Baked vegetable casserole

Ingredients:

½ cup broccoli

½ cup cauliflower

½ cup carrots

½ cup zucchini

2 onions

2 cups warmed milk

2 ½ tbsp butter

3 tbsp white flour

½ cup cheddar cheese

¼ cup Parmesan

Black pepper and salt to taste

Method:

Make a Mornay sauce (combine butter and sifted flour in a saucepan. Cook for two minutes and add milk until it thickens nicely.

Add grated cheese, both cheddar and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper) and set aside. Cut cauliflower and broccoli into small florets.

Chop carrot and zucchini into small, attractive pieces. Blanch broccoli, cauliflower and carrots while still tender. Shock in ice water and drain.

Zucchini needs no initial cooking. Mix all the vegetables evenly into the Mornay sauce and pour into a casserole dish. Ensure it’s an even spread between the vegetables and the Mornay sauce.

Cover the casserole with silver foil. Preheat oven at 180 degrees centigrade for 20 minutes. If taken directly from the chiller, the casserole would take about 30-45 minutes to heat up.

If at room temperature, it will take about 20 minutes to heat up. Remove foil. Sprinkle grated cheddar and Parmesan cheese evenly on top and then gratinate (i.e place briefly in oven under grill setting to brown the cheese). Serve hot.

ABOUT THE CHEF

Sunil Sydney Vaz, corporate chef, Caramel Group

How did you become a chef?

Family tradition. I grew up I helping out a lot in the kitchen. I have worked in Dubai at the Hilton Creek, in London with Gordon Ramsay, in Florida and in India before joining Caramel Nairobi.

What would you be doing if you were not a chef?

I would probably be an actor and singer.

Who are your mentors?

Gordon Ramsay, Jason Atherton and Angela Hartnett. When I worked with them, they engraved in me the culture of understanding and respecting food.

Which dignitary would you like to cook a meal for?

Pope Francis during his travels to India. I have been privileged to cook for chef Morimoto, Kim Kardashian, Lionel Richie, the Manchester United football team, Andrew Flintoff, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kevin Spacey, Jared Leto, Fabulous and Shaggy.

What makes you laugh?

Russell Peters, Love Guru and watching an inexperienced chef on Hell’s Kitchen.

What unusual hobbies do you enjoy?

Spa treatments and breakfast at McDonald’s.

Which are your three favourite restaurants in Kenya?

Caramel, Capital Club and Slims.

Which five tools are never missing from your kitchen?

Sous-vide machine, potato ricer, sushi knife, fish fillet knife, blast chiller and weighing scale.

What are your future goals?

I want to head at least 10 restaurants before retirement, and have my own family restaurant wherever I settle down.

 - Tricia Wanjala