Seasonal Eats: Cut up your Cauliflower!

Cauliflower Heads at the Hollywood Farmer's Market (Heather Parlato/LAist)

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Cauliflower Heads at the Hollywood Farmer's Market (Heather Parlato/LAist)
Another member of the brassica family that we love to eat in winter is cauliflower, which is in season late winter through spring in California. Though it seems vegetal, we’re actually eating floral meristems of the plant. Usually the leaves are overlooked, though I have plucked some from the garden before the heads are mature for a sauté or frittata, mature leaves may be added to those used in preparing vegetable stock. Cauliflower is typically white, but also comes in a light orange variety [containing 25 times the Vitamin C of the white variety] and purple, which contains the antioxidant anthocyanin. Cauliflower has a glycemic load of 2 and is a good source of Protein, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Potassium and Manganese.

The best preparation for cooking cauliflower is to steam it in a vegetable steamer insert in a pot over an inch of water, maybe 10-15 minutes. If you’re not sure how to cut apart the florets, here’s an explanation. Only steam until al dente, so it doesn’t lose shape or get mushy [test with a fork or taste a piece]. I like a simple steaming of cut florets tossed in a lemon mustard vinaigrette, or sometimes I’ll put them in a baking dish, dress with lemon juice, olive oil and parmesan and bake 10-15 minutes to toast it up. Try out this broccoli and cauliflower with lemon mustard and chive butter. You can also start with raw florets in a baking dish, drizzle with oil and your favorite spices and roast for a nice, toasty, nutty flavor, such as roasted cauliflower with kalamata vinaigrette. Experiment with starting out covered to steam through, and then uncover to brown the outside. A quick boiling of florets will put you in the position to pickle them up as well.

If you’re looking for ways to eat a lightly cooked floret with a fresh twist, I can personally attest to this roasted red peppers and cauliflower with caper vinaigrette. Enjoy a tangy cauliflower, white bean and feta salad. Get a selection of winter chicories and chop up a radicchio and cauliflower with anchovy dressing, or try this fresh Egyptian cauliflower salad. If you have some hearty grains, try out farro and cauliflower salad.

I’m not big on slathering veggies in cream, though there are a lot of dairy-heavy soups out there at a fingertip's search, I’ll make an exception for cream of cauliflower and stilton soup or this cauliflower gratin. There are also a great many soups with cauliflower for the taking, but I really liked the uniqueness of this curried cauliflower apple soup.

Since cauliflower has such a nice, light flavor, it’s a great flavor substrate to bake with. Get it all with this Italian fruit, nut and cauliflower casserole, or for the carnivores, cauliflower Italian sausage casserole. Showcase simple, refined flavors with a cauliflower and caramelized onion tart. Other comfort foods can include pasta with caulilower or this traditional Indian aloo gobi. Some people like to substitute the carbs of mashed potatoes for a cauliflower purée

From the department of innovation, I will also swear by this roasted cauliflower steak with cauliflower purée, which you can thicken up with feta cheese, or spice up by adding chipotle sauce to the purée. I was really surprised to find this Italian cauliflower custard.

I decided to make a variation on a soup recipe that I like, which involves roasted fennel, cauliflower cooked in stock, and walnuts!

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Cauliflower Walnut Soup (Heather Parlato/LAist)
Cauliflower Walnut Soup

1 large bulb fennel, quartered lengthwise

2 tbs olive oil

1 leek, white & light green parts, sliced

1 cup cauliflower florets, cut to ½” pieces

2 cups vegetable stock

½ cup milk

2 tbs white wine vinegar

½ cup chopped walnuts

¼ cup crumbled feta

zest of 1 lemon, juice of ½ lemon

1 tbs chopped chives

salt & pepper to taste

Place fennel in a baking dish, drizzle with 1 tb olive oil, season with salt & pepper, and roast in a 400 degreen oven, 15 minutes. When lightly browned, remove and let cool.

Add 1 tb olive oil and sliced leek to a frying pan over medium heat, toss to coat with oil, cover and and cook 5 minutes. Add cauliflower florets and stock, and stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes until cauliflower is tender enough to blend.

When cauliflower is cooked, let it cool a bit and then transfer to a blender, add the roasted fennel, and blend until smooth. Return to the pot, mix in the milk and wine vinegar. Heat to a simmer, add the lemon juice, and blend in the walnuts.

Combine the feta, lemon zest, salt & pepper. When serving the soup, place a tablespoon of the cheese mixture in the center, and dress with chives.