Cauliflower

[brewerpaul]

I remember a few years ago when the Atkins/South Beach low carb craze was the in thing, there was a local restaurant (can't remember right now if it was Applebee's, Chili's, or Ruby Tuesday's) that had made this mashed cauliflower side item. It was meant to be a low carb alternative to mashed potatoes. That was some good stuff. I need to find a good recipe for that.

Voila! This stuff really is quite tasty and a LOT healthier than mashed spuds.. I like adding a touch of garlic...

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Surprise-S ... etail.aspx

[mutepointe]

I wish I could get my wife to eat cauliflower but it's a vegetable. Too bad it's not a choice cut meat or a form of chocolate. Then she'd be all over it.

[dwest]

In this family if it's cabbage it's food no matter what it looks like. However my grandfather in Limerick cooked vegetables into mush, this is the great culinary heritage my mother tried not to pass on to her children, she succeeded for which I am eternally grateful. However hot dish can still rear it's ugly head including, of course, one with cauliflower. I keep the Pyrex casseroles up high in the cabinet for protection.

[SteveShaw]

I'm with Doug on this. Steamed until it retains just a touch of crunch and all of its texture. Cauli is very unforgiving if overcooked, beaten only by sprouts in this regard. The cauli in the shop should have outer leaves that still look fresh and the curd should be tight and firm to the touch. I always sniff a cauli before I buy it. It doesn't want to have been sitting on the shelf for days unless, when you cook it, you prefer your house to be filled for half a day with sulphurous odours. It goes well in a curry or with cottage pie or anything really that demands mashed spuds. I'm very partial to those little bits of cauli that you get in those big jars of mixed pickles. In fact, I'll wrestle anyone to the ground who thinks they're going to have any of that before I get at it.

[HDSarah]

In my house, steaming has been replaced by this delicious, REALLY EASY way to cook cauliflower*. Unlike steaming, the line between done-enough and way-too-done is much wider, so the less-attentive cook is less likely to ruin it. It tastes better than steamed, too.

Coat a baking pan with a teaspoon or two of olive oil. (I like to use a dark-colored 9x13 cake pan -- dark helps promote browning.) Cut cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and put them in the pan. Bake in a hot oven (400 F) for about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring once in the middle of the time. Stick a fork in to see when it's tender. My family goes crazy over it.

*I learned this one "by ear" from a fellow chiffer, Jennie.

[Doug_Tipple]

In my house, steaming has been replaced by this delicious, REALLY EASY way to cook cauliflower*. Unlike steaming, the line between done-enough and way-too-done is much wider, so the less-attentive cook is less likely to ruin it. It tastes better than steamed, too.

Coat a baking pan with a teaspoon or two of olive oil. (I like to use a dark-colored 9x13 cake pan -- dark helps promote browning.) Cut cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and put them in the pan. Bake in a hot oven (400 F) for about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring once in the middle of the time. Stick a fork in to see when it's tender. My family goes crazy over it.

*I learned this one "by ear" from a fellow chiffer, Jennie.

Sarah, this method may well suit you at your latitude, where you need the warmth in the kitchen. However, for me at 40 degrees of latitude I prefer not having the regular oven on for 40 minutes at 400 degrees F and always look for ways of using less energy to prepare food. To cook either broccoli or cauliflower, I use a little over a cup of water in a stainless pan, so most of the vegetable is cooked by steam. I bring the water to a boil, cover the pan, and set the digital timer for five minutes. When the timer rings, I drain the remaining liquid into a coffee cup. This will be my hot beverage for the meal. I remove the lid from the pot and let the vegetable cool to serving temperature.

[Lambchop]

. . . sulphurous odours.

Seeing these two words justified the entire thread.

[Denny]

Steve has a way with wourds......



just stay upwind

[Thomaston]

I remember a few years ago when the Atkins/South Beach low carb craze was the in thing, there was a local restaurant (can't remember right now if it was Applebee's, Chili's, or Ruby Tuesday's) that had made this mashed cauliflower side item. It was meant to be a low carb alternative to mashed potatoes. That was some good stuff. I need to find a good recipe for that.

Voila! This stuff really is quite tasty and a LOT healthier than mashed spuds.. I like adding a touch of garlic...

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Surprise-S ... etail.aspx

Even easier than I thought it would be. Thanks!

[talasiga]

I prefer my cauliflower sautéed with potatoes and panch foran. (That's kalonji,fennel, fenugreek, cummin and black mustard seed.)

I like mine curried, with or without potatoes, kinda similar. I do the curry light on the sweeter spices, so light on the ginger, heavier on cumin, coriander, fenugreek. The sauce is lightly browned onions, yogurt, and a little water, just enough to coat everything with the spices.

I do like it with cheese sauce, but have to consider the lipid profile, which isn't getting any better with age.

"curry" is just a western term applied generically to any of the multitude of ways spices can be mixed up according to the traditions of the Sourth Asian sub-continent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panch_phoron
is one such mix.

If by "curry" you think yellowish and spicy, then all you have to do is add a tad of turmeric to the fivespices above.