Spicy Goose Bumps

“Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.” ~ Mark Twain

Cauliflower isn’t glamorous. A friend’s daughter describes it as “a head with lots of goose bumps.” Spooky!

As a kid, I never liked it. Mom served it “well done” with butter, salt and pepper. It looked yucky and it smelled and tasted the same.

It wasn’t until I reached 30 something that I began to appreciate it, especially in casseroles and raw dunked in a dip. These days, it tastes tops cooked and smothered in a chile-cheese sauce. (Check out the recipes below.) And like chile, cauliflower is good for you – it’s full of Vitamin C and has a fair dose of iron. I addition to the white variety, green and purple cauliflower are also harvested.

After a Google search, I discovered other interesting tidbits:

• The flowerets that make up cauliflower are also called “curd.”
• Cauliflower is part of the cabbage family (see Mark Twain’s quote above).
• The green leaves at its base are edible but it takes longer to cook than the cauliflower itself.
• When serving cauliflower raw (especially fresh from the garden), soak in ice water for about 15 minutes to oust any bugs. (Most grocery stores sell cauliflower already debugged.)
• Adding a couple of hefty bread cubes to boiling (or simmering) cauliflower soaks up the smell. So do slices of red bell pepper.
• Adding 1 cup of milk or 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to boiling (or simmering) cauliflower prevents discoloration.
• Cooking cauliflower in milk sweetens its taste.

Cheesy Chile Cauliflower Soup (Yield: 4 to 6)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 medium white onion, coarsely chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, or to taste
• 2 medium Idaho potatoes, unpeeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks
• 1 medium to large sized head white cauliflower

• Salt and pepper
to taste
• 4 ounces canned medium-hot green chiles or 4 roasted, peeled and seeded green chiles

• 1 serrano pepper stemmed 

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1-2 cups water
• 1/2 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

Heat oil in a wide, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion to the pan. Sauté until translucent – about 5 minutes.

Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium. Add potatoes and continue to cook.

Trim cauliflower into pieces about the same size as the potato chunks. When the potatoes have cooked 10 minutes, add the cauliflower, salt and pepper, green chile and serrano pepper.

Add chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook 15 minutes. Potatoes and cauliflower should be tender. Remove from heat. Working in several batches, add soup to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Return soup to pan and heat to boiling, adding more liquid (water, broth, milk or cream), if necessary.

When the soup is heated, remove from burner and stir in the cheese. Garnish with more cheese, if desired.

Spicy Cauliflower Soup (Serves 6)

• 1 white onion, chopped
• 1 can (4 ounces) diced green chiles
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cups chicken broth, divided
• 1 large cauliflower (2 pounds)
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 2 cups milk
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup finely minced red onion
• 1 small jalapeno, minced (optional)
• Cilantro, chopped

Sauté the chopped onion, chiles and cumin in the butter and oil in a 4-5 quart pan until the onion is limp (about 8 minutes). Add 2 cups of the chicken broth. On low heat, simmer the broth, covered, as you prepare the cauliflower.

Wash the cauliflower and chop into 2-inch chunks, then add to the broth along with the celery. Bring to a boil, then cover, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender.

Puree half of the soup in a blender or food processor, return to the pan and add the milk. Add the remaining chicken broth until the soup is the consistency you like. Stir over low to medium heat until hot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with red onion, jalapeno and cilantro sprinkled on top. Serves 6.

Slow Cookin’ Sweet and Spicy Chickpea and Cauli-Florets (Yield: 6 servings)

• 1 tablespoon olive or other cooking oil
• 1 cup chopped leek

• 1 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices carrot
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
• 3 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 1 cup cubed peeled potato
• 1 cup coarsely chopped poblano pepper (or green bell)
• 1 cup cauliflower cut or broken up into florets
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (14 ounces) vegetable broth
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach or collard greens
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 6 lemon wedges

Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add leek and carrot, cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Add curry powder, brown sugar, ginger, cloves and chile. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Put onion mixture in a 5-quart slow cooker. Stir in chickpeas, potato, sweet peppers, the cauliflower, salt, pepper, ground red pepper, tomatoes and broth. Cover and cook on high 6 hours or until vegetables are tender. Add spinach and coconut milk. Stir until spinach wilts. Serve with lemon wedges. Makes 6 servings.

Cauliflower with Double Cheese Sauce

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
• 3/4 cup Old English cheddar, grated
• 1 serrano pepper, minced
• 2 tablespoons parsley, minced
• 1 scallion, minced

Melt butter in a medium saucepan.  Add the scallion and sauté 1 minute. Whisk in the flour and the mustard seeds.

Cook 1 minute.

Whisk in the milk gradually.  Add the Worcestershire sauce.  Stir in cheese until it is melted.

 Steam the cauliflower until done.

 Add the chili and stir until slightly thick. Stir in the parsley.  Season to taste.

Serve the sauce over the cauliflower.

Roasted Curried Cauliflower  (Yield: About 6 servings)

• 1 medium size head of cauliflower, washed and cut into florets
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• Generous dose (or to taste) New Mexico ground red chile
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

Mix the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, ginger, salt, curry and chile powder in a bowl.  Toss the cauliflower in the vinaigrette.  Pour the dressed cauliflower into a baking dish in a single layer.  Roast in a 450 degree F. oven for about 30 minutes, stirring periodically.  Remove from oven, toss with cilantro just before serving.  Can be served warm or cold, straight from the fridge.

Sunny Conley is an award-winning author, writer, editor and desktop publisher, specializing in Southwest cuisine, culture and business. Since 1994, Sunny’s columns and features have appeared in national and regional magazines and newspapers, and on the Internet. For more information, visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnyconley or write sunnyc@evliving.com.

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