Eatwell Farm House Kitchen Serves 6
We were in the mood for something rich and cheesy to go with leftover soup, but also wanted a way to use a good amount of veg, thought this was an excellent way to really pack it all in. Green Cheese Sauce doesn’t necessarily sound good and the color when it is all baked is not the most beautiful but it was really delicious and even better when we ate it warmed up the next day with lunch. The sauce would also make a great macaroni and cheese, or poured over steamed broccoli.
1 Bunch Red Russian Kale - bottom stems removed, leaves chopped fine 1 bunch Parsley 1 Butternut Squash - peeled, seeded and sliced to about 1/2” thickness 1 Celeriac - peeled and sliced to about 1/2” thickness 4 TB Butter 3 TB Flour 1/2 cup Milk 4 to 6 oz of grated Cheddar Cheese Pot of well Salted Water
Preheat oven to 375 F. Bring the pot of water to a boil and add the kale and cook for about 4 minutes. Saving the cooking water, strain out the kale and allow to cool a bit. In the meantime peel and slice the butternut and celeriac and layer in a baking dish, preferably one with a lid, alternating layers of veg. When the kale has cooled put it into a blender or food processor with the bunch of parsley. Add 1 cup of the cooking water, and blend until well pureed. Do not discard the kale water as you will need more later. In a heavy sauce pan melt the butter until foaming then add the flour. Mix well and cook on medium heat, stirring often, until it begins to turn golden. Slowly add the milk mixing well with each addition of milk. Once the milk is incorporated turn the heat down a bit, add the grated cheese and stir until cheese is mostly melted. Add the kale/parsley puree. Stir until the cheese and is completely melted and you have a nice pourable sauce. If it is too thick add a bit more of the kale cooking water. Taste then add salt and pepper to your own preference. Pour sauce over the butternut and celeriac, cover and bake at 375 F for 40 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle on breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese and bake (uncovered) for 7 minutes longer until breadcrumbs are toasty brown.