by Rukmini Iyer from The Green Cookbook (Square Peg) Photography: David Loftus
This is a lovely cultural mishmash of a dish – perfect for an autumnal dinner with friends. You roast fennel, leeks and onion in the oven with classic Korean kimchi seasonings, then top them with a rich, savoury custard, cheddar and bread mixture – it crisps up beautifully in the oven. Korean red pepper flakes are readily available online, but you could substitute with smoked paprika and chipotle chilli flakes if needed. Serve with a crunchy green salad alongside.
This is a lovely cultural mishmash of a dish – perfect for an autumnal dinner with friends. You roast fennel, leeks and onion in the oven with classic Korean kimchi seasonings, then top them with a rich, savoury custard, cheddar and bread mixture – it crisps up beautifully in the oven. Korean red pepper flakes are readily available online, but you could substitute with smoked paprika and chipotle chilli flakes if needed. Serve with a crunchy green salad alongside
Prep 15 min Cook 55 min
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 small leeks, thinly sliced
2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely grated
2 inches ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
200g spring greens, thinly sliced
400ml creme fraiche
200ml milk
2 free-range eggs
1 tsp sea salt flakes
75g cheddar, grated
1 tbsp soy sauce
300g baguette, sliced or torn into pieces
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180C fan/200C/gas 6. Tip the leeks, fennel, onion, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and red pepper flakes into a large roasting tin, mix well, then transfer to the oven to cook for 30 mins.
Meanwhile, tip the spring greens into a large heatproof bowl, cover with just-boiled salted water and let them stand for 3 minutes before draining well, squeezing them dry with kitchen paper if needed. Whisk the creme fraiche, milk, eggs and salt together in a large bowl, stir through half the cheddar and set aside.
Once the vegetables have had 30 minutes, remove the tin from the oven and increase the temperature to 200C fan/220C/gas 7. Stir the blanched spring greens, soy sauce and half the cheese sauce through the cooked vegetables.
Tip the bread into the bowl with the remaining cheese sauce and stir well to coat. Arrange the bread evenly over the vegetables and pour over any leftover mixture.
Scatter the remaining cheddar over the top and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Serve hot.
Make it GF: Use gluten-free bread and tamari.
Drinks tasted on air, alongside the dish.
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