Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Cauliflower purée
Hungry for supper, I looked into the refrigerator to see what was there and was alarmed to find way too much cauliflower. It seemed like a good idea to use some. I started thinking about a recipe I used to make when I was following a macrobiotic diet and avoiding potatoes. I used to make cauliflower-millet mashed potatoes which was actually made only with millet and cauliflower. It doesn't sound good but it was. Anyway, I guess the millet got tossed when I cleaned out the pantry, so I decided to make a cauliflower purée instead. Much to my surprise, it was fabulously delicious. It tasted so rich and wonderful that the only seasoning I used was a grind of fresh pepper. The taste and texture really was similar to mashed potatoes, only better. I suppose you could add margarine and soy milk if you wanted. I had mine on a plate with tempeh that had been stir fried with a small chopped red onion, and when the onion smooched over to the cauliflower, the taste was exciting. So, you might want to dress this up by sautéeing a small finely chopped onion, some minced garlic and maybe a small finely chopped red pepper and mixing it into the purée before serving.
Cauliflower purée
Cut the cauliflower into small florets and place in a pot. Add water to about halfway up the cauliflower. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat and cook, covered, until the cauliflower is VERY soft, about 10 minutes. Uncover the pot and cook until most of the water evaporates. (After cooking a head of cauliflower you should have no more than 1/4 cup of water left.) Place the cauliflower and remaining water into a food processor and process until smooth.
optional
seasonings to taste: sauteed onion or garlic, fresh ground pepper, paprika, chopped parsley, margarine, salt