Cauliflower rice or couscous is in vogue at the moment as a low carb alternative. Charlotte, the CSA publicity officer, was planning to have this with a chilli last night. Recipe from BBC Good Food.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 3 minutes
Cooking time: 7 minutes
Ingredients
1 medium cauliflower
Good handful coriander leaves, chopped
Cumin seeds, toasted (optional)
Method
Cut the hard core and stalks from the cauliflower and pulse the rest in a food processor to make grains the size of rice. Tip into a heatproof bowl, cover with clingfilm, then pierce and microwave for 7 minutes on high – there is no need to add any water. Stir in the coriander. For spicier rice, add some toasted cumin seeds.
This recipe appeared in Yotam Ottolengi’s column in the Guardian recently and I have been waiting for a cauliflower to try it out. Yotam recommends: keep all the leaves on the head of cauliflower for this: when roasted, they are deliciously crisp and tasty. The addition of a few chopped anchovies would be a flavoursome addition to the butter: you won’t need the salt if you do this.
Serves: four as a starter.
Preparation and cooking time: 2- 2 1/2 hours
Ingredients
1 large cauliflower with its leaves intact
150g creme fraiche
1 tbsp lemon juice
70g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3 tbsp olive oil
Coarse sea salt
Method
Using a pair of scissors, lightly trim the leaves at the top of the cauliflower, so that about 5cm of the cauliflower’s head is exposed. Fill a pan large enough to fit the cauliflower in salty water. Bring to a boil and carefully lower in the cauliflower exposed head down: don’t worry if the base sticks out a little. Bring back to a boil, cook for six minutes, then transfer the cauliflower to a colander, exposed head down. Set aside for 10 minutes, to drain and cool. Heat the oven to 170C/335F/gas mark 3. Mix together the creme fraiche and lemon juice, and set aside in the fridge until required. Mix the butter with the oil. Put the cauliflower stem side down in a medium baking tray and spread the butter mix all over the white flower. Sprinkle over a teaspoon and a quarter of salt, and roast for an hour and a half to two hours, basting the cauliflower with the buttery juices five or six times during cooking. The cauliflower is done when it’s super-tender and a dark golden-brown, and the leaves are crisp and charred. Remove from the oven and serve with the lemony creme fraiche and a little extra salt for sprinkling on top alongside. Serve this in the centre of the table, for people to share with drinks at the start of a meal. Break the cauliflower apart with your hands (let it cool down a little first), dip the individual florets and crisp green leaves into the creme fraiche sauce and sprinkle with salt. For those who prefer eating with a knife and fork on separate small plates, just cut the cauli into quarters and serve individually.
A neat take on a classic. This recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi in The Guardian is recommended by CSA members Charlotte Barry and Alex and Jeremy Simmons. The lentils are described as a really positive addition and cooking them from scratch will mean they are less mushy. I’m looking forward to trying it tomorrow.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 12-14 minutes
Ingredients
50g puy lentils
1 large cauliflower, separated into 4cm florets
2 tbsp ghee
2 banana shallots, peeled and diced fine
1½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp mustard powder
2 green chillis, deseeded and finely diced
1 tsp black mustard seeds
200ml double cream
90g mature cheddar, grated
15g parmesan, grated
Salt
15g panko breadcrumbs
5g parsley, finely chopped
Method
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Tip the lentils into a small pan filled with boiling water and simmer for 18 minutes, until al dente. Drain, refresh and leave to drip-dry. Steam the cauliflower over boiling water for five minutes, until just softening, remove and set aside.
Melt the ghee in a round, 24cm ovenproof casserole pan on a medium heat, and sauté the shallots for eight minutes, until soft and golden. Add the cumin, curry and mustard powders, and chilli, and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the mustard seeds, cook for a minute, then stir in the cream, 80g of the cheddar, all the parmesan and half a teaspoon of salt. Simmer for a minute or two, so the sauce thickens slightly, then add the lentils and cauliflower. Stir gently, simmer for a minute more, then take off the heat.
In a small bowl, mix the panko, remaining cheddar and parsley. Sprinkle over the cauliflower, then bake for eight minutes, until bubbling and hot. Brown under a high grill for two to four minutes, until the top is golden and crisp (watch that it doesn’t burn). Remove, leave to cool down slightly and serve.
I cooked this cauliflower cake at the weekend. It was rather time consuming to prepare but it looked impressive and tasted good! I served it with a green salad. It’s from Yotam Ottolenghi’s newest book Plenty More.
Serves: 4-6
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
1 small cauliflower, broken into 3 cm florets
salt and black pepper
1 medium red onion, peeled
75 ml olive oil
1/2 tsp finely chopped rosemary
7 eggs
15g basil, chopped
120g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp ground turmeric
150g coarsely grated parmesan
melted butter, to grease the tin
1 tbs white sesame seeds
1 tsp nigella seeds
Method
Put the cauliflower florets in a pan and add a teaspoon of salt. Cover with water, bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, until they florets are quite soft. Strain and leave in a colander to dry.
Cut 3 or 4 round 0.5 cm slices off one end of the onion and set aside. Coarsely chop the rest of the onion, and put in a small pan with the oil and rosemary. Cook for 10 minutes on a medium heat, stirring from time to time, until soft, then set aside to cool. Transfer the cooked onion to a large bowl, add the eggs and basil, whisk, then add the flour, baking powder, turmeric, cheese, a teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper. Whisk until smooth, then add the cauliflower and stir gently, trying not to break up all the florets.
Line the base and sides of a 24 cm springform cake tin with baking parchment, and brush the sides with melted butter. Mix together the sesame and nigella seeds and toss them around the inside of the tin, so they stick to the sides. Tip in the cauliflower mix and arrange the reserved onion rings on top. Bake in the centre of a preheated oven 200°C/Gas mark 6 for 45 minutes, until golden brown and set: a knife inserted into the middle should come out clean.
Remove from the oven and leave for at least 20 minutes before serving; it needs to be served just warm, or at room temperature, rather than hot.
My husband made these delicious morsels for tea last night, he used pomegranate molasses instead of tamarind paste in the raita and it was delicious. They’re from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg Every Day.
Serves 6-8
Preparation time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Ingredients
1 medium cauliflower (about 800g), trimmed
sunflower oil, for frying
For the batter:
150g gram (chickpea) flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsps ground cumin
2 tsps ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
a good shake of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
For the tamarind raita
6 heaped tbs plain yoghurt
A large handful coriander, chopped
2 tsps tamarind paste or mango chutney
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
For the raita, mix all the ingredients together, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Cut the cauliflower into small florets, no more that 2 cm across in any direction, discarding nearly all the stalk.
For the batter, put the gram flour, baking powder, ground spices and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine and get rid of any lumps. Slowly whisk in 175 ml cold water, which should give you a smooth batter with a similar consistency to double cream. Add a little more water if necessary – different brands of gram flour will vary in how much they absorb.
Add the cauliflower florets to the batter and turn them, making sure they are all thoroughly coated. Heat about 1 cm of oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat. When the oil is hot enough to turn a cube of white bread light golden in 30-40 seconds, start cooking the pakoras, a few at a time so you don’t crowd the pan.
Place spoonfuls of battered cauliflower – just a few florets per spoonful – into the hot oil. Cook for about 2 minutes, until crisp and golden brown on the base, then turn over and cook for another minute or two. drain the pakoras on kitchen paper, then serve piping hot with the raita for dipping.
Or Baghari phool gobi – from Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery (the book of the BBC series). This is delicious on its own with rice or jacket potatoes, or served as a side dish with pretty much anything.
Serves 6
Preparation time: 40 minutes (including 30 minutes soaking time)
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Ingredients
1 large cauliflower
7 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp whole fennel seeds
1 tbsp whole black mustard seeds
1 tbsp very finely chopped garlic
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1½ tsp salt
4 tbsp water
Method
Cut the cauliflower into delicate flowerets – no longer than 5cm, no wider at the head than 2cm inch and about 1cm thick. Put them into a bowl of water for at least half an hour. Drain them just before you get ready to cook.
Heat the oil in a large 25-30cm frying pan over a medium flame. When hot, put in the fennel and mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds start to pop, put in the finely chopped garlic. Stir and fry until the garlic is lightly browned. Add the turmeric and cayenne. Stir once and quickly put in the cauliflower, salt, and about 4 tbsp water. Stir and cook on medium heat for 6-7 minutes or until cauliflower is just done. It should retain its crispness and there should be no liquid left. If the water evaporates before the cauliflower is done, add a little more.
If your frying pan is smaller than the suggested size, the cauliflower will take longer to cook. In that case, it might be a good idea to cover it for 5 minutes.
Roasted cauliflower makes a delicious crunchy winter salad in this recipe from BBC Good Food. You can use the mixed salad leaves in Camel CSA’s weekly veg boxes instead of the baby spinach.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
1 cauliflower, broken into florets
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion , thinly sliced
3 tbsp sherry vinegar
1½ tbsp honey
3 tbsp raisins
small bunch dill , snipped
3 tbsp toasted, flaked almonds
50g baby spinach
Method
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil, season and roast for 15 mins. Stir in the red onion and carry on roasting for 15-20 mins more until tender.
While the cauliflower is roasting, mix the vinegar, honey and raisins with some seasoning. When the cauliflower is done, stir in the dressing, dill, almonds and spinach, and serve.
- More roasted cauliflower recipes
Roasted curried cauliflower
Roasted cauliflower gigli with pine nuts and currants
This cold, wet spring weather invites soup! This recipe for a “perfect winter warmer” is from BBC Good Food magazine.
Serves 6
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
knob of butter
1 large onion , finely chopped
1 large cauliflower (about 900g/2lb), leaves trimmed and cut into florets
1 potato , peeled and cut into chunks
700ml vegetable stock (from a cube is fine)
400ml milk
100g mature cheddar , diced
Method
Heat the butter in a large saucepan. Tip in the onion and cook until softened, about 5 mins, stirring often. Add the cauliflower, potato, stock, milk and seasoning.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer for about 30 mins until the cauliflower is soft and the potato almost collapsing.
Whizz in a food processor or crush with a potato masher until you get a creamy, thick soup. Top up with more milk to thin a little if serving in mugs. When ready to serve, warm through, ladle into mugs or bowls, top with the cheese pieces, then stir through before eating.
You can make it ahead up to two days in advance, cool, cover and leave in the fridge until needed, or freeze for up to one month.
We’re continuing with the roasted cauliflower theme this week, this time with pasta. It’s another delicious vegetarian dish from restauranteur/chef Yotam Ottolenghi. He says: “The sweet and salty combination of currants and capers is a Sicilian mix that’s both interesting and scrumptious. I love it.”
Gigli are fluted, flower-shaped pasta (gigli is Italian for lilies). They’re good with a hearty, chunky sauce like this one.
Serves: four
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 medium cauliflower (around 480g)
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
65g currants
2½ tbsp white-wine vinegar
½ tsp caster sugar
¼ tsp saffron strands
2 red onions, peeled and cut into large dice
4 stalks celery, the stems cut on an angle into 1cm slices, the leaves picked and torn
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
250g gigli (or campanelle, or other short pasta)
50g pine nuts, toasted
20g salted capers, rinsed
20g parsley leaves, roughly chopped
10g celery leaves
Method
Heat the oven to 240C/465F/gas mark 9. Break the cauliflower into bite-sized florets. Toss with a tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt, spread on an oven tray and bake until golden and semi-cooked, about 15 minutes.
In a small saucepan, gently warm the currants, vinegar, sugar and saffron, then set aside to infuse.
Pour the remaining oil into a very large sauté pan. Add the onion and celery stems, fry on medium-high heat until they begin to colour and soften – about eight minutes – then add the roasted cauliflower and garlic, and sauté for three minutes.
Meanwhile, boil the pasta in plenty of salted water until al dente. Drain and add to the cauliflower pan. Stir in the pine nuts, capers, currant mix, half a teaspoon of salt and lots of black pepper, taste and adjust the seasoning. Stir in the parsley and celery leaves, and serve immediately.
Roasted cauliflower is trending everywhere at the moment – even on BBC’s Masterchef. It seems that roasting this “Marmite” vegetable can transform dyed-in-the-wool cauliflower haters into lifelong fans.
San Francisco-based foodie Darya Pino considers this her best recipe of all time (that’s some claim!)
She says: “What’s weird is that this is just roasted cauliflower, it couldn’t sound any less glamorous. The coolest part of all is that anyone (like ANY anyone) can make this.
“I like to add curry powder to mine, but you can play around with whatever spices you like, or just make it plain. It still freaks me out how good this recipe is.”
Serves: 2-4
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30-35 minutes
Ingredients
1 large cauliflower (or several small ones)
curry powder
olive oil
sea salt
Method
Preheat oven to 250C, Gas Mark 9. Meanwhile break the cauliflower into medium-small florets and place into a large bowl or baking pan. Be sure the pieces are as evenly sized as possible, or they will cook unevenly. The smaller you make the pieces, the quicker they will cook and the more caramelized they will become.
Drizzle cauliflower pieces generously with olive oil and season well with salt and curry powder. Distribute evenly in a single layer at the bottom of a baking pan. If necessary, use a second baking pan to be sure the pieces aren’t too crowded.
Cover the pans with foil and place into the oven. Roast, covered, for 10-15 minutes. The cauliflower should be slightly soft and start looking translucent. If not replace foil and cook another 5 minutes.
When the cauliflower has finished steaming, remove the foil and toss with tongs. Continue to roast, stirring every 8-10 minutes until the tips of the cauliflower begin to brown and become crisp. Approximately 30-35 minutes.
Adjust salt to taste (you will probably need another sprinkle) and serve.
- Believe it or not, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall suggests making roasted cauliflower as a nibble to go with drinks. He seasons it with lemon juice and smoked paprika before roasting or putting it on the barbeque.
