Cauliflower Adobo

Ali Slagle

• Yield 4 servings
• Time 45 minutes

David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Chicken adobo, the national dish of the Philippines, is made by braising chicken in a salty, sour and sweet mixture of mostly soy sauce and vinegar. In this vegetarian version, cauliflower, rather than chicken, is caramelized on one side, then simmered in the pungent but not prickly sauce until toothsome yet tender. The simmer mellows the vinegar and soy sauce into a sauce interlaced with pepper, garlic and something herbal but not immediately traceable — that’s the bay leaves. Serve the cauliflower and sauce over rice or another grain with something green on the side.

Ingredients

• 1 large cauliflower (2 1/2 to 3 pounds)
• Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper, plus more as needed
• 3 tablespoons canola oil, plus more as needed
• ½ cup rice-wine vinegar
• 5 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons raw or light brown sugar
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 Thai chile, halved lengthwise, or 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced, for serving

Preparation

1. Trim leaves and woody stalk from the cauliflower, then cut through the root into 8 wedges. Season both sides of each wedge with salt and pepper. Reserve any loose cauliflower pieces.
2. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Place one layer of the wedges in the skillet cut-side down and cook without moving them until well browned on one side, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and continue until all the cauliflower is seared, adding more oil as needed. Return all the cauliflower to the pan with uncooked side facing down.
3. Add 1/4 cup water, any loose cauliflower pieces, 2 teaspoons black pepper, rice-wine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, bay leaves and Thai chile. Cover and let simmer over medium heat until the cauliflower is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Uncover, turn the heat to medium-high, and cook, basting the cauliflower occasionally with the sauce, until the cauliflower is tender and the sauce has thickened and reduced to about 3/4 cup, 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Serve the cauliflower with plenty of sauce and a sprinkle of scallions.

Tip

• If you plan to eat rice with the adobo, bring 1 3/4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan before you start the recipe. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt and 1 cup long-grain rice, cover, and let simmer on the lowest heat possible for 18 minutes. Proceed with the adobo. Let the rice sit, covered and off the heat, until the adobo is ready. Fluff rice with a fork before serving.

Cooking Notes

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

From Replenish PDX.

This weekend I received an advance copy of Tess Master's inspiring new cookbook, due for release in early April, "The Blender Girl: 100 Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes". (No need to wait, you can preorder now.) Now hold on! Whether you're vegan or not, this new book is a gem. It includes a host of information on picking and caring for your blender, soaking and sprouting your nuts and seeds for optimal digestion, a dairy-free milk how-to cheat sheet, and smoothie recipes that have inspired me to reignite the blender girl in myself. While I have to confess that I de-veganized Tess' Cauliflower Soup by using a bone broth, you can take this soup any way you want it to go. It's versatile, easy and oh so yummy. serves 6 as a starter, 4 as a main

ingredients:  2 tablespoons olive oil  2 teaspoons chopped garlic (about 2 cloves), plus more to taste  2 cups chopped leeks (white parts only, from 2 to 3 leeks)  sea salt  1 head cauliflower, chopped  7 cups broth (of your choice, my change to recipe)  1/4 cup raw unsalted cashews or almonds, soaked  3 tablespoons chopped chives or grating of nutmeg (optional: choose one, not both), to garnish preparation:  1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and saute the garlic, leeks, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add the cauliflower and saute for another minute. Add the (vegetable) broth, increase the heat to high, and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the cauliflower is completely tender. Stir the mix periodically and mash the cauliflower with a wooden spoon.  2. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the soup to cool (slightly); stir in the nuts. Pour the soup into your blender in batches and puree on high for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy. (Remember to remove the plastic cap in the blender top and cover the opening with a kitchen towel so steam can escape while you blend,) Return the soup to a saucepan and warm it over low heat. Stir in salt to taste.  3. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with either chopped chives or grated nutmeg.

Caulitflower fennel gratin

yield: 6

 

prep time: 15 MIN

 

cook time: 50 MIN

 

total time: 1 HRS AND 5 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (the original recipe stated 2 teaspoon but I used tablespoons and quite liked it..:))
• 1 small fennel bulk (thinly sliced)
• 1 head cauliflower (cut into florets)
• 1/2 cup cooking cream light
• 1 cup cheddar (grated)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 2/3 cups fresh breadcrumbs (I used sourdough bread to make these)
• 2 tablespoons parsley (chopped)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 200 C. Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium low heat; add garlic and fennel. Saute until tender, about 3-4 minutes.

In a pot of boiliing water, blanch the cauliflower until tender. Add to fennel and garlic mixture. Cook an additional 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat; add cream and 1/2 cup of cheese and toss together. Season with thyme and salt and pepper where needed.

Pour into a lightly sprayed baking dish. Stir breadcrumbs and parsley together and sprinkle over cauliflower mixture. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and brown

Cauliflower and Fennel Cazuela

You blanche a cauliflower cut into florets for 7 min., plunge in icewater and drain, then blanche a fennel bulb, trimmed of its fronds and cut in half, in the same pot of water, icewater, drain. Then you rub the fennel bulb halves with olive oil, salt and pepper and put under the broiler (or grill, weather permitting) for 5 to 7 min., then cut into 1/8 to 1/4-in. strips. Heat 1/4 c. olive oil in a large skillet and saute a thinly sliced onion for 10 min., add 4 cloves chopped garlic and cook slowly another 8 to 10 min. Add the blanched vegetables, salt and pepper, and cook slowly 15 to 20 min. Then add 1-1/2 c. heavy cream (!), 3/4 c. panko bread crumbs, 2 tsp. lemon juice, 3/4 c. grated Manchego cheese (!), 2 tsp. chopped parsley, 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme, check seasoning, then set aside.

Then you make a bread crumb topping warming 1/2 c. olive oil in a saute pan, then add 10 cloves of sliced garlic (my cloves were so big I used 5), and cook 5 to 7 min. until garlic is "honey-colored." Then add 3 c. panko crumbs, salt and pepper, and cook for 7 to 10 min., taking care not to scorch the bread crumbs. Add 3/4 c. grated parmesan, 2 Tbl. chopped parsley, and 2 tsp. chopped thyme. Spread topping over vegetable mixture in a casserole (or individual cazuelas) and put in 400-degree oven for 15 to 20 min. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle chopped chives over top and serve.

Now this was really scrumptious, but what you taste is the cream and cheese and oil. The fennel and cauliflower I sampled during cooking were quite good, and presumably those flavors are somewhere in there. 

Cauliflower with Smoked Paparika ( Coliflor con Pimentón)

• From Serious Eats.
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 small head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
• 1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika (Pimentón de la Vera)
• 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
• kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Heat olive oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sliced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is light golden brown. Using slotted spoon or skimmer, remove garlic to small bowl and set aside. Add cauliflower to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until fully tender and caramelized in spots. Remove from heat, add 1/2 teaspoon paprika, reserved garlic, and sherry vinegar (oil may spatter when adding vinegar—be careful). Stir to combine, season to taste with salt and pepper, transfer to wide serving dish, and sprinkle with remaining paprika. Serve with toasted or grilled rustic bread.

Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower with Lemon and Garlic

I had a bag of frozen mixed broccoli and cauliflower which I used to make this recipe. I steamed the vegetables for a few minutes before roasting it and since I didn't have lemons, I used frozen lemon zest. I also added some cheese before serving the dish.

Broccoli, cauliflower, and lemons are all rich in vitamin C, and garlic adds antioxidants.

• 1 head broccoli (about 1 pound), broken into 1-inch florets, stalks peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 large head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), broken into florets
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 lemons, thinly sliced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 
  

Preheat oven to 475 degrees (or lower?). On two rimmed baking sheets, toss broccoli and cauliflower with oil, garlic, and lemons; season with salt and pepper. Roast until vegetables are browned and tender, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheets from top to bottom and tossing vegetables once halfway through.

Miso Ginger Asparagus

Try this with steamed or roasted broccoli, cauliflower or grilled eggplant slices.

1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed
1 teaspoon cooking oil (olive, canola or vegetable)
2 teaspoons Miso &; Easy (or 1 teaspoon miso paste + 1 teaspoon hot water)
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1. Preheat oven to 375f.  Place asparagus on baking sheet and drizzle with cooking oil. Toss to coat. Roast asparagus for 8-10 minutes or until pierces easily with fork. Timing depends on how thick the asparagus spears are.

2. While the asparagus is roasting, prepare the ginger miso sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients until smooth.

3. Pour over asparagus and serve.