cauliflower gets a really bad wrap. mentioning it tends to induce a lot of nose scrunching and unimpressed faces.
one of the key causes of this reaction is that most people are guilty of overcooking cauliflower by boiling or steaming it until it gets mushy,watery and flavourless.. lucky you and I are smarter than that. we know the best way to cook cauliflower is to saute it in butter or roast it in the oven with lots of herbs, we know that this will make it beautifully nutty and sweet.
I’m sharing two recipes today that I absolutely love. both are warm and filling, celebrate the cauliflower without shrouding it in cheese or cream and are really simple and quick to make. extra bonuses are that cauliflower is the antidote to winter-chub: high in fibre but low in calories, is super cheap this time of year and is regarded to be a great anti-inflammatory food. win win win.
for the following recipes, I’ve roasted florets of one and a half cauliflowers with some garlic cloves, olive oil and fresh tarragon leaves for about 15-20 minutes until nicely golden.
I had the salad for lunch and the soup for dinner (no such thing as too much cauliflower by my book), hence the different light!
roasted cauliflower and brussel sprout salad
you will need:
- 200g brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 200g cauliflower, broken into florets
- 1 bunch of fresh tarragon leaves
- 1-2 tbs olive oil
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 200g feta
- 200g radicchio, separated into leaves
- blanched whole almonds, toasted
- dressing: white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper
method:
- cook pearl barley in a small sauce pan, for about 30 minutes, until cooked through. drain and set aside.
- preheat oven to 200C and roast brussel sprouts and cauliflower together with olive oil, salt and pepper and tarragon leaves for about 20 minutes, until golden and cooked through.
- toss the roasted vegetables with the pearl barley and the rest of the ingredients. drizzle with dressing.
roasted cauliflower soup with spiced florets
you will need:
- 400g of cauliflower, chopped into florets and roasted with 2 tbs olive oil and tarragon leaves
- 1 leek, trimmed and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- olive oil (2 tbs or so)
- 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 2.5 cups of vegetable stock
- milk or cream to taste (I use only a dash of whole cream milk)
- salt and pepper to taste
for the florets:
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 40g butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 100g cauliflower chopped into small florets
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- walnuts
method:
- heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. add leek and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. pop in the potato and cook for a couple more minutes.
- add in the cauliflower, stock, milk/cream, salt and pepper. bring up to a boil, and then allow to simmer with a lid for 20 minutes.
- remove from heat and using stick blender, blend until smooth. you can blend in batches in a stand-alone blender if you dont have a stick blender.
- make the spiced florets by popping the oil, butter, garlic, cauliflower coriander and cumin into a little fry pan over medium heat until crisp and golden.
- serve with soup with spiced florets spooned on top as well as some toasted walnuts and crusty bread.
