Showing posts with label Cauliflower. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cauliflower. Show all posts

Wednesday 20 October 2021

Golden Cauliflower

I love cauliflower, but it can be awfully pale and flabby looking. Just a little spice makes it look so much more appetizing and adds a lovely flavour.  (And nothing calls out for a little parsley over the top like cauliflower.) 

Four cups is an awful lot of cauliflower to have "left over", but it could absolutely be cooked in advance by a day or so, and re-cooked in the spices for about 5 minutes longer than called for in the recipe. In either case, it won't do the cauliflower any harm to get a bit browned in spots, in fact it's an improvement.
 
4 servings
20 minutes prep time

Cauliflower with Saffron

4 cups (1/2 a large) cauliflower florets
2 tablespoons sunflower OR olive oil
1/4 cup chicken OR vegetable broth
1/8 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon saffron threads
1/16 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1/16 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
 
Wash, trim, and cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets. Put a pot of water on to boil for them, and boil them for 5 minutes then drain well. 
 
Meanwhile, mix all the remaining ingredients except the parsley in a small bowl, rubbing the saffron between your fingers as you put it in. Give it a stir until well combined. 
 
When the cauliflower is draining, heat the mixture in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the drained cauliflower and cook for another 5 minutes or a bit longer, until the liquid is absorbed or evaporated and the cauliflower begins to brown slightly. Sprinkle it with the chopped parsley and serve at once.  




Friday 15 October 2021

Macaroni & Blue Cheese

I went and bought some blue cheese on a whim (by which I mean it was on sale) and then I needed something to do with it. A look around the cupboards rounded up the usual suspects and a seasonal cauliflower, so macaroni and cheese it was. It's fairly different from the usual macaroni and cheese, but if you like blue cheese it's very good stuff. I'd have thrown some sautéed mushrooms in if I had had any mushrooms, but I didn't. You could. 

Also, I dare not refer to this as mac and cheese, as my mother screams with horror at the degeneracy of modern manners and morals every time she sees macaroni and cheese disrespected that way. It isn't even macaroni and cheese, really; I used rotini as it seems so hard to find good old elbow macaroni these days. Any small, stubby pasta will work just fine.
 
3 to 6 servings
1 hour 20 minutes - 30 minutes prep time
 

Cook the Macaroni & Cauliflower:
4 cups small cauliflower florets
225 grams to 250 grams (1/2 pound) macaroni or similar pasta
 
Wash, trim, and prepare the cauliflower. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Cook the pasta with the cauliflower for half the recommended time for the pasta; usually 5 or 6 minutes. (If for some reason the pasta cooking time is not 5 or 6 minutes, that's still how long to cook the cauliflower.) Drain well.

Make the Sauce:
200 grams (1/2 pound) cream cheese
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons barley or other flour
125 grams (1/4 pound) blue cheese
2 cloves of garlic
NO to 1/8 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
 
Mix the milk slowly into the cream cheese to make a smooth sauce. Mix in the flour, then crumble the blue cheese and mix it in. Peel and mince the garlic and mix it into the sauce with the remaining seasonings. Salt will depend on how salty your particular blue cheese is.

Make the Topping & Finish:
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup fine bread crumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a shallow 2 quart baking dish (8" x 10" lasagne pan). 

Mix the Parmesan and the bread crumbs, and rub in the butter until they are evenly moistened. 

Mix the drained pasta and cauliflower into the sauce. Spread it all evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top evenly with the Parmesan bread crumbs. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly at the edges. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. 




Last year at this time I made Koresh Karafs - Persian Celery Stew.

Wednesday 1 September 2021

Cauliflower & Bacon Salad

Found this one in an old cook book. As usual, I forgot to note which one, but it dated to 1916. I added some parsley because it needed something more. It's still a very simple salad and much depends on the quality of the ingredients, especially the bacon - be sure to get a good one. It does not need to be too lean because the fat will form part of the dressing, but it shouldn't be too fatty either. 
 
I've written this up on the assumption that you would make it from scratch, but in fact this is probably best as a use for leftover cooked cauliflower. Scale the other ingredients to match the quantity you have; but I suspect that if you are not terribly precise it doesn't matter much. 
 
4 to 6 servings
20 minutes prep time
 
Cauliflower & Bacon Salad

4 cups cauliflower florets
1/3 cup finely minced chives
1/3 cup finely minced parsley
225 grams (1/2 pound) bacon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
 
Wash and trim the cauliflower, and break it into smallish bite-sized florets. Wash and dry the chives and parsley, and mince them finely. Chop the bacon.
 
Boil or steam the cauliflower until just tender; about 6 minutes. Drain well. 
 
Just before the water for the cauliflower comes to the boil, put the bacon in skillet sufficiently large for it, and cook it over medium heat until crisp. If there is too much fat - you want about 3 tablespoons worth - drain some off. Have the mustard, salt and pepper, and vinegar whisked together in a small bowl, and add them to the bacon as soon as you turn the heat off. Mix well, but be careful - it will spit and sputter quite a lot.

Pour this dressing over the very well drained cauliflower and mix well. Mix in the chives and parsley, and allow it all to cool to room temperature. Serve at room temperature.

Monday 12 October 2020

Cauliflower & Pepper Sauté

This may be a very simple little vegetable sauté, but it is a particularly nice and seasonal combination and I'm amazed it has taken me this long to do it. An assortment of colourful peppers and onions do great things to give a little colour to otherwise pale cauliflower, and the flavours are terrific too.

4 servings
20 minutes prep time

Cauliflower & Pepper Sauté

4 cups small cauliflower florets
1 small mild red pepper
1 small mild yellow or orange pepper
1 or 2 green onions OR 1 red onion
a little piece of hot pepper, OPTIONAL
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste


Put a pot of water on to boil, in which to cook the cauliflower. Wash, trim, and break the cauliflower up into small florets.

Wash, de-stem, and de-seed the peppers. Cut them into small bite-sized pieces. Wash, trim, and cut up the green onions or red onion into pieces of similar size and shape. If using a bit of hot chile, mince it fairly fine and be careful not to touch the seeds or the inside of the pepper generally. Peel and mince the garlic.

When the water boils, add the cauliflower florets and boil for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the mild peppers and red onion or white parts of the green onions for a few minutes, stirring regularly, until softened and reduced. Add the green onion parts, hot chile, and garlic just a minute or two before the cauliflower is done.

Drain the cauliflower and add it to the pan of peppers. Mix in well. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the everything is well amalgamated and you can see little browned spots on the vegetables. Serve at once.




Last year at this time I made Acorn Squash with Wild Rice & Mushroom Stuffing

Wednesday 30 September 2020

Cauliflower Fritters

Ah, fritters. I've always loved them, and these ones have cauliflower and cheese. Can't go wrong with that!

I didn't feel like I was using a lot of materials to make this, but the final fritter count was fairly impressive - I got 21, and I think I should have made them even a bit smaller and gotten more. Next time for the 2 of us, I would make half a recipe. That's still a pretty substantial fritter feast. Given how rich they are, it's better to serve them as an appetizer to a good lot of people, I would think. Should you ever be able to assemble a good lot of people in one place again, of course, which is not looking like any time soon.

You could easily make these with leftover cooked cauliflower, or at any rate it could be cooked in advance. Once the cauliflower is ready, it takes minutes to make the batter and then you are frying. It takes attention, and there are a lot of them to do, but they cook quite quickly. I soon had a routine going.

A few years back I got a cast iron aebleskiver pan (also known as an appam pan; or close enough) and it is great for making little tidbits that seem - are, really - deep fried without using great gobs of oil. Anything frittery, or doughnut-like is terrific made in it. I keep meaning to use it more, so here's something to get me started.

4 to 12 servings (24 to 36 fritters)
20 minutes prep time to cook cauliflower
30 minutes prep time to cook fritters

Cauliflower Fritters

3 cups finely chopped cauliflower
1/2 cup chick pea flour
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh chives. 
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or similar cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt (less if cheese is salty)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 medium eggs
+ milk to 1/3 cup
mild vegetable oil to fry

Wash and trim the cauliflower, and cut it into small florets. Cook in boiling water until tender; about 6 minutes. Drain very well, let cool enough to handle, then chop finely.

In a mixing bowl, put the flour, minced chives, grated cheese, salt, and pepper. Break the eggs into a measuring cup and stir them with a fork. Add enough milk to make the total volume of the two things 2/3 cup - it won't be very much milk.

Mix the milk and eggs into the flour to make a smooth batter. Mix in the finely chopped cauliflower.

Heat some oil, ideally in an aebleskiver pan; a teaspoon or so into each depression. Otherwise, use a fairly deep but not too big skillet and put a generous 1/4" on the bottom. When the oil is hot, drop the batter in by fairly small spoonfuls, to form little fritters. Cook them until well browned and firm, turning them to cook on the other side when half done. The heat should be medium; you want them to cook through to the middle which means they should not brown instantly, but you do want them to get brown.

Put them onto a rack (a perforated pizza pan is good) lined with paper towel as they are done, continuing to cook the remaining batter and adding a little more oil if needed. Keep them hot in a 200°F oven, but serve them as soon as possible.

Monday 7 September 2020

Cauliflower Finnish Style

It's another brassica and stale bread dish, but this one is from Finland and it's quite different from the Broccoli Italian Style. That one still feels quite summery, but this one is starting to look like an autumn dish.

We use a lot of heavy, dark rye in this house, now that white bread is a rare treat. Let's face it, most of what gets sold as rye bread is actually white bread with a rye flavour. What we use  - and what you want here - is the kind of rye bread that is dense and solid and made of rye with maybe a few seeds or grain kernels but no wheat flour.

4 servings
45 minutes - 20 minutes prep time

Cauliflower Finnish Style

Prepare the Cauliflower & Breadcrumbs:
4 cups cauliflower florets
2 cups dark rye bread crumbs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 375°F. 

Put a pot of water on to boil to pre-cook the cauliflower. Wash, trim, and break the cauliflower into fairly small florets. Boil them for 4 minutes, then drain well.

Meanwhile, slice or break the bread into fine dice or coarse crumbs. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it is melted, add the crumbs and stir them in well. Toast, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes, until dry, crisp and lightly browned in spots. Remove from the heat at once.

Finish the Dish & Bake:
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 large egg
1/3 cup chicken OR vegetable stock
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Grind the caraway and coriander seeds with the salt, and put them in a small mixing bowl with the pepper and mustard. Whisk in the egg, then the stock. Grate the cheese.

Oil a shallow 2 quart or litre baking pan. Spread half the breadcrumbs over the bottom, then arrange the drained cauliflower evenly over them. Sprinkle with the remaining crumbs and the grated cheese. Pour the egg and stock mixture evenly over the cauliflower and crumbs, then bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cheese is lightly browned and the crumbs are dry again.




Last year at this time I made Pastel de Choclo con Acelga - Corn & Swiss Chard Pie

Monday 22 June 2020

Peas in Butter Sauce

Well yes; just a little rich!

But peas are special, and when they come fresh from the garden they deserve a special treatment that doesn't overwhelm them, and now that I'm cutting way back on the carbohydrates, I am eating more in the way of fat. Butter is good for you, they now say.

You could put this sauce on all kinds of vegetables besides peas; asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, green beans, even cabbage or carrots. Even if you stick to peas, snap and snow peas would work very well in this sauce too. Adjust the herb and stock according to which vegetable you are using, or replace the lemon juice with a good vinegar. Use more or less of the vegetables depending on what you have, how many people you are serving, and how prominent you would like the sauce to be. It's not outstandingly assertive, in spite of all that butter. I suspect this would also work just fine in the winter, with frozen vegetables.

Classic butter sauce is made with no starch, but I'm a belt-and-suspenders kind of a cook, and took no chances of it failing to emulsify. This requires fairly precise timing but is otherwise very quick and easy to make. The butter should be cold, not at room temperature or it won't emulsify properly.

2 to 6 servings
15 minutes prep time, not including shelling the peas

Peas in Butter Sauce

3 cups shelled peas (OR use 2 to 4 cups other vegetable)
1/2 teaspoon potato starch
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon rubbed dry mint (OR other herb)
1/4 cup vegetable OR chicken stock
2 tablespoons 10% cream

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Have the peas shelled and ready to go. Cook the peas (or other vegetable) by steaming or boiling them in the usual way, expecting them to take 2 to 4 minutes. (Other vegerables may take up to 6 minutes.) Because vegetables cook very quickly, you should have all the sauce ingredients standing by ready before you start cooking them.

Put the starch, salt, pepper, herb, stock, and cream into a small bowl and mix. When the peas or other vegetables have about 2 minutes left to cook (which is to say you have just dropped the peas in boiling water, or put them in a steamer a minute or two ago) heat a broad, shallow pan - I used my stainless steel skillet - over medium-high heat. Add the ingredients you mixed in the little bowl and whisk steadily, until the sauce thickens - about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low and add the butter, whisking it in until melted and amalgamated. Add the lemon juice and whisk it in.

Immediately pour the sauce over the WELL DRAINED peas in their serving dish, or you can add the well drained, did I say? peas to the pan and toss them in the sauce there before transferring it all to a serving dish. Serve at once.

Wednesday 9 October 2019

Loaded Baked Cauliflower

Oh look, it's cauliflower again. Not a problem, we love cauliflower. We're awfully fond of bacon, cheese, and chives too - usually brought together on baked potatoes. Potatoes are not a good idea for me any more, but that's okay. These toppings do just as well on cauliflower. And we love cauliflower!

This is substantial enough to be a main dish. I hate to say it just needs some carbohydrate to round out your meal, but it does. Serve it with brown rice or quinoa pilaf and there you go.

4 to 6 servings
1 hour 15 minutes - 45 minutes prep time

Loaded Baked Cauliflower

6 cups cauliflower florets (1 medium cauliflower)
1 red or orange pepper OR 6 button mushrooms
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup chopped chives OR green onion
350 grams (3/4 pound) bacon
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup sour cream
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika (optional)

Put a large pot of water on to cook the cauliflower. Trim the cauliflower and break it into florets. When the water boils, add it to the pot and cook for 6 minutes. Drain very well, and if not proceeding at once, rinse the cauliflower in cold water until cool first.

Core, de-seed, and chop the pepper or clean and chop the mushrooms. Peel and mince the garlic. Clean, trim, and chop the chives or green onions. Chop the bacon.

Cook the bacon over medium heat in a medium-sized skillet until fairly crisp. Lift it from the fat and put it onto a plate covered with a paper towel to drain. Drain off most of the fat - save it for some other purpose - and cook the peppers or mushrooms until softened. Add the garlic, mix it in well, then transfer the vegetables to another plate.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Grate the cheeses.

Oil a 2-quart shallow baking (lasagne) pan and spread the cauliflower in it.  Dot it with the sour cream, then season with the pepper and paprika. You may wish to add a little salt, but be very careful - the bacon and cheeses will have lots. Toss the cauliflower gently with the sour cream until coated, then sprinkle half the cheeses and half the chives or green onions over and toss gently again. Sprinkle the bacon and peppers or mushrooms over the cauliflower. Sprinkle with the remaining cheeses. Cover the pan with foil (or a lid, if it has one) and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil (or lid) and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned. Serve at once.




Last year at this time I made Basque Chicken Terrine.

Monday 23 September 2019

"Stuffing" Dressed Cauliflower

The obsession continues... it's yet another thing flavoured like sage and onion stuffing but which isn't. This time it's cauliflower and it works very well indeed. What else is there to say? Serve it with roast or grilled chicken or turkey, obviously, but I would think it would be good with fish, beef, or pork as well, because stuffing goes with everything. Simple and straightforward.

4 servings
30 minutes prep time

Stuffing Dressed Cauliflower

1 medium onion
1 large stalk of celery
3 to 4 cups small cauliflower florets
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

Put a pot of water on to boil to cook the cauliflower. Peel and chop the onion. Wash, trim, and chop the celery. Break the cauliflower up into fairly small florets.

Cook the cauliflower until just tender; about 5 to 6 minutes. drain well. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onion and celery until softened and slightly browned. Add the poultry seasoning towards the end of the cooking, just before you add the cauliflower.

When the cauliflower is cooked and drained, add it to the skillet. Cook for a further 5 or more minutes, until the cauliflower is well amalgamated with the onion and celery, and perhaps breaking up and browning a bit. Serve at once.




Last year at this time I made Black Bean, Corn, & Tomatillo Soup.

Monday 16 September 2019

Vegetables Sabzi

Sabzi just means vegetables, so this is a somewhat redundant title, although given the number of vegetables that went into it, perhaps not.

There are a fair number of steps to making this, but they can be broken up over as long as two days, if you wish. We liked this enough that I think next time I will make a triple batch of the spice blend so that it is on hand for making it again on shorter notice. That's some enthusiasm!

The vegetables can be varied according to what is in season; I might try a more ratatouille-like combination of eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onions, and tomatoes next. In the winter I would replace the cauliflower half with cabbage and half with frozen peas, and the beans would have to be frozen too, of course. The tomatoes would be canned and the pepper from a greenhouse.

4 servings
1 hour - 30 minutes prep time
NOT including make the spice blend; allow 20 minutes for that

Vegetable Sabzi, a mild vegetable curry


Make the Spice Blend:
3 pods green cardamom
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 or 2 bits of star anise
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons chick pea flour
2 bay leaves

Crush the cardamom lightly and remove and discard the papery green hulls. Combine them with the cumin, fennel, coriander, star anise, and peppercorns. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat and toast these spices until just fragrant. Turn them into a small bowl to cool, then grind them finely. I find it helpful to sift them, then regrind the bits that don't go through the sieve.

Put them back in the small bowl and add the remaining ground spices and chick pea flour to the mixture. Stir to combine. Add the bay leaves to the bowl and set aside until needed.

This can be done up to several days in advance, and the spice blend kept in a sealed container in cool dark spot until wanted.

Prepare the Vegetables:
2 medium potatoes
1 medium carrot
1 cup diced green beans
2 cups diced cauliflower

Put a pot of water on to boil sufficient to hold all the above vegetables.

Wash, trim, and cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces. Peel and dice the carrot. When the water boils, add these and boil them for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, wash, trim, and dice the green beans and cauliflower. Add them to the pot when the timer goes off and cook for a further 5 minutes - stir occasionally. Drain well.

If you are not proceeding with the Sabzi immediately the vegetables can be rinsed in cold water until cool then drained well and kept covered and refrigerated until you are ready to continue; up to 24 hours ahead.

Finish the Sabzi:
1 medium onion
1 small orange sweet pepper (or 1/4 orange bell pepper)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups peeled diced tomatoes
3/4 cup yogurt

Peel and finely chop the onion. Wash, core and deseed, and dice the pepper.  (If you are using fresh tomatoes, they should be peeled and chopped by now as well.) 

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to sizzle. Add the partially cooked vegetables and the onion and pepper. Spread them out evenly, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.

Sprinkle the spice mixture over the vegetables and mix it in well. Continue cooking for 2 or 3 minutes, then add the tomatoes. Mix them in and let the mixture simmer for another 5 minutes or so, stirring regularly. Mix in the yogurt and continue cooking and stirring occasionally for another 10 to 15 minutes. The sauce should thicken slightly and seem fairly smooth. Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving.





Last year at this time I made Alambre de Chuleta.

Friday 9 August 2019

Green Bean & Cauliflower Salad in Gremolata-Tahini Dressing

Without the garlic, lemon zest. and tahini, this is a dressing I have been making a lot this summer. It works well with low-fat (half the calories) mayonnaise, and I can put it on a chicken and vegetable salad and have a lunch that comes in around 350 calories.

Even eating it twice a week, I'm not tired of it and so I decided to use regular mayonnaise and gussy it up a bit, and have it again. We were very happy with the results. The tahini and garlic make it even livelier, and the parsley, beans, and cauliflower were a very good combination.

4 servings
30 minutes prep time

Green Bean & Cauliflower Salad in Gremolata-Tahini Dressing

Prepare the Salad:
2 cups trimmed, chopped green beans
3 cups cauliflower in small florets
1 cup finely chopped parsley

Put a pot of water on to boil the vegetables. Wash, trim, and chop the beans into bite-sized pieces. Wash the cauliflower and break it into small florets.

Add the beans to the water and set the timer for 6 minutes. Stir them well. After one minute, add the cauliflower. When they are cooked, rinse them in cold water until cool then drain them well. Put them in a salad bowl.

Wash and dry the parsley, removing any tough stems or damaged leaves. Chop it finely and add it to the salad.

Make the Dressing:
1 clove of garlic
the finely grated zest of 1/2 of a large lemon
2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons mayonnaise, light is fine
the juice of 1/2 of a large lemon

Peel and finely mince the garlic. Put it in a small bowl. Add the lemon zest, tahini, mustard, salt, and pepper. Mix until well blended and lump-free.

Add the mayonnaise and work it in until the mixture is smooth. Add the lemon juice, a spoonful at a time, working the mixture well between each addition to keep it smooth. Once the dressing is liquid enough, the rest of the lemon juice can be added at once and stirred in.

Toss the salad in the dressing and serve.

Monday 5 November 2018

Moroccan-Spiced Cauliflower

This is a flavourful but straightforward treatment for cauliflower, good with simply cooked fish or chicken. Rice, pasta, or roasted potatoes will round out the meal. If you could get your hands on some parsley to sprinkle over the top it would be an improvement, as cauliflower tends to make for a very pale meal. I still have some in the garden but I didn't think of it until I was sitting there looking at my very beige plate; what else is new?

4 to 6 servings
20 minutes prep time

Moroccan Spiced Cauliflower

Mix the Spices:
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon rubbed summer savory
2 teaspoons rubbed mint
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper

Grind the coriander and cumin seeds, then mix them with the rest of the spices in a small bowl. Set aside.

Cook the Cauliflower & Finish:
4 to 5 cups (1 medium head) cauliflower florets
2 or 3 shallots
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
the juice of 1/2 large lemon
a sprinkle of chopped parsley (optional)

Put a large pot of water on to boil for the cauliflower. Wash and trim the cauliflower and break it up into florets. 

Peel and mince the shallots and garlic. Heat the vegetable oil in a small skillet and cook the shallots until soft - just a couple of minutes - stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook for a minute longer. Mix the spices into them for a minute, and remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, once the water boils, cook the cauliflower for 5 to 7 minutes, until done to your liking. Drain it well and return it to the pot, over medium heat. Drizzle the olive oil over them, then mix in the shallots and spices. Stir in well. Mix in the lemon juice and stir in well, until completely absorbed. Sprinkle with a little chopped parsley and serve at once.





Last year at this time I made Trout & Spinach au gratin.

Monday 17 September 2018

Fried Cauliflower with Mushroom & Onion Sauce

I am not quite sure this lived up to the vision I had of it, but it was eaten with considerable enthusiasm, so, okay? The cauliflower is a slightly more robust (and possible gluten-free) version of this Mexican Cauliflower, and I wanted a vegetarian sauce for it that wasn't based on cream or tomatoes; always a challenge. We had just eaten some Adobo Chicken a few days earlier, and those flavours suggested this sauce. Very simple too, which is always a bonus.

Next time I would like the onions much finer; I might even try grating them. Hopefully this would make a smoother sauce, which is more in line with what I was picturing. However, as noted, with some rice on the side this was all eaten very happily. 

4 servings
1 hour prep time

Fried Cauliflower with Mushroom & Onion Sauce

Make the Sauce:
2 medium onions
250 grams (1/2 pound) button mushrooms
2 to 3 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon chick pea flour
1 cup cauliflower cooking water
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Peel and dice the onions. Clean and chop the mushrooms. Peel and mince the garlic.

Heat the oil in a shallow, heavy-bottomed pot and add the onions, mushrooms, and bay leaves. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring regularly, until the onions and mushrooms are softened and reduced in volume, with a few brown spots; about 5 to 10 minutes.

Sprinkle the chick pea flour over, and stir until it disappears. Add the chick pea cooking water, the soy sauce, the vinegar, and the ketchup. Season with the pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens; about another 10 minutes.

Make the Fried Cauliflower:
1 small head cauliflower
1 cup chick pea flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup cauliflower cooking water or a bit more
2 large eggs
mild vegetable oil to fry

Put a pot of water on to boil for the cauliflower. Trim the cauliflower and break it into florets. Cut large ones in half so that none of them are more than 1" thick. Cook it in the boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain well, but keep about 2 cups of the cooking water. This could be done up to a day ahead.

Put the chick pea flour, salt, and pepper into a shallow bowl. Mix in the cauliflower cooking water to form a smooth batter, then break in the eggs and whisk well until smooth again.

Put a large skillet on to heat over medium-high heat. Add enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pan generously. Dip the cauliflower florets into the batter to coat them well, then lay them in the pan. Do not crowd them. Fry them for just a minute or two per side, turning them so that they cook evenly. They should be fairly well browned and there should be no signs of raw batter. Remove them to a plate as they are done. If there is enough you may need to add more battered cauliflower florets to the pan to be cooked as a second batch. Add a little more oil too, if needed.





Last year at this time I made Spicy Fried Eggplant - Baingan (or Begun) Bhaja.

Monday 30 July 2018

Mid to Late Summer Hodge-Podge

When I looked at all the lovely vegetables we have right now, I couldn't decide which one to cook, so it was "All of them, Katie!" I've made Hodge-Podge before, with a slightly different selection of vegetables. This one will take you later into the summer, once the peas are gone (which, let's face it, they are).

We ate this as our entire meal so a little grated cheese seemed like a good idea. If I was serving it as a side dish, I wouldn't add it and I would expect it to go a lot further than just the 2 of us. 

3 to 6 servings
30 minutes prep time

Mid to Late Summer Hodge-Podge

2 cobs of corn
4 to 6 medium new potatoes (about 2 cups when cut)
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup diced green beans
1 cup chopped green or Savoy cabbage
1 medium-small zucchini
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh dill, parsley, chives OR basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup sour cream
freshly ground black pepper to taste
a little more salt if needed
grated cheese to top, if liked

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Husk the corn, and when the water boils, cook the corn for 5 to 8 minutes; however long you like to cook your corn. Remove it with tongs to a bowl of cold water to cool once done, but keep the pot of water on the stove.

While the corn cooks, prepare the other vegetables. Scrub the potatoes and cut them into chunks. Break up the cauliflower florets. Top and tail the beans and cut them in pieces. Chop the cabbage. Wash, trim, and cut the zucchini into chunks. Wash, dry, and mince the herb of your choice.

When the corn comes out, add the salt to the boiling water and put in the potatoes to cook for 10 to 12 minutes. When there are 6 or 7 minutes left for them to cook, add the cauliflower, beans, and cabbage. When there are 3 or 4 minutes left, add the zucchini.

Meanwhile, drain the corn well and cut it from the cobs.

When the vegetables are cooked, drain them and return them to the pot on the stove. Add the butter and the corn. Season them generously with pepper, and with a little more salt if you think they need it. When they are well mixed and bubbling again, mix in the minced herb, then the sour cream. Transfer to a serving dish. Serve with a little grated cheese to sprinkle on top, if you like.




Last year at this time I made Naan.

Wednesday 18 July 2018

Spicy Ginger-Garlic Cream Sauce

I really wrestled with what to call this. It is not quite the sauce used to make Butter Chicken. I consulted various versions at length, though; and if you cooked chicken in it and called it Butter Chicken it wouldn't be the stupidest thing anyone has ever said. I was aiming for something a little more lightly spiced, but with plenty of verve, and I wanted some vegetables.

If I made this again with chicken - and I very well may - I would use boneless pieces, and mix the yogurt and sour cream into the paste the day before cooking, and let it marinate in the fridge. Then I would melt the butter and scrape the whole mess in to cook. I can see putting this on fish too, but in that case I would cook the fish separately and pour the sauce over it. 

I'm saying this serves 4, because it really should, but 3 of us fell on this like starving jackals and finished with licking the bowl.

4 servings
45 minutes prep time

Spicy Ginger-Garlic Cream Sauce on Beans & Cabbage

Make the Paste:
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
3 or 4 pods of green cardamom
1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1/4 to 3/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or similar)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
a few scrapes of nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chick pea flour
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey

Peel and finely grate the ginger and garlic into a small mixing bowl. Crush the cardamom, and extract the papery hulls. Grind the remaining seed and add it to the bowl, along with the rest of the seasonings and the chick pea flour. Mix well.

Mix in the tomato paste, vinegar, and honey until smooth and well-blended.

Cook the Sauce & Vegetables:

500 grams (1 pound) vegetables of choice, about3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup yogurt

Wash, trim, and chop your vegetables in advance; I used yellow beans, cabbage, and an onion. I can also see this with snap peas or cauliflower. Put a pot of water on to boil or steam them, and start them cooking at the appropriate time - it will take about 20 minutes for the sauce to cook.

Melt the butter in a large skillet, over medium-high heat. Add the prepared paste and cook, stirring frequently, for a few minutes.

Stir in the sour cream and yogurt, reduce the heat to medium, and continue cooking for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until smooth and thickened. Don't worry if the dairy products look a bit curdled early on; the sauce will smooth out again as it cooks. If the sauce wants to stick to the pan, reduce the heat a little more.

When the sauce is ready and the vegetables are cooked, drain the vegetables very well and toss them with the sauce. Serve at once, with rice or pasta.

Friday 1 December 2017

Brussels Sprouts with Sour Cream & Horseradish

This idea turned up on a site I was reading where someone asked for Brussels sprout recipe suggestions. I thought it was a very good one and I have written it up as a recipe, but honestly; you cook the amount of Brussels sprouts you think you will eat, in the manner that seems good to you, then add appropriate amounts of sour cream and horseradish to taste.

I will chime in to say that this would be good on cabbage too, and I'd like to try it with cauliflower or broccoli. And as ever the advice to start by adding a little - especially of the horseradish - then assessing the situation and adding more as required applies here. You can always add more, but you can't take it out. That's my mantra. (Motto? Meme? Thing I say a lot, anyway.)

4 to 6 servings
20 minutes prep time


500 grams (1 pound) Brussels sprouts
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish or a bit more
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Wash and trim the Brussels sprouts. You can cut a fairly deep "X" in the bottom of each, or chop them a bit coarsely. Mine were home-grown and so uneven in size there was nothing to but chop. It does assure even cooking, assuming you chop reasonably evenly.

Steam or boil the sprouts until done to your liking. For me, that's about 6 minutes. Your boiling may vary.

Drain them very well - press them a bit in fact - then toss them with the sour cream and the horseradish. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I thought the horseradish would render those redundant, but in fact a little of each was a good idea. Transfer to a serving dish and, er, serve. We're done here.




Last year at this time I made Turkey Tourtière.

Monday 16 October 2017

Cauliflower with Leeks & Carrots

Leeks can be a late summer or early fall vegetable, but since they store so well I tend to leave them for the winter when choices are few, or even the spring, as they overwinter successfully in the garden. I couldn't resist them with some lovely cauliflower, though! They go together so well, and if you then throw in some carrots you have some really good eating. 

4 servings
30 minutes prep time

Cauliflower with Leeks & Carrots

3 large leeks
2 large carrots
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1/2 medium cauliflower (3 cups florets)
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 fennel OR dill seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon arrowroot or cornstarch
2 tablespoons chicken broth or water

Wash, trim, and slice the leeks into 1" pieces. Rinse them again and drain them well. Peel and trim the carrots, and cut them into thin slices lengthwise, then into 1" pieces.

Put the butter, chicken broth, and bay leaves into a goodish sized pot. Add the leeks and carrots, and bring up to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, wash and trim the cauliflower, and cut or break it into florets. Grind the celery seed and fennel or dill seed together and mix with the salt and pepper. Mix the paprika, arrowroot or cornstarch and broth or water in another little bowl.

After the leeks and carrots have cooked for 10 minutes, add the cauliflower and the mixed seasonings. Cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes more, until the cauliflower is done to your liking. Stir once or twice. Just one minute before the cauliflower is done, stir in the paprika and starch mixture. Cook for another minute or so, stirring constantly, until the remaining cooking liquid (there shouldn't be too much by this time) thickens slightly. Turn out into a serving dish and remove and discard the bay leaves. Serve at once.




Last year at this time I made Sausage or Ham & Cheese Eggplant Casserole. Staaaaale bread! Get'cher staaaaale bread here!

Friday 29 September 2017

Cauliflower with Spiced Tomato Sauce

Well, sort of  a sauce, I suppose. More like spicy clinging bits. Not your regular tomato sauce out of a jar, that's for sure.

Serve this zippy mixture with fairly plain grilled or roast meat, chicken, or fish; it may be the side dish but it wants to take centre stage.

4 to 6 servings
30 minutes prep time


2 medium tomatoes
3 shallots
3 to 5 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon finely minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 cup chopped dried tomatoes
1/2 a medium cauliflower (4 to 5 cups florets)
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
1 teaspoon coriander seed, ground
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon (OR to taste) Cayenne pepper

Peel and chop the tomato. Peel and chop the shallots. Peel and mince the garlic and ginger. Roughly chop the dried tomatoes.

Wash and trim the cauliflower, and break it into florets. Put it in a pot with water to cover, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until just barely tender.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened and reduced in volume, but don't let them brown much. Add the dried tomatoes, garlic, ginger, ground coriander seed, salt, and Cayenne. Cook gently together for a few minutes, then add the cooked and drained cauliflower. Mix in well and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce is well worked into the cauliflower. Serve at once.

Friday 22 September 2017

Broccoli with Chile & Garlic

This may be a very simple treatment for broccoli but it's really delicious, if you like butter, chile, and garlic, and I do, very much.

In fact the only thing better is to make twice as much of the garlic and chile oil, then toss in not only broccoli but cooked pasta, finishing the whole thing with a generous sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.

You could do this with cauliflower too, I wouldn't doubt. Perhaps not a large head of it; about 4 cups of florets would be sufficient. I figure that's the same amount as the broccoli.

2 to 4 servings
15 minutes prep time

Broccoli with Chile & Garlic

1 large head broccoli
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes

Wash and trim the broccoli, and cut it into florets. Put it in a pot with an inch of water and bring to a boil; boil for 5 minutes. Drain very well.

Meanwhile, peel and mince the garlic. When the broccoli is draining, be sure the pot is dry then put the garlic, butter, olive oil, salt, and chile flakes into it. Return to the burner and bring it up to a simmer. Let it simmer for a minute or two, then add the very well drained broccoli. Stir it into the garlic and chile sauce for a minute or two, until well distributed and soaked into it, then turn it out onto its serving dish. Serve at once.




Last year at this time I made Caprese Tortellini Salad.

Monday 10 October 2016

Alu Gobi

This is, I am told, a classic Punjabi dish, but it has travelled far and wide both in India and outside of it. It requires a fair bit of chopping (and grinding) and your undivided attention while it cooks, but it is not difficult. Serve it with chapatis, naan, or steamed rice.

Tomatoes and green chiles are not around for quite as long as cauliflower; if they are gone you can still make this using canned tomatoes and seasoning it with a little hot red chile powder.

Parboil the potatoes according to whether they are waxy or floury, and how soft you would like them to be. Waxy potatoes boiled for less time will maintain their identity, while starchy potatoes boiled longer will soften and lose their edges - which is best is a matter of personal taste. The amount of oil to use will vary a bit as well, as different potatoes will absorb different amounts - use enough to prevent sticking or scorching, but try not to add more than that.

4 to 6 servings
1 hour 15 minutes prep time

Alu Gobi or Aloo Gobi; a cauliflower and potato curry

Mix the Spices:
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
5 or 6 pods green cardamom
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
a few good scrapes of nutmeg

Grind the cumin, coriander, cardamom, pepper, and fennel briefly. Fish out the bits of papery green husk from the cardamom, then grind the spices thoroughly. Mix in the remaining spices.

Make the Alu Gobi:
500 grams (1 pound) tomatoes OR 2 cups crushed tomato
generous 500 grams (1 pound) potatoes
scant 500 grams (1 pound) cauliflower
1 large onion
1 or 2 green Jalapeño or other hot chile peppers
4 to 6 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons peeled grated ginger
4 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
the juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Put a pot of water on to boil. Blanch the tomatoes for 1 minute, then remove them to cold water but keep the pot boiling. Have the potatoes ready; washed, trimmed, and cut into large dice. Put them into the water and boil for 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and chop the tomatoes and put them aside. Wash, trim, and cut the cauliflower into florets a bit larger than the potato pieces. Peel and chop the onion. Wash, core, and finely chop the Jalapeño. Peel and mince the garlic and peel and grate the ginger - set those aside in the same bowl.

When the potatoes have boiled for 5 or 10 minutes, heat about half the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the well-drained potatoes, and fry for about 5 minutes, turning frequently, until they begin to turn colour. Add the cauliflower pieces, and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently; they can acquire a few brown spots. Then add the rest of the oil, followed by the chopped onion. Mix in well and cook for a minute or two, then add about 2/3 of the spice mixture and the garlic and ginger. Mix them in well and cook for another minute or two.

Add the tomatoes and mix in thoroughly. Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture for about 20 minutes, stirring regularly. It's a good idea to keep it partially covered, and keep an eye on the moisture level - it should end up quite thick but if it looks like drying out, add a few tablespoons of water at a time to keep the sauce a sludge rather than a paste. Add the remaining 1/3 of the spices for the last few minutes of cooking. The vegetables should be tender and everything well amalgamated; and let the sauce thicken right up in the last few minutes of cooking.

Mix in the lime juice and transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle with the washed, dried, and chopped cilantro.




Last year at this time I made Cauliflower with Mushrooms & Garlic