer service.

We offer free nationwide delivery on orders above £80, or £6.99 if under. Residents of South Yorkshire get free same working day delivery on orders placed before 2pm! All you need to do is use the code SYorks21


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