Leanne Kitchen - Cauliflower Is King: 70 Recipes to Prove It

Bow down: the reign of Cauliflower glory is upon us. The worlds most versatile and uber-cool Super Vegetable is all at once a healthy wholefood staple, culinary fashion-statement and cosy winter dinner at Grandmas house. (Or enjoy solo on the sofa, straight out of the pan, eyes on a screen. No judgement. No rules for the King.)

The chameleon of the vegetable patch, Caulis blue blood status is proven by 70 recipes from all over the world. This deliciously noble brassica can be roasted to golden perfection, barbecued, stir-fried to crispness, baked whole or in a pizza crust, and made into healthy popcorn for movie nights. Included, of course, is the vital recipe for the carb-dodgers greatest delight, Cauliflower Rice.

CONTENTS

Big and boofy, theres nothing quite like a cauliflower. And it seems the world is realising exactly that its fair to say that this king of vegetables is having something of a zeitgeist moment right now. As a variety of Brassica oleracea, cauliflower is closely related to broccoli (another vegetable unusual for the fact that we eat the flower) and is reckoned to have evolved from wild cabbage. Its characteristic appearance is actually the result of arrested development the normal forming of flower and stalk is interrupted, causing the immature flower heads to accumulate in a large mass. In this, the cauli is somewhat unique, although it does have plenty of other brassica family members: broccoli, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts and Chinese broccoli even turnips, wasabi, rocket and horseradish are all related to it. But in terms of looks, flavour and downright versatility, the cauliflower is pretty much out there on its own. With so many ways to prepare it, cauliflower has long been a kitchen stalwart.

FROM WHENCE THE CAULIFLOWER?

Before we get into the practicalities of cauli cooking and all the great things you can do with your favourite brassica, first a little background info. The name cauliflower literally means cabbage flower from the Latin caulis or cabbage and flower for, well, flower. Its thought that cauliflowers initially popped up in Cyprus (although some reckon Egypt). Roman-era writer Pliny the Elder enthused about cauli in his first-century opus Natural History, wherein he pronounced it the most pleasant-tasted (sic) of all the cabbages (although its likely he was describing an earlier form of the cauliflower, not the one we know and love today).

The Cyprus connection makes sense when one considers that the island went on to become an English colony; theres a theory that cauliflower made it to England in the seventeenth century from here, although some say it was introduced to Britain by Flemish weavers. Three varieties of cauliflower were written about in Spain in the twelfth century, although our modern version was first used in Europe in Italy when around 1500 it blew into Genoa from either Cyprus or the Levant. From there it travelled to France sometime later in the sixteenth century, where it became wildly popular in the court of Louis XIV. It was considered a delicacy, and the French aristocracy slathered it in ridiculously rich sauces, packed with palace favourites such as cream, foie gras, sweetbreads, ham and mushrooms.

An interesting relic from French culinary history is that the words du Barry denote cauliflower dishes in the classical cooking repertoire. This is after Madame du Barry, a French courtesan during the reign of Louis XV. Its not agreed how she came to be so closely connected with cauliflower, but crme du Barry, for example, is still a posh way of saying cauliflower soup. Hypotheses for the association include that her white powdered hair-do resembled cauliflower curds, and that her pale complexion was cauliflower-like in colour. Madame du Barry met her fate at the blade of the guillotine during the French Revolution. Let them eat brassica?

From Europe to the rest of the world? Interestingly, cauliflower didnt become commercially available in America until the 1920s. One cuisine that does have a prodigious number of cauliflower recipes is India (the Brits introduced it there) and now India is second only to China as the largest grower of the vegetable king.

KING OF CURDS

The edible part of cauliflower is composed of tightly clustered florets that are usually, but not always, white more on that later. These are called the curd. Enclosed by tight green leaves, the curd is considered the business end of the cauli, though you can happily eat the stalk and the long, pale green leaves that hug it. Mostly though, the leaves are hacked off before you buy, which is a shame. As well as tasting great, theyre a good indicator of freshness they should be pert and tight, not floppy. When the cauliflower is in the ground, the leaves draw up to cover the curd, protecting it from sunlight and preventing it from producing chlorophyll and turning green. Hence whiteness.

Cauliflowers are notoriously tricky to grow, which might explain why theyre never bargain-basement cheap. An autumn/winter crop (although you can buy them year round thanks to modern agriculture), theyre sensitive to extreme cold, as well as extreme heat, and dont like sudden changes in temperature or rainfall. Theyre also picky about their soil, although new hybrids are less sensitive.

So, lets assume that, unless youre an ace gardener, youre buying your cauliflowers. When you do, choose those that feel heavy and compact and have an unblemished, creamy and tight curd. The curd should not be blindingly bright white, as this signifies the vegetable is not yet fully mature. Any loose or discoloured curds tell you the cauli is past its best. Buy whole cauliflowers rather than pre-cut, if you can avoid them. An uncut cauli will keep longer up to seven days in an open plastic bag in the crisper section of the fridge whereas cut florets will only be good for a few days. Store a whole cauliflower stem down, as storing it head down can result in moisture accumulation, which causes it to spoil. Washing a cauliflower before you store it can also cause spoilage, so dont do that, either.

VARIATIONS ON A THEME

As for varieties, there are a few. A restaurant-driven trend for baby vegetables has given rise to cute tiny caulis recently; around the size of large tennis balls. These arent mainstream though, so youll be lucky to see them outside specialty produce stores.

Then there are purple cauliflowers, which get their colour (the curds vary from light to dark mauve) from the presence of anthocyanin, the same pigment that is in red wine and red cabbage. A powerful antioxidant, anthocyanin is thought to deliver potent health benefits. Purple cauliflower contains more vitamin A than white cauli.