Cauliflower

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Cauliflower

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judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 9:58 am Post subject: Cauliflower

I have just harvested my first ever cauliflower, and a mighty fine specimen it is too. It is sitting on the kitchen counter right now to be admired by anyone who happens to be passing

So, cauliflower cheese it is tonight.

Only problem is, there are 5 more just like it outside and there is only so much cauli cheese that a chap can eat in the space of a couple of weeks.
Any thoughts on preserving the excess? I could freeze some, I suppose, but my attempts at freezing broccoli were a bit disappointing - edible but a little softer than I like. Has anyone tried cauliflower soup, for example? Other ideas?

Bernie66

Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 13967
Location: Eastoft

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 10:03 am Post subject:
I hda a glut the other year but managed to freeze it sucessfully by blanching it with a touch of lemon juice in the water to keep the colour white-it was successful but whether the lemon juice was just an old wives tale i am not too sure-and the glut was after carefully planting out seedlings 3 weeks apart from each other to try to stagger the harvest !

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 10:07 am Post subject:
Thanks Bernie - how long did you blanch it for? I wasn't really expecting to have any caulis at all. My previous attempts were dismal failures, and they either got eaten at the seedling stage or didn't make proper curds.

Bernie66

Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 13967
Location: Eastoft

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 10:12 am Post subject:
3 mins into boiling water-i was amazed at my success with them-i will try to find which variety i used-its written down somewhere! That was my first real success on my allotment and my inspiration to go on. now i do onions in a big way as they always get used and i never have to buy them-something which i am very proud of,sadly enough!

gavin

Joined: 10 Feb 2005
Posts: 93
Location: Leeds, W Yorks

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 8:35 pm Post subject:

Piccalilli or other mustard pickles?

Cut into florets, dipped in beaten egg and breadcrumbs, and deep fried (gorgeous!).

Somewhere I have recipes for a cauliflower curry (haven't tried it in years) and a Greek (?) cauliflower (now that I remember eating - it was good; I must find that - seem to remember it involved marinading in olive oil, herbs and spices)

All best - Gavin

[edit]Hey, and congrats on the caulis; well done, they are temperamental sods to grow

[/edit]

ButteryHOLsomeness

Joined: 03 Apr 2005
Posts: 770

Posted: Wed May 04, 05 1:09 am Post subject:

you could do bubble and squeak but replace the cabbage with cauliflower...

you could replace the broccoli in broccoli and cheese soup with cauliflower, though this may be too close to cauliflower cheese

gobi is the indian word for cauliflower so you could do a google search for recipes using it in curry

https://www.google.co.uk/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2004-08,GGLD:en&q=cauliflower+gobi

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Wed May 04, 05 5:34 am Post subject:
Theres a fab recipe in one of the Madhur Jaffrey books that basically involves dressing a cooked cauliflower and some carrots in a very spicy chilli and tomato sauce, covering the top in desecrated coconut (ok, dessicated will do) and bunging it back in the oven to brown on top. Sounds an odd combination but I was really impressed when I tried it.

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed May 04, 05 8:59 am Post subject:
Thanks for all the ideas - they all sound fab. OH made his own idiosyncratic version of cauliflower cheese last night which was good. I do like the idea of a spicy version - I'll take a look at the gobi recipes. By the time I've tried all those, and made some piccalilli, that should be the end of my glut!

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed May 04, 05 9:04 am Post subject:

I don't make plain cauliflower cheese anymore - I cook mushrooms or leeks in butter and oil, then add flour and make the white sauce. I cook the cauliflower and let it cool then I can use the same water (and pan) for pasta, then shove it all together and bake it. It's much tastier, with the mush or leeks, than a normal dish, and more substantial, with the pasta - last week I used some home made lasagne in it, with the cauliflower cut in slices.

Might make a change if you do get tired of cauliflower cheese

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed May 04, 05 9:14 am Post subject:
I like the lasagne idea, Bugs. It would look particularly good with the green pasta sheets methinks.

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed May 04, 05 9:19 am Post subject:
Ooh, yes, that would look very appetising. I would like to have a go at making spinach pasta one day, but I think it might be handy if we can find the pasta machine first.

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed May 04, 05 9:23 am Post subject:

Bugs wrote:

but I think it might be handy if we can find the pasta machine first.

Every time someone says that, I know I am right not to buy a pasta maker. It WILL disappear to the back of the cupboard, it WILL only ever be used once, it WILL fall on my head when I'm looking for something else.
I don't need another kitchen gadget, I don't need another kitchen gadget, I don't need another kitchen gadget ...

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed May 04, 05 9:32 am Post subject:

Judith wrote:

I don't need another kitchen gadget, I don't need another kitchen gadget, I don't need another kitchen gadget ...

The pasta machine got put away because we didn't have a kitchen for it to live in. Now we do have some space for it we'd like to get it out again, as I make pasta occasionally, but it's too much of a nightmare rolling it out for anything more than lasagne or maybe, large ravioli. I made taglietelle a few weeks ago and it was very nice but it took soooooo long. Lasagne is pretty straightforward, although I could use a larger surface to roll it out on. I also think running it through the pasta machine a few times might distribute the spinach through it a bit better, although come to think of it, would it be too much of a sacrilige to use the food processor?

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