cauliflower Archives - domenica dreams of calamari

June 16, 2016June 18, 2016

Herby Summer Gratin with Squash and Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower
1 medium sized summer squash
generous sprinkle turmeric
1 cup chicken broth
1 egg
2 tbsp mustard
1 clove garlic
1 pack dill (15ish sprigs)
juice of 1/2 of a lemon and zest of a full lemon
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
10 leaves sage
2 tbsp asiago
pinch nutmeg
5 pats butter
pepper
2 shallots

parboil cauliflower for 10 minutes (so that it’s still firm but easily stab-able with a knife), then let cool
cut cauliflower and squash into 1/2 inch pieces and put them in a big pot
mince garlic and add to the pot
add chicken broth, mustard, turmeric, nutmeg, 1/2 the dill (destemmed and minced), lemon zest and lemon juice
add pepper to taste then mix in an egg
pre-heat oven to 350º F
in a small bowl combine bread crumbs, the other half of the dill (destemmed and minced), sage and asiago (grated or cut in really small pieces)
melt 3 pats (fat slices) butter and incorporate into the bread crumb mixture
in a large, shallow baking dish spread cauliflower-squash mixture evenly and bake for 45 minutes
meanwhile melt the other 2 pats butter (and a splash olive oil) over medium low heat and slice shallots
put them in the melted butter and let them cook slowly
remove from oven and spread bread crumb mixture over the top and continue broil for 2 more minutes
serve with extra mustard!

January 22, 2015January 22, 2015

Baked Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Mac n Cheese

Two of my favorite things are food and friends. I aim to enjoy both as much as possible. I love cooking with friends too and last night I had the pleasure of making some tasty, unconventional mac n cheese with my friend, for my friends to eat on our cute patio with some beers and good conversation. What more do you need? ‘Twas a delicious night.

*guest chef spencer moore, recipe interpreted by domenica berman

**serves many people

2 sweet potatoes
500 grams/17.6 oz pasta
1/4 cauliflower
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 pats butter
3 cups mixed cheeses (we recommend raw cheddar, sharp cheddar and gouda)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
olive oil
salt/pepper

poke sweet potatoes with a fork a few times, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in tin foil and bake at 350°F for about an hour, until soft and mushy, remove and let cool
in a food processor, blend them with a little olive oil and either water, milk or chicken broth to thin
blend cheeses in the food processor (might want to clean it first) until it’s a curdy texture, cottage cheese-like
move your sweet potato sauce into a medium sized skillet and gradually add in cheese as you go
season with salt and pepper to taste
cook pasta but slightly under cook it (like 3 minutes under the suggested time because you’re going to bake it after)
mince garlic and heat butter in a medium sized sauce pan, then add garlic to the butter
cut cauliflower into bite sized pieces and throw em in the sauce pan, cover and cook over medium high heat until tender
pre-heat oven to 350°F
mix the sweet potato sauce into the pasta, add the cauliflower when cooked through
spread the pasta concoction into a large rectangular baking pan and sprinkle bread crumbs over, bake for 20 minutes or until starting to brown
remove and sprinkle parm over, put under broil for 10 minutes or until golden and crispy

November 9, 2014January 22, 2015

Cauliflower Curry

So today while I probably should’ve been studying for the midterm I just realized is coming up next week, I decided to spend some time making curry. It’s not as time consuming, difficult or ingredient intensive as most people assume but it is definitely something that takes a little time and planning. Curry is great with different veggies, especially cruciferous ones like broccoli and cauliflower.

1 head cauliflower
yellow curry powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
pickled jalapenos
10 green beans
1 red onion
3 cloves garlic
coconut oil
2 roma tomatoes

over medium high heat, melt 2 tbsp coconut oil in a pot, dice onion and add along with 2 tbsp of the curry powder, once coconut oil is melted
cut cauliflower into bite sized pieces and add to the pot with the chicken broth, reserve 2 cups of the cauliflower bits
add coconut milk slowly, stirring as you go
add another tbsp curry powder and 1 tsp cinnamon then cover and let cook for 10 minutes
cut tips off of green beans and cut in 2 inch pieces, add to the pot
cut tomatoes in bite sized pieces and add to the pot along with the pickled jalapenos (slice if need be)
in a saute pan, heat 1 tbsp coconut oil on medium low heat and mince garlic
once coconut oil is melted, add garlic
after 2 minutes add the reserved 2 cups of cauliflower
take a couple spoonfuls of the curry coconut milk sauce and spoon it over the cauliflower along with 1 tsp cinnamon.

October 14, 2014October 14, 2014

Tahini Cauliflower w/ Caramelized Shallots

1/2 head of cauliflower
1/4 medium-sized eggplant (diced)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp apricot jalapeno jam (optional)
1/2 shallot
black pepper
2 tbsp capers
1 tbsp dijon mustard
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 pat butter

caramelize shallot in the 2 tbsp olive oil and butter, remove from pan
add remaining tbsp olive oil to pan at medium heat
cut florets off cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and add to pan, drizzle vinegar and jam over top (optional, could replace w/ honey)
after 5 minutes add eggplant and continue to cook at medium-low heat, making sure the eggplant doesn’t turn to mush but it cooked through (opaque-looking) grind pepper over top
take off heat and mix in a bowl w/ shallot, mustard and capers