Baked Cauliflower

(Please remember that homecooking is often very, uh, homely.)

This recipe came from a home demonstration agent, Miss Ainsle Alexander, of Lincoln County, North Carolina.  This recipe is probably at least sixty years old.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head cauliflower
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes, well drained
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 cup grated cheese
• 3/4 cup fine cracker crumbs

Directions:

1. Break cauliflower into flowerets and cook in boiling salted water until tender.  Drain well and place in casserole.
2. Meanwhile, cook onion in butter until golden.  Blend in flour.  Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer.  Add seasonings and pour over cauliflower.  Mix cheese and crumbs and sprinkle over the top.  Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 20 minutes.  Serves 6.

(My Notes:  While this is a good recipe, I would experiment with it to adjust it to my tastes.  I saved some of the drained tomato juice and added it as needed to the onion/flour/tomato mixture to prevent ingredients from scorching.  I would consider tossing 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt with the boiled cauliflower, and subsequently, I would lessen the amount added to the onion/flour/tomato mixture to 1/2 teaspoon.  The 2 tablespoons flour make the mixture a bit paste-like, and I might omit using the flour.  I used Ashe County Mountain Extra Sharp Cheddar and table water crackers for the topping.  Choose the cheese and crackers you like, and consider tossing with a little melted butter before sprinkling on top of the casserole to avoid the topping being too dry.)

Source & Inspiration:

Elizabeth Hedgecock Sparks.  North Carolina and Old Salem Cookery. (Durham, NC:  The Seeman Printery, Inc., 1955), 111.