Ovenschoteltje, a Dutch recipe from my childhood

My Sardinian roots have greatly influenced my culinary preferances, so most of the recipes on this blog are from Mediterranean countries. I love simplicity, dishes in which the flavours of the main products are not masked by an overdose of butter or spices. I often boast about the fact that vegetables from Sardinia are ten times more tasteful than the ones we buy here in the North, and I think they should be prepared in a way their taste can be fully appreciated. Here in the Netherlands a lot of people tend to add cheese wherever they can and I think that's a pity, for we have some beautiful products here as well and the strong taste of cheese would take over the vegetables' leading role. When my family and I where living in Sardinia, my mother often made 'ovenschoteltje' during the relatively cold winter days. It is a hearty bake with cauliflower, dried prunes, onions and potato purée to which my mother would add minced meat. I know I used to love it back then, but when we moved to the Netherlands we almost never ate it again and when we all became vegan, my mother stopped preparing it completely. The strangest thing happened this year, when one day I woke up suddenly thinking of 'ovenschoteltje'! I googled it in order to know whether is was a Dutch classic or not and I found several recipes, but they didn't quite match my idea of it. So I improvised and I must say it is every bit as nice as the 'ovenschoteltje' from my memories, even though there's no meat inside. It is without cheese or strong spices, a pure recipe in which every vegetable plays a central role. A nostalgic dish that never disappoints, except when you try to make a picture for your blog (it isn't that photogenic)! Ingredients, serves 3-4 - 1kg potatoes, rinsed - 4 medium size onions, sliced - 1 cauliflower, divided in medium-big florets - a handful of dried prunes (if they are very dry, then soak them in warm water for half an hour) - a pinch of nutmeg - 1 tsp cinnamon - salt and black pepper - extra vergine olive oil - almond milk Preheat the oven at 190 degrees Celsius. Cook the potatoes whole, in their skin, in plenty of water, until you can pierce them very easily with a knife. Remove them from the hot water with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. In the same water, cook the cauliflower florets for 1-2 minutes, so they are just a bit softer than before. Drain and set aside. In a frying pan, heat about 3-4 tbsp of oil and add the sliced onions. Let them caramelize over low heat for 7-10 minutes, until they begin to brown. Remove from heat. If your potatoes are cooled off enough to handle them, rub off the skin and put them all in a food processor with a pinch of salt, some black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Process until the mixture gets smooth, then start adding almond milk until you reach a thick and creamy consistency. I wish I could tell you the exact amount of milk, but I haven't measured it and I think it also depends from the kind of potatoes you use. Keep in mind that it shouldn't be watery, but very thick and elastic. If you try to stir it, you'll notice there's lot of resistence. Taste the mixture and adjust the amount of salt if necessary. Okay, now you have all your ingredients, you can start to fill your oven dish (20x30cm, more or less). Drizzle some olive oil on the bottom and arrange the cauliflower florets. Season with salt and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Cover with the caramelized onions, which you should spread evenly. Add the dried prunes and finish with a thick layer of potato purée, which you can level with a spatula. Drizzle some more olive oil and black pepper on top and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden. Serve immediately.

Eet smakelijk!