Cheesy Cauliflower & BBQ Chicken
So, it's been 13.5 months since the world, as we knew it, changed. And despite the vaccines being rolled out across the world, some believe things will never be the same again, that we'll just have to adapt to a new kind of normality. As Mike often says: Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. It stands to reason then that we will have days when we are optimistic and positive, and others when we're not feeling quite so chipper. It's those down days when I look in the fridge and think what can I cook for dinner that will put wide smiles on our faces. This one does the trick. Now, I've had cauliflower cheese that tasted like wet socks and chicken that didn't taste of anything. But this combo here is a flavour bomb. When I made this, I didn't really measure anything. I just went by intuition. I'll try and give you some guidelines here, but your best bet is to taste as you go....and keep smiling. ❤️
METHOD
BBQ CHICKEN
In a large bowl, mix all your marinade ingredients together.
Add the chicken pieces, tossing well until all are well coated,
Leave to marinate for about an hour.
Place your chicken pieces and marinade into a roasting tray large enough to hold them in one layer.
Toss well ensuring marinade is coating the chicken pieces
Place in oven at the same time as your cauliflower.
Serve with a lovely crisp green salad and a glass or two of chilled Chardonnay or Viognier. It doesn't get much better than this, for us anyway...
INGREDIENTS FOR 4 SERVINGS
CAULIFLOWER CHEESE
1 head of cauliflower, trimmed and left whole
50g butter
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
1 cup milk
50g cheddar, grated
50g cream cheese, cubed
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
BBQ CHICKEN
12 drumsticks (or thighs)
MARINADE
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp dried garlic granules
1/4 tsp Colmans dry mustard
METHOD
CAULIFLOWER CHEESE
Preheat oven to 180C.
Place your cauliflower into a steamer set over boiling water. Steam for about 10 minutes so cauliflower is still firm, definitely not mushy. Place in a ovenproof dish. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until completely amalgamated. Slowly add your milk, stirring all the time until you have a creamy béchamel. Add about 3/4 of the cheddar and all the cream cheese and continue to stir until cheeses have melted into the sauce. Season with black pepper and chilli flakes. Pour your cheesy sauce over the lightly steamed cauliflower and then sprinkle the remaining cheddar over the top.
Place in oven at the same time as your chicken and roast for about 1 hour