It’s hard to believe that the humble cauliflower is now deemed to be trendy and so much in vogue that the once-unfancied brassica has usurped kale as the hipster vegetable of choice. But is it really that surprising? For a vegetable it’s endlessly versatile and makes a great centrepiece. You can sauté it, blend it to add smoothness in sauces and a creamy texture to soups, but I also love to simply roast it. Roasting isn’t usually the first cooking method you think of for cauliflower but the results are quite delicious.
It can be cut into thick slices and tossed with extra-virgin olive oil and herbs and finished in the oven or roasted whole. It may just be a regular, humble, garden cauliflower, but there’s something really exciting about seeing it come out of the oven whole. I often flavour mine with lemon, chilli and cumin and a deep browning occurs in the oven that results in a sweet, nutty flavour. It makes a beautiful edible centrepiece to hack away at, cutting chunks off the main stem, throughout your meal.
As a kid I couldn’t stand the sight of cauliflower on my plate and the odorous smell was enough to put me off cauliflower for a lifetime. Badly, over-cooked vegetables are unpleasant at the best of times, but cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage are probably the worst offenders. It’s such a shame as these vegetables are wonderful ingredients when cooked with love and if you’re still haunted by the ghosts of your old school dinners, its time to think again and get back to Brassicas.
Go for cauliflowers with pure white heads with no discolouration, and crisp green leaves. The colour of the base is a good indication of how recently it’s been picked – the whiter, the fresher. Most cauliflowers are white, but it’s also possible to find green and purple varieties, as well as the sweeter Romanesco cauliflower, with its distinctive pointed florets.
Cauliflower is a truly versatile vegetable and marries well with cheese, almonds, anchovies, bacon and…
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