Cauliflower Gratin & Ricotta and Pancetta Cabbage Rolls

The photos for these two recipes mirror each other in the book and as they were quite simple, I thought I'd make them both for dinner one night.

Twice a week my Hubby coaches at the local boxing club. He doesn't eat cauliflower or pumpkin or a load of yummy food, so I tend to make things I know he won't eat on those nights. And somehow, in between feeding the kids and wrangling them into bed, I'm able to.

I really enjoyed the Cabbage roll more than what I thought I would. I'm not a big pork person and the Pancetta was soft within the roll. If it was my recipe (or if IGA didn't have any Pancetta), I'd've chosen Prusciutto instead, but thought that since I can get it, I might as well use it. I think the pleasant surprise was the beautiful cheese mixture within the roll. The lemon zest really brought it up and pulled it together. There was a little saltiness from the feta but the ricotta cut through that and made it all quite smooth.

The only think I didn't like was that the broth was just chicken stock. Yes, stock can taste nice, but it just seemed to lack. And a tip for anyone who tries it, don't eat it in the stock. The beautiful filling just spills out everywhere.

I'm glad that I made the gratin the same night. The crunchiness from the gratin complimented the smooth texture of the rolls really well. We don't eat a lot of cauliflower in my house, so it was a nice change of accompaniment. I had to use ordinary breadcrumbs instead of fresh sourdough (good luck getting fresh sourdough out here) and probably added a bit more Parmesan to the dish than the measurement, but I love Parmesan, so who cares really?