Cauliflower

It is possible to buy one variety or another of cauliflower all year around but at the moment there seems to be an abundant supply and I have been preparing them loads of different ways. They are not expensive, one medium cauliflower provides enough for 4 people and they are packed full of nutrients.

 

Cauliflower along with other cruciferous vegetables contains sulforaphane, a sulfur compound that has been found to significantly improve blood pressure and kidney function and has also been shown to kill cancer stem cells.

Cauliflower contains a wealth of anti-inflammatory nutrients including the potent indole-3-carbinol.

 

One serving of cauliflower could contain (if you don’t boil it!) 75% of what's generally considered the amount of vitamin C you need each day

It's also a good source of vitamin K, protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, fibre, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium, and manganese.

 

Cauliflower is a good source of choline, a B vitamin known for its role in brain development, full of beneficial fibre for digestive health and crammed full of phyto nutrients.

Cauliflower is extremely versatile, you can eat it raw, add it to salads, or cook it, and is especially good roast with spices. Recent years have seen it chopped and used as ‘rice’ and you can even mash it as an alternative to mashed potatoes

 

Recipes

Cauliflower & white bean patties

Roast cauliflower soup

Cauliflower & carrot salad

Cauliflower & lentil salad

Stir fried cauliflower with coriander & ginger

Kasmiri Gobi

Tahini cauliflower

 

Cauliflower & white bean patties

Serves 4

1 large head of cauliflower broken into florets

3 tblsp olive oil

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cumin

1 x 340g tin haricots beans – drained liquid saved

1 onion diced

2 cloves garlic finely diced

4 tblsp fresh breadcrumbs (maybe more)

salt & black pepper

 

oven 400ºF 200ºC gas mark 6

 

Toss the cauliflower florets in 2 tablespoons of olive oil along with the turmeric & cumin and roast in the oven until just turning golden and soft.

Gently cook the onion and garlic in the remaining oil until soft.

Tip the haricots into a large bowl and mash well with a fork, add the cauliflower and mash well together add all the remaining ingredients to form a mixture that you can shape into a patty with your hands. Add more breadcrumbs if too wet or a little of the haricot liquid if too dry. Shape into even size patties and place on an oiled baking sheet

Bake for 15 minutes flip over and cook for a further 15 minutes.

 

Roast cauliflower soup

serves 4

1 medium cauliflower cut into florets

2 tblspns olive oil

1 tsp ground coriander

2 or 3 twists of black peppercorn

½ tsp salt

4 cloves of roast garlic

1 onion chopped

1 dstsp chopped thyme leaves

1 litre vegetable stock

 

oven 400ºF 200ºC gas mark 6

 

Massage 1½ tablespoons olive oil, coriander, salt and pepper into the cauliflower florets, place on a baking tray and roast for 15 mins.

Gently cook the onion in a saucepan using the remaining olive oil for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the roasted garlic cloves and add with the thyme to the pan. Tip in the cauliflower, add the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 10 minutes. Cool slightly then blend until creamy.

Divide between 4 bowls and serve.

 

Roast garlic

Make a few heads of these when the oven is on and store in a the fridge in a tightly lidded jar.

 

Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Place the garlic bulbs on a baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake in the oven for around 35 minutes depending on the size of the bulbs, until soft to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

 

Cauliflower & carrot salad

serves 4

1 medium cauliflower cut into small florets

2 carrots, grated

2 shallots finely chopped

¼ preserved lemon finely diced

large bunch parsley - chopped

1 tblsp lemon juice

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp honey

3 tbsp olive oil

salt & black pepper

 

Mix the cauliflower with the carrots, shallots, lemon and chopped parsley.

Blend together, well, the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey and olive oil, season to taste.

 

Pour over the salad and mix well. Stores well

 

Cauliflower & lentil salad

serves 4 - 6

1 large cauliflower

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tspn ground cumin

½ tspn salt

150g Puy lentils

2 bay leaves

twist of lemon peel

2 tblsp olive oil

2 red onions finely chopped

12 cavolo nero leaves, stems removed and leaves shredded

juice of half a lemon

bunch parsley, roughly chopped

handful of walnuts roughly chopped

 

dressing

1 clove garlic very finely chopped

1 small chili very finely chopped

juice ½ lemon

2 tblsp olive oil

 

oven 200ºC

 

Cut the cauliflower into florets, slice the stems and place them all in a roasting tray, massage in the olive oil, cumin and salt. Roast for 20 minutes until just soft and golden edged.

Cook the lentils with the bay leaves & twist of lemon peel in plenty of water until tender but do not overcook, drain and tip into a bowl.

While the lentils are cooking gently cook the red onions in the olive oil for 7 minutes, add the cavelo nero and cook for a further 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and tip this mixture onto the drained lentils, add the cauliflower and parsley and mix well. Mix the dressing ingredients together and toss through the salad, tip into a serving dish and top with walnuts.

 

Stir fried cauliflower with coriander & ginger

2 tblsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

25g fresh ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large cauliflower broken into florets, stem sliced

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp crushed cardamom

salt & black pepper

handful roughly chopped coriander

 

Cook the onion, ginger and garlic in the olive oil for 1 minute, add the cauliflower tossing well. Cover & cook very gently, stirring from time to time until the cauliflower begins to soften. Add the cinnamon, cardamom, salt and black pepper and mix well . Toss in the chopped coriander and serve.

 

Kasmiri Gobi

Serves 4

1 large onion roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves roughly chopped

2” piece of root ginger, peeled & roughly chopped

3 medium tomatoes (fresh in season or tinned plum when not)

6 tblspn olive oil

1 large cauliflowers, separated into florets

1 tspn ground turmeric

1 tspn cayenne pepper

1 tspn ground cinnamon

½ tspn ground cloves

1 tspn ground cardamom

2 bay leaves

1 tspn rapadura sugar

1 tspn salt

handful toasted cashew

small handful raisins

 

Blend the onion, garlic, ginger and tomatoes together in a food processor to make a puree.

Cook the cauliflower in the olive oil tossing well until it softens and begins turning a golden brown at the edges

Cook the purée with the turmeric and cayenne for 3 minutes. Then add the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaves, sugar and salt.

Add the cauliflower to the mixture and turn to coat well and heat through.

Pile into a serving dish and top with the toasted cashew nuts and raisins.

 

Tahini cauliflower
serves 4
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tblsp coriander seeds
1 dstsp cumin seeds
1 tsp cardamom seeds
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric

1 large cauliflower
2 tblsp olive oil

 

Tahini dressing
3 tblspn tahini
juice from 1 lemon
1 tblsp olive oil
1 tblsp water
½ tspn salt

 

oven 400ºF 200ºC gas mark 6

 

Toast the peppercorns, coriander and cumin in dry pan until aromatic, remove from the heat and grind in a pestle and mortar then add the cardamom, paprika and turmeric.

Cut the cauliflower into florets and the stem into slices. Place on a baking tray, add the olive oil and spice mix then using your hands rub together well. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes until just tender.

Whilst the cauliflower is cooking make the tahini sauce by mixing all the ingredients together, adding more water if necessary to make a pourable sauce.

Tip the roast cauliflower into a bowl and spoon over the tahini sauce

 

footnote
Should you be concerned about cruciferous vegetables being goitrogenic, cook your cauliflower as once cooked the glucosinolates cauliflower contains are deactivated losing up to 80% of their goitrogenic chemicals.