Psito Kounoupithi
Region: Greece
Category: Vegetables
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy
This delicious cauliflower preparation from Greece is also called kounoupithi o graten. It is made with krema mi tyri, bechamel sauce with cheese. This krema, which means “cream” sauce, is a very popular embellishment in the Levant. In Syria, they love to put it on French fries, although the krema there is made of yogurt and mashed garlic. Kasseri or kefalotyri cheese are easily found in Greek markets, many Middle Eastern markets, and now even in some supermarkets although I also buy it from internet sources such as those purveyors found at Amazon.com’s Grocery & Gourmet Foods department. If you must replace them, do so with a mild cheddar cheese or provolone.
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup (3 ounces) freshly grated kasseri or kefalotyri cheese
4 large eggs
One 2-pound cauliflower, trimmed but left whole
¼ cup to ½ cup dry bread crumbs
1. Prepare a white sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once it has melted, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour has taken on a very slight light brown tinge. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour in the milk and cream in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and return the saucepan to the heat and cook until thick, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the cheese, and continue stirring until it has melted and blended in with the sauce.
2. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the cauliflower until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and break into florets in a medium-size bowl. Lightly butter a medium-size baking pan.
3. Beat the eggs with an electric beater until nearly white and frothy but not forming peaks, about 5 minutes of beating at full power. Stir the eggs into the white sauce off the heat. Correct the seasoning. Stir half the white sauce into the cauliflower and toss well. Transfer the cauliflower to the baking pan and pour the remaining white sauce over it.
4. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
5. Sprinkle the top of the baking pan with the breadcrumbs and bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.
Posted: 10/02/2011
