Cheesy veg bake

Hey even hardened omnivores like us need a meat-free meal from time -to-time. The cheesy veg bake is fairly regular for us. This one does away with making roux etc but you still end up with a pretty decent, creamy sauce. I can't remember whose recipe this was originally (in a newspaper, I think), but I do remember that I have improved it beyond all measure.

Cheesy veg bake

Saute a couple of sliced, washed leeks in butter. Add a large bag of baby spinach (wilted by pouring a jug of boiling water over it as it sits in a colander in the sink. Stab at the mass of spinach a bit with your spoon, to separate it out.

Add a small jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained, then stir in grated nutmeg, a heaped teaspoon of dijon mustard, ground white pepper and 200g crumbled gorgonzola piccante. As the cheese is starting to melt but before it makes a hideous mess of your pan, pour it into a baking dish. Top with a bit more crumbled gorgonzola and some pinenuts. If I had remembered that I had a bag of panko breadcrumbs in the pantry, I would have used some of them too. We bought a big tub of cheap pinenuts at the Asian supermarket a while back, so I could afford to be profligate with them. Bake at 180C for about 1/2 hour until everything is bubbly and melted and browned on top. Serves 2 as is, 4 with rice, 6 as a side dish.