Cauliflower

Try this cauliflower curry to warm yourself up;

Spicy cauliflower & potatoes

450 g potatoes
450 g cauliflower
5 cm piece fresh root ginger
1 hot green chilli
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Salt and pepper 

Peel the potatoes and cut into large chunks. Boil for just 8 minutes then drain. Cut the cauliflower into small florets. Peel and chop the onions and ginger. Slice the chilli (discard the seeds for a milder flavour). Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion and ginger. Cook until soft and brown. Mix in the chilli and spices and cook for 2 minutes, constantly stirring. Now add the potatoes and cauliflower. Stir to coat them in the spice mixture. Season with salt and pepper and stir in 3 tablespoons of water. Cover with lid and leave to cook gently over a medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Should the mixture become dry, add a little water.

Another cauliflower curry recipe

3 tsp vegetable oil                          
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
Small piece of root ginger, peeled and grated
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2  tbsp curry paste
1 med cauliflower broken into florets
400 can coconut milk
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Heat a large, deep non-stick frying pan over a low heat. Add the oil, stir in the onion and fry over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to turn golden. Stir the chilli, garlic and ginger into the onion mixture and fry for 2 minutes. Raise the heat a little, add the potatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the outsides are just softening. Stir in the curry paste, cook for 1 minute, then toss in the cauliflower and stirfry for a further 1 minute to coat. Pour the coconut milk into the pan and stir thoroughly. Add some salt, raise the heat and bring to the boil, stirring frequently, then half cover the pan and reduce to a slow simmer. Cook the curry for 20-25 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the vegetables are tender. Serve with a scattering of toasted almonds, if liked, and coriander.

Roast Romanesco with a mustard cream sauce

3 tbsp olive oil                                   1 romanesco, quartered
170g/6oz leeks, chopped                   1 lemon, zested
110ml/4oz double cream                    2-3 tbsp white wine
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard                  salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 250C/500F/Gas 9.Heat olive oil in a medium, oven-proof frying pan. Add most of the chopped leeks and saute for five minutes. Add the romanesco pieces and spoon the oily leeks over them. Transfer the  pan to the oven and roast for 12-15 minutes or until soft. Prepare the sauce by pouring the cream into a small pan over a gentle heat. Add the wine, to taste. Add the remaining chopped leeks and mustard and heat gently for 3-4 minutes. Remove the romanesco from the oven and tip into a serving dish. Pour over the sauce, season and serve.

Romanesco cauliflower

Cut into chunky florets blanch, in boiling water, then dunk immediately in icy water and serve cold in a salad - it's good with shreds of raw red onion (soaked in salty water to soften their pungency), olives and capers and a dressing of peppery olive oil and lemon.

Romanesco also goes well with pasta. Being more tender than standard cauliflower, it cooks down easily with stock or tomatoes. Try adding it to some sauted garlic and chilli and a tin of tomatoes, simmer till soft and serve with olive oil and Parmesan

Try it also in a gratin – Place some blanched florets in a baking dish, dot florets with crème fraîche mixed with Parmesan, then sprinkle on more Parmesan and some breadcrumbs and bake till golden.

Cauliflower salad with capers and anchovies.

1 medium-sized head of cauliflower with the outer leaves removed
1 large onion, peeled, halved and finely chopped
150ml extra virgin olive oil
The juice of half a lemon
100ml good-quality white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
80g capers, drained and washed
10 anchovy fillets, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut the cauliflower into florets, cutting any large ones in half. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the cauliflower for 8-10 minutes until tender but not over cooked, then drain in a colander. Meanwhile, cook the onions in the oil on a low heat for 3-4 minutes without colouring, then remove from the heat and add the vinegar, the lemon juice, capers and anchovies. Mix with the cauliflower and season to taste. Leave at room temperature and give it a stir every so often and add more olive oil if necessary.

Cauliflower Gratin with Blue Cheese Sauce –Adapted from Delia Smith’s Vegetarian Collection.
550 (20oz) cauliflower florets                                 
1 tbs Olive Oil
2 medium Onions (peeled and sliced)                         
275 ml (10 fl oz) Brown Basmati
1 pint hot stock                                                                 
1 tsp salt
4 oz (110g) Gorgonzola, or Dolcelatte cubed  
570 ml (1 pt ) milk
1 ½ oz (40g) butter                                                   
1 ½ oz (40g) pl flour
Pinch cayenne pepper                                               
Freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and black pepper
1oz (25g) grated parmesan                                           
½ oz (10g) breadcrumbs
parsley

Heat oil in frying pan over medium heat.. Cook onions until lightly brown. Stir in the rice and coat the grains with the oil. Now add the hot stock and salt. Stir only once and cover with lid. Put heat on lowest setting and cook for about 40-45 minutes. Don’t remove the lid and don’t stir the rice during cooking (if you do it releases starch and makes rice sticky) Make the sauce while the rice is cooking. Place milk, butter, flour and cayenne pepper in a saucepan and using a balloon whisk, whisk on a medium heat, continuing until the sauce becomes thick, smooth and glossy. Add cheese. Turn to down heat to lowest setting and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg. Next, steam the cauliflower for approx 8 minutes (until tender). When is rice cooked add the rice to a baking dish. Top with the cauliflower. Pour the sauce over it all. Finally mix breadcrumbs, parmesan and parsley. Sprinkle this all over the top. Then place whole thing under the grill and cook for 2 -3 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and golden brown.

Back to recipes

Growing Communities
The Old Fire Station
61 Leswin Road
Stoke Newington
London N16 7NX
020 7502 7588

growcomm@growingcommunities.org