Why you should give cauliflower another chance

“Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education,” Mark Twain once famously said, and indeed this cruciferous vegetable never has gotten much in the way of respect. Over the years we’ve mostly boiled it or steamed it, often serving it under a thick blanket of cheese sauce to at once jazz up the flavor and help hide the cabbagey undertones.

In recent years, however, cauliflower has gotten attention like never before, largely because it’s being prepared in ways like never before. Chefs are roasting it, frying it, pickling it, pureeing it and using it instead of rice, in some cases in an attempt to boost nutrition and reduce carbohydrates. It’s quite the cauliflower convergence.

“I think what’s happened with cauliflower is basically, there are no new vegetables in the world,” said Marc Marrone, corporate executive sous chef for the Tao Group. “Chefs are trying to find something to reinvent, to put something new on the plate that’s not the typical asparagus and potato.”

It helps, he said, that cauliflower is gratifyingly versatile.

“You can do a lot of different things with it,” he said. “It purees really well; fold it in with sour cream and some butter.

“It also roasts really well and comes really close to having the crispy texture of a potato.”

At Tao, Marrone said, he serves roasted cauliflower with a sweet-and-sour sauce. He cuts the cauliflower into florets and “blasts them superhot” in a 475-degree oven.

“It’s a nice golden crunch, but not overcooked,” he said. “Toss them with that sauce, so when you eat it, you get that crunch, you get the sweet, the sour, you get the spice.”

You can even fry it.

“You fry cauliflower and it actually tastes like a potato chip,” Marrone said. “It has a fun, crispy texture. People are looking for something instead of a fried potato or a fried parsnip.”

Billy DeMarco, corporate executive chef of the Morton Group, also likes the vegetable’s versatility.

“I’ve always liked cauliflower,” he said. “When you roast it up — that charred taste — it’s great. It’s very simple, not overwhelming, and you can pretty much add it to anything — fish, steak, chicken. It’s a great vegetable, and it really works well. And it’s inexpensive.”

At Crush, DeMarco said, a dish of roasted cauliflower has been very popular.

“We use an heirloom hybrid, orange, green, purple and the traditional white,” he said. “We roast it in vegetable oil at high heat to get a nice caramelization on it, a nice brown color. We just add a little garlic, chili flakes, mint, red wine vinegar and that’s pretty much it. Some butter and a little more mint at the end. I think a lot of people, when they see it on the menu, originally they shied away from it. We’re definitely selling a ton of it.”

Matt Alba, executive sous chef at Bouchon at The Venetian, said Thomas Keller’s restaurants always have featured cauliflower as one of many fresh vegetables straight from the farm or market.

“It holds up, has great stability, great texture,” he said. “It looks beautiful. We’re highlighting those vegetables, whether it’s radishes, squash or turnips.”

A somewhat traditional dish that they will have on the fall menu, he said, is cauliflower gratin, made with both pureed and blanched cauliflower and Mornay sauce. They’ve also started pickling cauliflower and this fall will incorporate the pickled version into a cheese-fondue offering. And he sometimes serves it roasted.

“We trim the bottom, roast it in a saute pan and baste it with garlic and thyme,” Alba said. “It’s a beautiful golden brown, cooked all the way through, with a nice color contrast.

“Or we’ll cut it into planks and sear it. Sometimes we’ll do that for a vegan or vegetarian option.”

All three chefs said they think some of the more offbeat uses for cauliflower — as a substitute for mashed potatoes or rice, for example — have arisen from a desire for more healthful foods. Mary Wilson, a registered dietitian and nutrition specialist with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, said people who are using it in that way have the right idea, but she adds a caveat.

“I can indeed see where they think it is healthier, just because it’s fewer carbohydrates and a reduced amount of calories,” Wilson said. “But my question would be what are they adding to that? Are they still kind of adding fat and butter?”

On a basic level, she said, cauliflower has healthier attributes than an equivalent amount of potato, at 14 calories and 3 grams of carbohydrate in one-half cup, compared with 67 calories and almost 16 grams of carbohydrate for potatoes.

Both the cauliflower and potato, she said, are healthful vegetables, with each contributing different types of vitamins and nutrients to the diet.

“If you can reduce the amount of margarine and use skim milk, there would be more health benefits,” she said. “And it’s a nice variation.”

CRISPY ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

½ head cauliflower florets

1 tablespoon olive oil

Coarse salt

Red chili flakes

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

On a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle cauliflower florets with olive oil. Season with salt. Roast, turning occasionally, until golden brown and just tender, about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle with red chili flakes.

Serves 2.

— Recipe from Martha Stewart Omnimedia

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds)

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (divided use), plus extra for drizzling

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Trim outer leaves of cauliflower and cut stem flush with bottom. Cut head into eight equal wedges so that core and florets remain intact.

Place wedges cut side down on foil- or parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; gently rub to evenly distribute oil and seasonings. Gently flip cauliflower and season other cut side with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, salt and pepper.

Cover baking sheet tightly with foil and cook for 10 minutes. Remove foil and continue to roast until bottoms of cauliflower pieces are golden, 8 to 12 minutes. Remove sheet from oven, and, using spatula, carefully flip wedges. Return sheet to oven and continue to roast until cauliflower is golden all over, 8 to 12 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste, drizzle with oil, and serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6.

— Recipe from Cook’s Illustrated

STEAMED CAULIFLOWER WITH DILL-WALNUT VINAIGRETTE

1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed, cored and cut into florets (about 6 cups)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice from 1 small lemon

½ medium shallot or scallion, minced

2 tablespoons minced fresh dill

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and ground black pepper

½ cup toasted walnuts, chopped medium (about 1/3 cup)

Fit large saucepan with steamer basket; fill with enough water to reach just below the bottom of basket. Bring water to boil over high heat; add florets to basket. Reduce heat to medium; cover and steam until cauliflower is tender but still offers some resistance to the tooth when sampled, 7 to 8 minutes.

Whisk next six ingredients (mustard through oil) in small bowl, plus salt and pepper to taste. Toss dressing immediately with walnuts and warm cauliflower; adjust seasonings and serve.

Serves 4.

— Recipe from Cook’s Illustrated

CAULIFLOWER “RICE” STIR FRY

2 cups cauliflower florets

2 tablespoons coconut or extra-virgin olive oil (divided use)

1 sliced red onion (divided use)

4 minced cloves garlic (divided use)

Coarse salt

¼ cup broth

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 thinly sliced small red chili

2 cups broccoli florets

1 julienned large carrot

½ diced (stemmed, seeded) red bell pepper

Juice of ½ lemon

2 tablespoons shelled pumpkin seeds

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

Pulse cauliflower florets in a food processor until finely chopped.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ½ sliced red onion and 2 minced cloves garlic and cook, stirring, until tender, about 6 minutes. Add cauliflower and season with coarse salt. Stir in broth and steam, covered, until broth has evaporated and cauliflower is tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover.

Wipe pan and heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add ½ sliced red onion and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add 2 minced cloves garlic, ginger and chili and cook 1 minute. Add broccoli florets, carrot and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Remove from heat and add lemon juice.

For each serving, top cauliflower with vegetables and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds and 1 tablespoon cilantro.

Serves 2.

— Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Omnimedia

CRISPY CAULIFLOWER CAKES WITH HERB SAUCE AND ARUGULA SALAD

Cakes:

12 ounces cauliflower florets

1 (10-ounce) peeled baking potato, cut into 4 wedges

2 large shallots, halved lengthwise

1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 ounces fontina cheese, shredded (about ½ cup)

½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 large egg, lightly beaten

½ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), lightly toasted (see note)

2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Sauce:

2 tablespoons light sour cream

2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise

2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 teaspoons minced fresh chives

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

Salad:

4 cups baby arugula

½ cup halved grape tomatoes

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

To prepare cakes, place cauliflower, potato and shallots on a baking sheet. Drizzle 1½ tablespoons oil over vegetables; toss. Bake for 35 minutes or until tender, stirring once.

Place cauliflower mixture in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until chopped. Scrape mixture into a bowl. Add fontina, thyme, salt, ½ teaspoon pepper and egg, stirring well.

Combine panko and Parmigiano-Reggiano in a shallow dish. Using wet hands, shape cauliflower mixture into 8 (1-inch-thick) patties; dredge in panko mixture. Place patties on baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until browned, turning once.

To prepare sauce, combine sour cream and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl.

To prepare salad, combine arugula, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons oil, and juice; toss well to coat. Place 1 cup arugula mixture on each of 4 plates; top with 2 cakes and 1 tablespoon herb sauce.

Note: To toast panko, place in a large skillet and cook over medium heat 3 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently.

Serves 4.

— Recipe from Cooking Light

CAULIFLOWER AND GREEN ONION MASH

1 teaspoon olive oil

3 pounds fresh cauliflower, cut into florets (about 8½ cups)

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 cup chopped green onions

One cup 1 percent low-fat milk

2 tablespoons butter

¾ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon salt