Easy Wins
Award-winning and bestselling cook Anna Jones gives her golden rules for easy wins in the kitchen with super-simple recipes that are bursting with flavour and kind to the planet.
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Roast spring vegetables with mustard cheese sauce
This is a plate of everything that I find comforting. Roast broccoli which gives a hit of green and texture from its crispy roasted flowery ends, and a cheesy mustard sauce which brings it all together. The mustard lifts the flavour and puts a bit of punch into the plate of comfort. Some roast herbs add texture and fresh dimension.
- Duration
- 40 mins - 1 hr
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- a bunch of purple sprouting or Tenderstem broccoli (200g)
- 1 bunch of asparagus
- 150g fresh, unpodded peas
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- a few sprigs of thyme (5g), leaves picked
- 300g crème fraîche or oat crème fraîche
- 50ml whole milk or oat milk
- 175g mature Cheddar or vegan Cheddar-style cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 10g unsalted butter or vegan block
- a small handful of parsley, leaves picked
- a small handful of sage, leaves picked
- a small handful of tarragon, leaves picked
- extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Prepare the vegetables
Preheat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan. Break 200g purple sprouting or Tenderstem broccoli into florets, then trim any tough bits from the stalk and slice it into 1–2cm-thick pieces. Trim the rough end from 1 bunch of asparagus.
Roast the veg
Put the broccoli, asparagus and 150g of unpodded peas into a large roasting tray with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon fennel seeds and the leaves from 5g thyme sprigs. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then toss together so the vegetables are all evenly coated. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, turning halfway through.
Make the sauce
Meanwhile, put 300g crème fraîche or oat crème fraîche and 50ml whole milk or oat milk in a small saucepan and bring to a low simmer over a medium heat. Turn off the heat, add 175g grated mature Cheddar or vegan Cheddar-style cheese, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard and 10g unsalted butter or vegan block butter and stir until the cheese is melted and you have a cheesy, mustardy sauce.
Roast the herbs
Remove the broccoli and asparagus from the oven and set aside to cool slightly. On a low-sided/flat baking tray, mix the leaves from a small handful each of parsley, sage and tarragon with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then spread them out so they are all in one even layer, with no leaves overlapping. Bake in the oven for 2–3 minutes, until the herbs have crisped up but are still green. Keep a close eye on them as they can overcook and turn brown very quickly.
Bring everything together
Spoon the cheese sauce on to the base of a large serving platter or individual plates, top with the roast vegetables, the crispy herbs and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. This is a meal on its own but it’s also good with a bitter leaf salad and bread for mopping up the sauce.
Additional information
As featured in
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