Recently, I have had my socks knocked off by humble, nearly unadulterated cauliflower--twice. The first time, I roasted it, which I'd never done before, and was rewarded with tender, delicious, caramelized vegetable goodness.
The second time was Saturday night. I'd forgotten about last week's CSA cauliflower and had to use it, so I decided to steam and puree it. This is very easy: break a small head of cauliflower into florets and steam using a steamer basket or your other favorite method until very tender. You could boil them, too, but hang on to the water either way.
While the tender cauliflower is still hot, chuck half of it into the blender with about 1/4 cup of the steaming/boiling water and puree. Add the rest of the cauliflower and more water as needed (but not too much). Add about a tablespoon of good olive oil (or more) and puree again. The olive oil does this beautiful emulsification thing that greatly improves the texture. Sprinkle in salt, pepper, and curry powder (or other herbs) if you like.
The texture and flavor of this was incredible. Delicious, comforting, and super-duper easy. I realize dieters have known about pureed cauliflower forever. Don't let that scare you off.
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I think the key to enjoying it pureed as a dieter is to not think of it as "mashed potatoes."
That all sounds great. I'm a fan of the white flower.
(had to edit my comment)
Maven I had to tell you that
a) you inspired me to get on a couple waiting lists for one of the local farms that delivers to my area. Thank you so much - I'd never even heard of it before your blog. I was talking about CSA...if you saw the earlier comment you might have wondered what the heck I was blathering about.
b) about that cauliflower: I like to shred it in the food processor and then steam it. It's kind of like rice, though not at all like the sticky kind. Boyfriend loves when I make curried cauliflower. Olive oil and some curry powder or whatever you like. Add the cauli and an onion and toss that around for a while. Take it off the heat and add a bit of yogurt. Yummy.