It doesn’t get more traditional than cauliflower cheese. And no, New York Times, it’s NOT cauliflower and cheese. No, no, no.

I used yellow cauliflower, so now I’ve had white, green and yellow. Next up, purple.

1. trim off leaves, steam the whole head for about 15mins till tender
2. cut into florets, arrange in a single layer in oven dish
3. make a roux from 2oz butter, 3tbsp flour
4. add about 3/4 pint milk (I used a mixture of cream and milk) slowly, stirring constantly until just bubbling
5. add 4oz shredded cheese
6. pour sauce over cauliflower, season
7. bake at 200°C for 30-40mins until golden brown

This is an old recipe revisited. I got this off an early Jamie Oliver series, may even have been the original Naked Chef. Now that’s memories.

It’s so easy to make, no cooking apart from the pasta. I used fettuccine rigate, which is like regular fettuccine except with ridges along the length of the noodle. Basically, cook the pasta, drain and add cubed brie and cherry tomatoes. I used a mixture of fresh and roasted tomatoes. The heat from the pasta will melt the cheese. Season and drizzle with olive oil.

A straightforward herb focaccia with smoked salmon and yogurt cheese. Included to illustrate how versatile yogurt cheese is, as a substitute for cream cheese or sour cream — similar consistency but with far less fat and a nice tangy yogurt-y taste.

I had a whole mozzarella ball in my fridge so I thought I’d try this Jamie recipe for a simple baked pasta dish. I made the sauce yesterday and the rest of the dish today.

for the sauce
sweat 3 cloves of garlic and half an onion until soft
add a can of chopped tomatoes and a can of water
add seasoning — the recipe calls for chili which I usually don’t have, nor do i use often; but I did add a dash of tabasco, some worcestershire sauce and Italian seasoning
simmer until the sauce thickens
blitz slightly, just enough to break the tomato pieces but not so that the sauce ends up being a paste

for the dish
cook pasta according to package instructions
drain and toss with half the sauce
arrange half the pasta at the bottom of an oven dish
spread over half the remaining sauce
slice up the mozzarella and arrange over the sauce
add the rest of the pasta, the rest of the sauce and the last pieces of cheese
bake at 200°C for 20mins

There’s supposed to be liberal amounts of parmesan sprinkled in with the mozzarella but I, um, don’t like parmesan. Yes, really.

What is yogurt cheese? It’s yogurt that has its liquid removed so it has the texture of cream cheese, but none of the high fat content. Most recipes make yogurt cheese by straining it in a colander with cheesecloth or, creatively, coffee filter. What I found was a piece of damp kitchen towel worked just as well. I covered the mixture with another kitchen towel and left it alone in the fridge overnight.

The end result was really fantastic, so thick that it didn’t fall off the spoon. I used greek styled yogurt so it was extra creamy. It’s a great substitute for cream cheese — good for toppings or mixed with herbs and spread on a bagel. I used it as a topping for some strawberries and added a tiny drizzle of honey for final effect.