So what cauliflower category do you fall in? Do you boil, steam…or avoid it? If I told you it was highly nutritional and gave you a few delicious ways to prepare it in your home, would you?Cauliflower is the first thing I go for when presented with a platter of raw vegetables and dip…but it didn’t used to be my favorite vegetable once it met the stove. I know there are ways to prepare it that make it more interesting, like in a cheesy baked gratin or with curry-based aromatics, but those techniques are not in my usual kitchen repertoire. But, Italian is!
Last year, one of the most popular pastas in my special series on Veggie Pastas, was the baked cauliflower oreganata. I was reminded of this when I was in NY last month and had the most delicious cavolfiore (cauliflower) focaccia from the Grandaisy Bakery.
In fact, I enjoyed it so much I’ve made something similar several times since…my version, called Cauliflower Bruschetta. It makes a great lunch, appetizer or side!
The basic recipe:
10 ozs. cauliflower chopped very small
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 sage leaves, finely minced
handful of parsley and/or basil, finely minced
a few black olives, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped
freshly grated parmesan to taste
olive oil (about 1/4 cup)
anchovy paste (optional)
toasted Italian bread (I used sliced ciabatta)
Mix all ingredients except the parmesan and either bake or pan sauté till cauliflower is tender and flavors have melded. Place on toasted bread, pat down, and grate fresh parmesan over it. [Note in the second version, I also used chopped tomatoes. Another optional ingredient that I think would go well is a few raisins to give a counterpoint to the garlic and salt of the cheese.)
Use above ingredient list and add toasted breadcrumbs for cauliflower oreganata which makes a nice side dish for a simple chicken cutlet giardiniera.
Or try Cauliflower Crudo as a salad and/or for a summer night’s pasta topping.
Ingredients I Used: chopped cauliflower, parsley, basil, pitted black olives, marinated artichokes, halved grape tomatoes, shredded escarole, Italian dry seasonings, 1 package of tuna (I used pack-in-water), red pepper flakes.
Toss everything with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest and let sit a bit while you cook the pasta. Optional: toast bread crumbs and parmigiano to sprinkle on top.
This is a really nice summer meal because while the pasta is hot, the topping is room temperature and the lemon juice vinaigrette perks it up with a real fresh taste.
Coming Next: Eggplant Parm for the Summer: Lighter, Fresher + Tastier!
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I’m glad you’re promoting the benefits of cauliflower Joan…and I do like the Italian makeover you’ve given it…the bruschetta dish is my fave.
Yum – I’m a cauliflower lover and will definitely try these recipes. One of my favorite ways to prepare it is to roast it, puree it and add some seasonings for roasted cauliflower soup (delicious hot or cold!)
Thanks for the suggestion. I will definitely try it soon! And I’ll make enough to try it hot and cold. For some reason, I don’t think about making soup often enough.
Just when I think I am going to eat one of “my easy and comfortable meals” I open your blog and find another treasure that I cannot resist.
I am off to buy cauliflower, darn it!!
Buela
Great cauliflower dishes! I usually bread it and pan-fry cauliflower and once I made a cauliflower soup that was quite good.
cauliflower has become one of my favorites veggies. Sliced, mixed with oregano, lemon, oil, S&P and roasted is great. Your preps all look great.
Love cauliflower and your suggestions for using it. I love it pureed, in pasta, raw, and steamed. Love the bruschetta suggestion.
I love mine roasted but after seeing this, I have a few more ways to try. Thanks Joan!
I love Cauliflower, not so much raw though. Do you know that it is a citicoline supplement and can help boost energy and efficiency in your frontal lobe, the region responsible for decision-making, reasoning and working memory? Cauliflower along with peanuts, fish, egg yolks, etc. contain the B-vitamin-like nutrient choline which is absorbed through the intestines and converted to citicoline in the brain. Hey I’m all for boosting anything that has to do with the brain since mine is a little sluggish as I get older. Joan, nice take on the Cauliflower foccacia we had in NYC, can’t wait to make it myself.
Wow…lots of good scientific info for my readers…thanks! And let’s not forget, it tastes good too!
I am a huge huge fan of cauliflower and can’t wait for it to start popping up in the farmer’s market. I love baking it chopped up with cheese, milk, breadcrumbs, and more cheese. Love your suggestions and going to give them a shot.
That bruschetta looks fabulous, Joan! We just used half a cauliflower last night for aloo gobi and were planning to use the other half tonight for a new (to us) favourite of cauliflower stufado. But oh my!! Cauliflower Oreganata with added walnuts and olives sounds very tempting. (Question: is there really no oregano in “Cauliflower Oreganata”?)
(I see you don’t necessarily follow recipes but in case you’re curious, here is the cauliflower stufado-ish recipe)
This is Spectacular, especially the cauliflower bruschetta. I just did a simple dish of purple cauliflower. Now that would make a fun appetizer.
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show trackbacks[...] Cauliflower Crudo [...]
[...] Whatever you call it, it’s delicious. In this case, think brussel sprouts, bacon, sun-dried tomato and Italian cheeses. Oh, and think honey (more about that later). The inspiration for this dish came from a cauliflower focaccia I ate in NY. I wrote about it and recreated it almost immediately upon returning to my own kitchen. See post. [...]