Cookoff 2.0 #22 - Cauliflower

[ajkdvm]

Cookoff 2.0 #1 - Heat Infusion - Parrothead
Cookoff 2.0 #2 - Tomatoes - Unknown Foodie
Cookoff 2.0 #3 - Butternut Squash - Jackiecat
Cookoff 2.0 #4 - Fennel - Nolafoodie
Cookoff 2.0 #5 - Grains of Paradise - PattyE
Cookoff 2.0 #6 - Eggplant - Geimerst
Cookoff 2.0 #7 - Soup - Pixie
Cookoff 2.0 #8 - Ribs - Dan
Cookoff 2.0 #9 - Citrus fruit - Moonablaze
Cookoff 2.0 #10 - Clams - Thierry
Cookoff 2.0 #11 - Ground Beef - Parrothead
Cookoff 2.0 #12 - Olives - Grovite
Cookoff 2.0 #13 - Slaw - Nolafoodie
Cookoff 2.0 #14 - Peppercorns - Grovite
Cookoff 2.0 #15 - Yogurt - Eye4got
Cookoff 2.0 #16 - Summer Squash - Nolafoodie
Cookoff 2.0 #17 - Collards - ajkdvm
Cookoff 2.0 #18 - Lemongrass - Fleur
Cookoff 2.0 #19 - Summer herbs: basil/parsley/oregano/etc. - ajkdvm
Cookoff 2.0 #20 - Tapas and party bites
Cookoff 2.0 #21 - Fall Squash - ajkdvm

'Tis the season... for cauliflower! Roasted, raw, mashed, braised - give me your best shot.

[eye4got]

Cauliflower Cheese Fritters With Bacon

8 ounces Russet potato, peeled and diced
8 ounces cauliflower florets
2 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 ounces grated Red Leicester cheese
1 spring onion, finely chopped
salt and black pepper to taste
1 large egg, separated, plus one egg white
oil for frying
To serve:
crispy cooked bacon, chopped

Place the potatoes in a pan of salted water to cover. Bring to the boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well and mash until smooth. Set aside.

Place the cauliflower in a pan of salted water to cover. Bring to the boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

Beat the egg yolk into the mashed potato, along with the cheeses and spring onion. Season with some salt and pepper, remembering that Parmesan is quite salty. Whisk the egg whites until soft folds form. Fold them into the mashed potato along with the cauliflower.

Form the fritter mixture into losenges. Heat some oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Once hot, drop the fritter mixture into the hot oil and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until nicely browned on both sides, turning once halfway through the cooking time. Serve at once, sprinkled with some crispy bacon bits.

Though not traditional, the fritters are especially nice with:

Roasted Garlic Aioli

1 large head garlic
2 Tbsp EVOO
2 egg yolks
1 clove garlic, mashed to a paste
Juice of 1 small lemon
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground cayenne pepper
1-1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

To roast the garlic, preheat the oven to 300°F. Cut a thin slice off the very top of the head of garlic to expose the tops of all the cloves. Set the garlic head in a shallow baking dish. Pour the oil slowly over and into the head. Season with the salt and pepper. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 1-3/4 hours, until the garlic is very soft and tender. Don't rush it; older garlic may take longer. Drain and reserve the oil, and set the garlic aside.

When cool, squeeze the pulp out of the roasted garlic into a food processor or blender and add the egg yolks, garlic, lemon juice, water, salt, and cayenne pepper. Purée until smooth. With the motor running, add the reserved roasting oil and the additional 1-1/2 cups oil in a slow, steady stream and continue processing until emulsified.

[ghenne]

I don’t have a written recipe, but my family has been eating breaded cauliflower for ages. Here’s how we do it.

Cut the cauliflower head into florets. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the florets until just fork tender. Do not overcook! Set aside to cool.

Once the florets have cooled down we dip them in egg and then seasoned breadcrumbs ( I add about a ½ cup of Parmesan cheese to my breadcrumbs). Once all the pieces are breaded, I put them in the fridge to set up a bit. After about a ½ hour or so, I heat about an inch of vegetable oil in pan and fry them, turning frequently, until they are golden brown on all sides.

They are so delicious; I could eat a whole head of cauliflower by myself. Sad but true.

[Rachel]

Curried Coliflower
steam coliflower till tender.
make a beshimel & add a T. of powdered curry.
stir in 2 cloves of chopped garlic.
pour over coliflower & serve.

[altonfaninmd]

Cauliflower Soup


medium head cauliflower, cut into florets and broken into smaller pieces
shredded carrot, between 1/2 and a full cup
sliced celery (optional)
2 1/2 c water
2 T. chicken bouillion granules

Place all these ingredients in large pot and boil, about 15-20 minutes. About 10 minutes into cooking, use potato masher to start breaking down the cauliflower into smaller pieces. While this is cooking....


3 T. butter
3 T. flour
2 c. milk
2 c. shred cheddar cheese ( keep more for topping at service)


Melt butter in medium saucepot. Sprinkle in flour and whisk together well, cook for about 1 minute on medium heat. Slowly pour in milk, and bring to just bubbling. Add in cheese by handfuls, melting slowly and whisking till cheese is no longer visible. Turn the heat down to medium low, and keep sauce hot until cauliflower mixture is cooked, then pour cheese sauce into cauliflower pot and stir in well. Add extra cheese if needed, cook on medium heat till bubbly, then back heat down to low. Pour into serving vessels, sprinkle cheese on top if desired, and cover so the cheese melts.


Servings? Well, it makes about 4 medium bowls in our house.

[tj]

I like the stuff pickled with that sorta yellow color, but have absolutely no idea how to get it there.

Well, apart from the general principle of boiling vinegar and sugar and some other things and dumping on the cauliflower.

[okbye]

Cauliflower Soup


medium head cauliflower, cut into florets and broken into smaller pieces
shredded carrot, between 1/2 and a full cup
sliced celery (optional)
2 1/2 c water
2 T. chicken bouillion granules

Place all these ingredients in large pot and boil, about 15-20 minutes. About 10 minutes into cooking, use potato masher to start breaking down the cauliflower into smaller pieces. While this is cooking....

Sprouts had cauliflower on sale so I picked up 2 small heads and I think this is what I want to do with them. Do you drain it after stage 1? And I'm thinking some crispy bacon on top would be the bomb.

[altonfaninmd]

Nope, you don't drain it, you need the chicken flavor and the water in with it to make the body of the soup. It melds beautifully with the cheese sauce. I thought it was weird unti l ate it, now it's my husband's favorite soup. He's a type 2 diabetic, so he can't have most pasta based soups. The cauliflower takes the place of the pasta without the carbs.

Add whatever you like at serving. I usually put a few drops of hot sauce on top before I place the cheese on, then put a plate or cover of some kind over it and let the heat of the soup melt the cheese. He LOVES this recipe, and asks for it quite often. Enjoy!!!

[Lovestolaugh]

In my opinion this is a delicious soup, my husband thinks so too.

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

1 med. onion finely chopped
2 celery ribs, strings removed with peeler and finely chopped
1/2 lb cauliflower cut into 1 inch florets {about 2 and 1/4 c.}
3 Tbls. unsalted butter
2 c. chicken stock/broth
1c. plus 2 Tbls. whole milk
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/3 c. crumbled white cheddar or Stilton cheese crumbled {2oz.} {I Just use extra sharp white cheddar}
1/2 c. light cream
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/8 tsp. salt

Garnish: croutons and crumbled cheese if desired

Cook onion,celery, cauliflower in butter in a 3-4 qt. heavy sauce pan over med. heat, stirring occasionally till onion and celery are softened, 8-10 min. Add broth and 1c. milk and simmer covered till cauliflower is very tender, about 25 min. Puree the mixture in the pot with and immersion blender {stick type} or blend in blender in 2 batches. Return mixture to the pot and bring to a simmer. Whisk together cornstarch and remaining 2 Tbls. milk in a small bowl till dissolved. Add to soup and simmer whisk till soup is slightly thickened 1-2 minutes. Add Cheese, cream, salt and pepper and cook over low heat whisking till cheese is melted and soup is smooth, about 1 min.

[Norm357]

Cut cauliflower florets from the head and dip in ranch dressing. omnomnomnom

[ajkdvm]

Norm gets the award for simplicity, but I gotta give this one to altonfaninmd's soup (I used chicken stock rather than the water with bouillon cubes) - yum! Eye's fritters and Lisa's breaded cauliflower were tied for a very close second. Take it away, altonfaninmd!

[altonfaninmd]

Norm gets the award for simplicity, but I gotta give this one to altonfaninmd's soup (I used chicken stock rather than the water with bouillon cubes) - yum! Eye's fritters and Lisa's breaded cauliflower were tied for a very close second. Take it away, altonfaninmd!

Wow, thanks! My husband loves this soup, and so do I, but it's easy to make this too salty when you are using bouillion if you aren't careful. I think the melting of the extra cheese on top just gives it that comforting feeling. For those who like spice, I recommend using hot sauce (just a few drops) as an accent before the melting cheese.

[Slamdunkpro]

Wow, thanks! .....

BTW You pick the next cook-off ingredient.

[Unknown Foodie]

Hot Cauliflower Pickles.....

Make a brine with 1 qt. water, 1/4 cup of salt and 1/3 cup of white vinegar. Stir until salt disolved. (If you want it yellow, add a teaspoon of tumeric.)
Cut cauliflower into florets, place in a large sterile jar with a couple of sliced jalepeno peppers and pour on the brine.
Lid & put it in the fridge for a couple of weeks. The longer it sits, the softer & hotter the cauliflower will get.


I also like to dip the raw florets into Blue Cheese dressing & consume.

[altonfaninmd]

Wow, thanks! .....

BTW You pick the next cook-off ingredient.

YIKES! How long do I have to choose one?

[lunanoir]

Wow, thanks! .....

BTW You pick the next cook-off ingredient.

YIKES! How long do I have to choose one?

Just don't get busy in the middle of it and not have time to pick a winner, or they'll take your name off the list of cookoffs and chase after you with torches and pitchforks...

[Pixietoes]

Just don't get busy in the middle of it and not have time to pick a winner, or they'll take your name off the list of cookoffs and chase after you with torches and pitchforks...

Um, no. That's not what happened. Nice to see you make an appearance though Lunanoir.

Altonfaninmd, you can take a day or two to think about it, when you post your topic drop me a PM and I'll sticky it for you. Then you have two weeks to watch entries and try out recipes before posting a winner's name. At least that's how we'd prefer it worked.

[altonfaninmd]

Does it have to be a specific food, or can it be something like "Christmas Cookies"??? Just wondering....

[eye4got]

Does it have to be a specific food, or can it be something like "Christmas Cookies"??? Just wondering....

There's no reason why you couldn't select "Christmas Cookies" for your cookoff. In fact, that seems like a timely and fun choice. Eye say go for it.

[geimerst]

Does it have to be a specific food, or can it be something like "Christmas Cookies"??? Just wondering....

There's no reason why you couldn't select "Christmas Cookies" for your cookoff. In fact, that seems like a timely and fun choice. Eye say go for it.

I, like Eye, vote Aye.

Damb sophmoronic humor...

Seriously, we opened with
Cookoff 2.0 #1 - Heat Infusion and had
Cookoff 2.0 #7 - Soup followed later with
Cookoff 2.0 #20 - Tapas and party bites

So,why not...

[eye4got]

Does it have to be a specific food, or can it be something like "Christmas Cookies"??? Just wondering....

...but you do actually need to formally declare your chosen food/ingredient so that folks can begin posting their entries.

[okbye]

Make a new thread titled

Cookoff 2.0 #23 - (your topic)

Then copy and paste the list of previous topics from the first post of this thread to it. Then someone will sticky it for you. Christmas cookies is a fine choice, go for it.



I made the soup the other day with a little more carrot and a zucchini tossed into the food processor for good measure. It's a really great color. You can't really see the green flecks in the picture, it could have used another zucchini.

[altonfaninmd]

As far as veggies are concerned, I think that soup is what Alton would consider "refrigerator velcro". I could see many different types of veggies in there. Myself, I hate squashes and zucchini's, so I stick with the cauliflower and carrot blend. My MIL suggested onions, and I said NO WAY! I'm one of those rare onion and pepper haters you'd think only exist in fairy tales.

I posted the next challenge, I hope I did it right.