Cauliflower in a Herbs and Mustard Sauce

When I am in Poland I like my cauliflower to be cooked and served in a traditional Polish way, sprinkled with fried breadcrumbs and accompanied by a tomato and onion salad. But this dish tastes best in Poland where cauliflower and tomatoes taste different than here. So whenever I make a cauliflower here, I am always looking for a recipe that is not similar to that Polish dish.

Since this is a high season for a locally grown cauliflower I have been buying it more often at my local farmers market. Besides the traditional white ones, now they also come in yellow and purple varieties, which look even more appealing. Just recently, I tried two new cauliflower dishes from different cuisines. Today the first of them, coming from France.

This one is a simple dish with the cauliflower being cooked or roasted and finished with a traditional French sauce Gribiche. Gribiche is used with many cooked vegetable, mainly asparagus, green beans, and potatoes. Since it is slightly spicy thanks to mustard and cornichons it also tastes great on a cauliflower, which is rather bland. The dish can be made ahead and if you wish to serve it warm just roast it shortly in the oven and serve it immediately after cooking or serve as a cold appetiser or a salad.



Cauliflower with a Herbs and Mustard Sauce
(Serves four)

Ingredients:
1 medium cauliflower (cooked until soft but firm, in water with a tbsp of salt and a tbsp of sugar),
2 hard boiled eggs,
1 tsp Dijon mustard,
1 garlic clove, minced,
1 tbsp lemon juice,
1/4 cup light oil such a grape seeds,
1 tbsp capers,
4 small cornichons, cut in thick slices,
1 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves, chopped,
1 tbsp flat leaved parsley, chopped,
2 tbsp chives, chopped,
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Place the cooked cauliflower in a large bowl,
2. In a bowl of food processor place eggs, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, and oil and run the engine until a smooth sauce forms.
3. Add capers, cornichons, parsley, and tarragon (leave the chives aside) and purée the sauce again.



4. Try the sauce and season it with salt and pepper according to taste. Drizzle the sauce over the hot or room temperature cauliflower.
5. Sprinkle the cauliflower with chopped chives and serve.

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.