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FOOD
O
ur cauliflower crusade began with a dinner party when it was
impossible to find out if any guests were gluten-free or even
vegetarian. The crux of the mission was to serve a dish that
would please everyone without making it an issue of dietary restrictions.
Cauliflower couscous. The recipe was new to me, but in the final
taste test delicious as a side dish or as an entree.Well worth a rerun.
The recipe is below. After discovering that no one was vegetarian,
we sautéed a few shrimp and added them for a little extra flavor.
Almost any protein may be added.
That’s not to say we don’t love cauliflower just as it is, a delicious
vegetable either cut into florets then boiled or steamed and buttered
(adding your favorite grated cheese) or lightly tossed in olive oil.
Seasoned and roasted in the oven for nice golden, crunchy edges.
But we all know how to do that. If you don’t, let us know and we’ll
tell you how to create tabletop magic. It turns out that cauliflower is
one of those healthy vegetables that can put on a show and appear
costumed in many disguises.
The second recipe was developed while discussing cauliflower with
a friend, someone who was faithful to her low carb diet but longing
for rice or potatoes.
We challenged ourselves to experiment with cooking methods. For
couscous or faux rice or potatoes, the raw cauliflower should be
trimmed into florets then run through a food
processor to create a small grain, about the
size of a grain of rice.
We boiled, steamed, sautéed, roasted, toasted
and failed. This is not to say that these
methods did not deliver delicious cauliflower,
but they still retained too much of the actual
cauliflower taste that we were trying to mute.
Finally, cooking it tossed with a tablespoon
of water or stock for two to three minutes in
a microwave proof bowl covered with plastic
wrap gave us a nicely cooked grain that
wasn’t waterlogged or mushy.
To treat it like rice, salt and pepper it. If
you’re feeling extravagant, toss it with
unsalted butter. Yes, it will still have a bit
of cauliflower sweetness; however, it is tasty
enough to stand on its own.
Now, for mashed potatoes. Go ahead, boil it in
water for three or four minutes until soft, and
drain it as well as possible—squeezing through
several layers of cheesecloth will do the job.
Mash the cooked cauliflower grains as finely
as possible using a potato masher. Pushing
it through a ricer, if you have one, is the best
technique for a smooth purée.
Salt, pepper, unsalted butter and a splash of white truffle oil is so
close to the real deal you might cry. If there is any left over, make
patties mixed with a beaten egg and some chopped green onion.
Then dredge the patties in seasoned flour to fry up nicely.
Shaya and Dominica owner Chef Alon Shaya made whole roasted
cauliflower famous almost overnight at Dominica. The cauliflower
world went bonkers. Variations on his recipe are easily found on the
Internet and impressive enough to serve a cruciferous flavor-loving
crowd. Imagine a healthy onion mum offered whole so everyone can
snag a piece or two for themselves. A little exotic and unexpected. It
can double as a centerpiece.
Other chefs treat it as a steak, trimming it a bit then slicing
lengthwise, working out from the center into 1-inch thick slabs.
Fry them in shallow vegetable oil, browning on both sides in a cast
iron skillet. Then pop the skillet into a preheated 350-degree oven
for ten minutes. Brush tops with olive oil seasoned with salt and
pepper. Test the steak with a fork to make sure it is cooked through
but not mushy. A little firmness delivers the best taste.
Happily, cauliflower is a vegetable that doesn’t require a vegetarian
to savor it. It has all of the attributes of being a clean, healthy main
course or side dish seasoned and cooked using almost any method
that pleases you.
Cauliflower is the
new kale.
The Cauliflower
Challenge
by
Kit Wohl