 | | | Cauliflower three ways: as steaks, rice or roasted florets. Photos Susie Iventosch | | | | | | It was brought to my attention last week that cauliflower steaks are delicious, and they make a great platform for all sorts of different toppings. So, I thought out loud, how in the heck do you make a cauliflower steak? The answer is: You can, but only sort of. The idea is great, and in theory it works well, but it totally depends upon keeping the stem in the cauliflower, and then making your slices very carefully. You only want to remove the leaves and the very bottom of the stem, otherwise, your cauliflower will fall apart into so many florets and you'll be left with mini-steaks!
But the dish is really delicious, and while you can add all sorts of toppings from your favorite cheese to tomatoes, olives and even pesto, I really love them done simply, brushed with a little olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper and a light sprinkling of grated Parmesan. It's also quite nice to use the purple and yellow cauliflower to add a splash of color to the plate.
Cauliflower rice is another dish I learned about, but it doesn't have a speck of real rice in it at all. Instead, you process the cauliflower in the food processor until it resembles rice, or rather, bulgur. Then you sautĒ it along with onions and whatever herbs and spices you like and serve it in place of rice. This is great for folks who are on low carbohydrate diets. This vegetable is said to help with cardiovascular and digestive health and contains anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. And, it's rich in nutrients.
For more information about cauliflower, visit:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=13
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA