Broccoli Au Gratin With Soft Garlic Bread Sticks

As the weather gets colder, my apetite for creamy dishes increases and since this is the best season for fresh broccoli, I decided to prepare an all time classic, easy to make dish: broccoli au gratin. To accompany it, I made some delicious, soft and a bit spicy bread. 

INGREDIENTS FOR BROCCOLI AU GRATIN:

1 Kg fresh broccoli cut into florets (or frozen, if that's all that you have)

3 Tablespoons flour

3 Tablespoons butter

500 ml milk

200 gr yellow cheese (edam, chedar etc)

200 gr hard cheese (parmesan, greek graviera etc)

nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven at 180C. Boil the broccoli in salted water  for around 20 minutes until they are soft. If you're using frozen broccoli, cooking time will be diminished to10-15 minutes. Once they are ready, transfer to a colander and drain well until there's no excess water. 

Prepare the bechamel sauce. In a pan melt the butter, add the flour and mix using a whisk. While still whisking, slowly add the milk until you have a soft cream. Remove from heat add the cheese and a pinch of nutmeg. Put the broccoli in a casserole dish and cover them with bechamel. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown. 

INGREDIENTS FOR SOFT BREAD STICKS

550 gr all purpose flour

330 gr water

1 package dry yeast

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon salt

2 Tablespoons butter melted

INGREDIENTS FOR BRUSHING ON TOP

1 Tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

In a bowl pour the water (heated until hot, not boiling), the yeast and the sugar. Let it sit for 5 minutes. In a mixer bowl put the flour and the salt, mix them together. Add the yeast and the melted butter and knead with the dough hook of your mixer for around 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl and give it a square shape. Cut it in half then in 4th, until you have 8-10 sticks. Put the sticks on cooking paper and let them rise for 45-60 minutes, covered with a towel or plastic wrap. Preheat oven at 200C. Bake them for 6 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the brushing. Melt the butter, add the salt and the garlic powder and mix well. Remove the bread from the oven and brush them with the mixture. Bake for another 6 minutes or until lightly browned. 

The original recipe for bread sticks can be found here .