Crazy, colorful (and delicious!) cauliflower
06:12 PM CST on Tuesday, November 3, 2009
If you've only encountered cauliflower raw, steamed or boiled, it's probably not your favorite vegetable. But when roasted or braised, cauliflower's sweetness intensifies, transforming it into a flavorful, versatile veggie. Cook it with cream or a cheese sauce for a decadent side dish.
Cauliflower in all its colors is showing up on restaurant menus around town. Stephan Pyles serves a dish with three colors of cauliflower, and it's on the menu at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek.
At Lambert's in Fort Worth, a cheesy roasted cauliflower gratin is one of the most popular side dishes. "People complained when we took it off the menu at the original Lambert's" in Austin, says owner Lou Lambert. His recipe calls for roasting cauliflower in the oven before baking it in a rich cheese sauce. He tried boiling the cauliflower but didn't like the results. "It didn't have as much flavor. And structurally it works better if you roast it. Boiling makes it have a mushier texture."
A side of cauliflower need not be rich and elaborate to win you over. Simply tossing the florets with olive oil and salt, then roasting in a hot oven brings out an earthy sweetness in this otherwise peppery vegetable.
Roasted cauliflower has several advantages besides flavor: It doesn't pack a wallop of calories, but it's nutrient-rich and incredibly easy to prepare. The main way you can go wrong is undercooking it – you want it browned to get that caramelized sweetness.
When cooked until tender, cauliflower has a delicate flavor that takes well to Italian or Indian seasonings. Braised Cauliflower With Capers and Toasted Bread Crumbs and Curried Roasted Cauliflower Soup are dishes from opposite ends of the seasoning spectrum: one is subtle, the other bold and spicy. Since neither dish relies on much fat for its flavor or texture, they're sensible sides to slip into your regular vegetable rotation.
But some special dinners warrant an elegant, rich cauliflower preparation. David Uygur, executive chef of Lola until its closing last Saturday, prepares a luxurious, creamy cauliflower purée to accompany an Italian-inspired dish of scallops with raisins, capers and almonds. He demonstrated the recipe during a recent cooking class at Central Market.
"The smooth texture that you get from cauliflower and cream is really nice with scallops," Uygur says. He sweats the cauliflower in a pot with shallots and garlic, but no liquid, before simmering with cream. The mixture is seasoned with nutmeg and lemon, and then puréed until smooth. The purée harmonizes beautifully with the scallop dish, but could also accompany a wide variety of entrees.
Whether you try one of the following recipes or just roast some florets in the oven, chances are you'll end up hooked on cauliflower. But you may never settle for boiled, steamed or raw cauliflower again.
Tina Danze is a Dallas freelance writer.
Preheat oven to 450 F. Cut the cauliflower into 1 ½ -inch diameter florets. Toss with a little olive oil (about 3 tablespoons per 6 cups of florets) and season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Spread into a single layer on a baking sheet and roast until browned, about 25 minutes, turning once or stirring occasionally. If desired, serve with grated parmesan cheese or a squeeze of lemon juice.
Cauliflower comes in several colors, and even hybrid and heirloom varieties. Here's a rundown of the fall cauliflower varieties available at Central Market. Choose the color that best complements your menu.
Orange cauliflower: This bright orange-yellow variety has the same flavor as the white cauliflower.
Purple cauliflower: A pretty, pale shade of purple, it tastes the same as white cauliflower.
Broccoflower: This bright, spring-green-colored vegetable looks like cauliflower, but it's actually a cross between broccoli and cauliflower. It has a milder flavor than both cauliflower and broccoli.
Broccolo Romanesco: This Italian variety of cauliflower has a beautiful yellow-green color and a flavor similar to that of white cauliflower. With small florets that resemble sea urchins, it looks like something you'd find on the ocean floor. This variety is so beautiful that it would make a stunning table centerpiece. It will be available later this month, in time for Thanksgiving
|
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Spread the cauliflower florets on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss to distribute the oil thoroughly. Roast until browned, turning once, about 25 minutes.
Melt the butter in a stockpot set over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently until the onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the curry powder and cumin and cook for another minute. Add the vegetable broth and water. Add a little more than half of the cauliflower florets, reserving the remainder for garnish. Bring to a simmer and cook until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender until very smooth. Return to the pot to heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding optional pinch of cayenne pepper for a spicier soup. To serve, ladle soup into large soup bowls. Break remaining roasted florets into smaller florets and sprinkle over each soup serving. Garnish with parsley. If desired, serve with a dollop of yogurt. Makes 6 servings.
Variation: To add some protein to the soup, stir in some rinsed, canned chickpeas.
PER SERVING: Calories 163 (51 % fat) Fat 10 g (3 g sat) Chol 10 mg Sodium 949 mg Fiber 6 g Carbohydrates 17 g Protein 4 g
SOURCE: Tina Danze
|
Preheat the oven to 400 F and butter a large (9 x 11 ½ -inch) baking dish. Cut away the leaves and trim the stalks from the cauliflower. Cut cauliflower into 2-inch chunks and combine in a bowl with the garlic and olive oil, tossing to coat well. Transfer the cauliflower to a baking pan, season lightly with salt and pepper, and roast until fork-tender and beginning to brown on the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and set aside.
In a large saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly to keep the mixture smooth. Add salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Gradually add the cream cheese, goat cheese and cayenne; stir until smooth. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower in the baking dish and toss gently to coat. Bake for 15 minutes; top the baking dish with the grated cheese and bake for 5 minutes longer. Serve hot.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
PER SERVING: Calories 348 (61% fat) Fat 24 g (12 g sat) Chol 54 mg Sodium 401 mg Fiber 6 g Carbohydrates 22 g Protein 14 g
SOURCE: Cooking the Cowboy Way; recipe from Lambert's in Fort Worth
|
In a stockpot, melt the butter and add the garlic, shallot, cauliflower and salt. Toss to coat vegetables and cook covered over medium heat just long enough to "sweat" or soften the vegetables without browning them – about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the cream, lemon juice and nutmeg, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until vegetables are completely soft, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
Using a blender, process the mixture to a smooth purée (may be prepared up to a day in advance and reheated).
Serve hot or warm with Scallops With Raisins, Capers and Almonds. Makes 8 appetizer servings.
Grilled Scallops With Raisins, Capers and Almonds: Combine 3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley, 1 ½ tablespoon chopped capers, a heaping ¼ cup coarsely chopped raisins, 3 tablespoons chopped, toasted, blanched almonds and 1/3 cup olive oil. Set mixture aside.
Coat 8 large scallops with 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill scallops over medium-high heat until medium to medium-rare; scallops are done when they are firm to the touch and a metal cake tester inserted in the middle feels warm when placed on your chin, just below your lip (do not overcook or the scallops will be tough). Serve topped with the reserved raisin, caper and almond mixture, and a squeeze of lemon.
PER SERVING: Calories 431 (82% fat) Fat40g (18 g sat) Chol 101 mg Sodium 469 mg Fiber 2g Carbohydrates 12 g Protein 8g
SOURCE: Chef David Uygur
|
Heat oven to 325 F. Spread the bread crumbs in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake, stirring once or twice with a pancake turner, until the crumbs are the color of pale toast and lightly crunchy, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Cut the cauliflower into florets, discarding the thick core. Cut into individual florets that are about 1 ½ inches long and just about as wide. You want them small, but not trimmed so much that they are falling apart.
Heat the butter and oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the florets and sauté, turning frequently, until they are speckled all over with nice bits of brown, about 8 minutes total. Add the capers, stir to distribute and cook for another minute.
Pour in the stock or water, season with salt and pepper (go easy on the salt because of the capers), cover tightly and reduce the heat to low. Simmer gently until the cauliflower is tender enough to be easily pierced with the tip of a knife, 15 to 20 minutes. If the liquid threatens to dry up at any point, add a splash of water.
When the cauliflower is tender, remove the lid and boil away any remaining liquid, shaking the pan so the cauliflower doesn't stick. Add a squeeze of lemon, and taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the bread crumbs and serve immediately.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
PER SERVING: Calories 160 (45 % fat) Fat 8 g (4 g sat) Chol 13 mg Sodium 417 mg Fiber 4 g Carbohydrates 18 g Protein 6 g
SOURCE: All About Braising