Cauliflower Salad--Crispy and Spicy

When I saw these very white and fresh cauliflowers on the seasonal display last week in almost every food store in the area, a long forgotten salad came to my mind. Somehow, I have not made it for a long time. Attracted to many vegetables that I did not know in Poland I have tried something new all the time and sometimes these familiar and beloved vegetables became forgotten. These days I eat cauliflower mostly when I am in Poland. It is usually made in my favorite and most classic way--with butter and breadcrumbs, accompanied by a tomato and onion salad.

But cauliflower is a very versatile vegetable that can be served in many different dishes. This salad is one of them. I ate it for the first time years ago in Switzerland. One of the international organizations cafeteria was serving it for lunch. My mum liked it so much that we replicated it at home. Then, years ago, we made it pretty often. Here I do not remember making it ever although it could be a nice accompaniment to grilled meats, or served alone as a spring lunch salad.

As I did often in other case, I made some changes in the original recipe to make it lighter. The original salad was made with mayonnaise but since these days it is not "cool" to eat mayonnaise, I mixed it with yogurt, which tastes very nice with curry that is used to spice up the salad. But if you are not afraid of calories you can fallow the original recipe. It is also important not to overcook the cauliflower. It should be just blanched and still rather raw and crunchy.

Crispy Cauliflower Salad

Ingredients:
1 medium cauliflower,
1/3 cup Greek 2 percent yogurt,
1/4 cup mayonnaise,
1/2 tbsp medium hot curry powder,
1 tsp turmeric,
salt and pepper to taste,
1/3 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves (optional).

Preparation:
1. Separate small cauliflower florets from the the whole head. Cut off the stems as much as possible to leave only the pure small florets.

2. In a large pot boil water with 1 tbsp of salt. Put in the cauliflower florets and bring the water to boil. Soon after the water boils drain the cauliflower on the colander. Let it cool it completely.
3. Meanwhile, make a dressing. In a small bowl mix yogurt and mayonnaise until they combine (or you can use just the mayonnaise). Add spices and make a smooth sauce. If you like, chopcilantro and sprinkle it over the cauliflower. Let in marinate in a refrigerator for about half hour and serve.