Cauli-power!

The humble cauliflower has had a massive image overhaul in the last year or so. Gone are the days of soggy, overcooked mush with sulphurous overtones (thank goodness!) - in fact to simply boil a creamy white floret might be seen as sacrilege now! Whether it's the raw crisp crunch or the rich, caramelised softness from roasting, our homegrown hero offers much to previous cauli detractors.

There's even whole features on them in food magazines, including this month's Waitrose magazine. And rightly so, as this previously underrated vegetable has much to offer, with outstanding taste,  nutrition and flexibility.
I've raved about cauliflowers before, using them as a base for a white sauce, and creating a 'cheesy' sauce and soup (see http://foodiesensitive.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/cheesy-cauliflower-soup-or-pasta-bake.html). The low-carb and paleo followers use cauliflower for a number of grain based alternatives like rice, and pizza base. I've tried the pizza base, as part of my search for the ideal pizza alternative - good taste but lots of effort! As for rice, I like the brown stuff myself, and all the goodness that goes with it, so not gone for the cauli-rice personally. The texture of cauliflower means that it can hold its form in curries and stews (as long as it's not added too early and overcooked) and absorbs spices really well, so works with a lovely dry curry like aloo gobi.
Whilst I always encourage eating an array of rainbow vegetables every day, there are still some beneficial white vegetables, cauliflower being one of them. As the head of creamy florets develop, they are protected from the winter weather by layers of dark green leaves that capture whatever winter sunlight they can to help them grow. As part of the super-healthy cruciferous family, cauliflowers share many of the powerful anti-cancer phytonutrients found in other brassicas like broccoli and cabbage. Whilst maybe not quite as nutrient dense, cauliflower still packs a good punch of vitamin C, B vitamins, potassium and of course fibre. And that sulphury aroma - that's released from the phytochemicals as they are cooked, so steam lightly rather then boil it to death, and not only will your house smell better, your body will benefit too!
My two favourite ways of using cauliflower are roasting or using to give a creamy, flavoursome texture, either as a sauce or in soup.

 Roasting caramelises the outer layer of the florets, creating a beautifully nutty flavour. You can try and roast a whole cauli in one go, but this takes at least an hour - I found these cute little mini caulis the other day, perfect for roasting, only taking about 20 minutes. And the flavour was fabulous!
Cauliflower as a cream in soup is really easy to use - this creamy cauliflower and sweet potato chowder is not only packed full of amazing nutrients, including vitamin A, C and a whole bundle of phytonutrients, the 'cream' is rich and flavoursome, and of course dairy free. And using all vegetables gives an extra boost of fibre to keep your intestines super happy!
My next foray into cauli versatility is to explore the world of cauliflower steaks, a new experiment for me in textures and flavours. So why not start discovering cauli-power for yourself, and watch out for more cauli raving in the future!
Cauliflower, red pepper and sweet potato chowder

1 teaspoon olive oil1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, diced
1 red pepper, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, chopped
1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets
2 teaspoons thyme
1 litre vegetable stock
salt and pepper
dairy free milk (optional)
parsley or basil to garnish (optional)
Heat a small amount of olive oil in the bottom of a large pan and sauté the onion for a few minutes until it starts to soften. Add the red pepper and sweet potato and cook for a few minutes. Add the cauliflower florets and continue to sauté until it starts to brown slightly (this is why you need a large pan, so you can move the vegetables around a bit!). Stir in the garlic and thyme, mixing well. Pour in the vegetable stock until the vegetables are covered (you can add more later if needed), bring to the boil, then put on the lid, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or so until all the vegetables are well cooked. Season with salt and pepper, cool slightly then blitz until smooth - add more vegetable stock or some dairy free milk to get the thickness you want. Check seasoning, then serve with a chopped herb garnish (optional).

'Cheesy' cauliflower soup or a pasta bake

Back in August last year, I posted a recipe using cauliflower as a base for a white sauce http://foodiesensitive.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/saucy-cauliflower.html. Since then, I have experimented further with the good old cauli and discovered another way to make a sauce that tastes remarkably like cheese sauce. Doesn't seem possible I know, but it's not just me that thinks that - my family have commented on it's cheesy-ness (dairy and non-dairy eaters alike) as well as it's general gorgeousness.

And the secret - roast the cauliflower florets first.
The idea actually came from soup, as so many good things do! Browsing through my Rachel Allen cook book, I found her recipe for cauliflower soup that included the use of ground almonds to thicken the texture. At the same time, I remembered a Guardian newspaper article featuring the 10 best cauliflower recipes (I do read a lot about food!), one of which had been a whole roasted cauli. Roasting concentrates the sugars in the florets, caramelising them slightly as well as giving a slight nutty flavour. It's delicious just by itself. The magic comes by adding it to a base of onion, garlic and ground almonds and simmering it in some stock. Once pureed, it somehow tastes cheesy, and has a slightly coarse cheesy texture.

What's more, it doesn't take long to make it. In fact, my first experiment with roasting was to make the soup, which I actually made in the morning before going to work. I was so excited about the flavour I force fed it to everyone whilst they were trying to eat their breakfast (it doesn't go so well with porridge apparently!). For the pasta bake, the sauce takes the same time to cook as the pasta, and the oven is already hot and ready to use for the baking, so it's an easy, midweek supper for when you're running low on time and inspiration.
And the ultimately amazing fact about this soup/sauce is that it is dairy free, gluten free and just perfect for a plant based whole food diet.  Low in fat, high in fibre, packed with nutrients and generally just fabulous. If you think I'm over excited, try it for yourself and you'll understand why!
Roasted cauliflower soup

1 medium sized cauli, broken into florets

1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons ground almonds
1 litre veg stock
600ml almond milk
salt and pepper
Heat the oven to 180oC. Pop a tiny amount of olive oil onto a roasting tray and spread the cauliflower florets out over it, turning them around to spread the oil. Place in the oven for 10 minutes or so until the florets start to caramelise (see picture). Remove from the oven.
Whilst the cauli is roasting, heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a large pan and gently sauté the onion until soft. Add the garlic and continue to sauté for a minute or so. Don't let it burn. Stir in the ground almonds, then add the roasted cauli, bay leaves and enough stock to cover. Simmer for another 10 minutes or so until the cauliflower is well cooked. Turn off the heat and cool slightly, remove the bay leaves, then transfer to a blender, adding the almond milk and seasoning. Blend until you get a voluptuously thick puree, adding more milk or stock as needed to get a good soupy consistency. Return to the pan, check the seasoning, add more as needed, reheat and serve.
'Cheesy' cauliflower pasta bake

Ingredients as above, omitting the almond milk.
400g wholewheat or brown rice pasta
2 large tomatoes, sliced
few handfuls of baby spinach (optional)
Put a large pan of water on to boil and cook the pasta according to packet instructions. In the meantime, follow the recipe as above. When adding the stock, use enough to just cover the cauli and no more - you can always add more later if needed. Once the cauliflower mix has been through the blending process, it should be thick and very sauce-like. If too thick, add a little more stock.
Drain the cooked pasta and pour in the cheesy cauliflower sauce, mixing well and adding more seasoning if needed (seasoning really is key to this dish). Mix together well. Spread out the spinach over the base of a large baking dish and pour the pasta and cauliflower sauce over the top. Place the tomato slices on the top and bake in the oven for 10 minutes or so until the tomatoes are cooked and the top slightly brown. Serve with some extra greens if required and enjoy!