Cauliflower au Gratin

First, wash and clean the cauliflower by removing the outer leaves and central core 1 , then detach the florets 2 : you should get about 1.75 lbs of cauliflower. Plunge the florets into boiling salted water 3 and boil for 15 minutes (if you don't like the smell of cooking cauliflower, you can reduce it by adding lemon or vinegar to the water).

Meanwhile, prepare the béchamel : in a saucepan, heat the milk 4 , while in another thick-bottomed pot gently melt the butter 5 . Once melted, sprinkle the flour into the pot with the butter, stirring immediately with a whisk 6 to avoid lumps.

Lightly brown it 7 then add the hot milk, stirring immediately with a whisk 8 . Continue stirring to prevent lumps; season with nutmeg 9 , pepper, and salt and let the mixture thicken for a few minutes, always stirring.

The béchamel should remain quite liquid 10 . In the meantime, the cauliflower florets will be cooked, drain them thoroughly 11 and set them aside for a moment. Butter an 8x8 inch baking dish 12

and pour the cauliflower florets inside 13 . Cover with the béchamel 14 and then evenly sprinkle with the Parmigiano Reggiano 15 .

Season with pepper to taste (16-17) and then bake in a preheated oven at 356°F in static mode for 10 minutes. After this time, set the grill mode at 430°F and bake for another 10 minutes, to obtain a golden crust. Your cauliflower au gratin is ready to be served 18 .