How to make an 8yo mutter dangerously

aka - a recipe with cauliflower and zucchini.

This week's veggie delivery included a bunch of cauliflower, zucchini, and a handful of small leeks. What to do? I knew that anything that I came up with would equate to child abuse (according to our children) so the choice was hit them several times, or attack with one big blow. I went the way of the casserole.

1lb lean ground beef
3-4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
Leeks - chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper
white wine
1tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup cheese
1/2 cup parmesan
1 head cauliflower cut up
2 white potatos
2 large zucchini, sliced

Preheat the oven to 375F

Saute the garlic and brown the meat in the olive oil. Add worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper (and whatever other spices you like) to taste. I thought the meat looked a bit dry (it was very lean) and I knew I needed juices, so I added a half cup of white grenache.

As I was cooking the meat, I preboiled the cauliflower - cut into bite-sized pieces (cook it soft if that's the way you like it, or less time if you like a little more texture). I also microwaved the potatos until mostly baked, then sliced them.

Remove the meat mixture to the casserole dish (13"x9"). Leave the juices in the pan. Add one tablespoon butter. Melt. Add flour and whisk to mix. I beat the egg into the milk, and adding slowly to the pan, whisked the egg/milk mixture into the flour sauce in the pan. Add the cheese (I think a good mozzarella or better cheddar would have been best, but all I had was a basic sharp yellow cheddar cheese... it still turned out great) and the parmesan and mix well. Let the cheese melt and blend.

Layer the cauliflower, sliced potato and sliced zucchini over the meat. Pour on the sauce. Bread crumbs, or cracker crumbs, and perhaps more cheese would be a good topping, but I didn't use anything. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Serve. Enjoy. Piss off the kids.