Broccoli is a wonderful vegetable vibrant
green, like the good looking favored brother, while Cauliflower, white puffy
and plain, is like the misunderstood, unappreciated older sis. Broccoli has
become more popular to average American families in say the last 20 to 30
years. But cauliflower still is used mostly by folks who have eaten it, known
how to cook with it, most of their lives. And you still here… “I don’t like
cauliflower,” like you used to here… “I don’t like broccoli.” Let me just say
if you think broccoli or cauliflower are those mushy smelly tasteless boiled
things you got in the school cafeteria when you were young, those are just some
green or white mistake. Both vegetables should in most cases, be steamed not
boiled. The heads are too dense and absorb water from boiling, holding it like
a sponge. The heads get mushy and any flavor is watered down.
As I said broccoli, especially steamed
broccoli with cheese sauce, which was nothing new, or raw broccoli with ranch
dressing, which was, became all the fad when my children were young. And my
kids loved it. So much so that when my daughter was very young, her food of
choice when we’d go out to eat was “Little Trees.”
Broccoli and Cauliflower both lend extremely well to the use of cheese
and cheese sauces with them. To steam either fresh, you can use a steamer or just
cut wash and place in a microwave dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add
some water, about ½ inch to the bottom of the pan an microwave on high for at
least 4 minutes. Microwaves vary in power so you will have to see what works
for you.
Test for tenderness, they are best if just slightly has a tad of
crispness in them but basically easy to bite into.Continue in microwave a few minutes at a time stirring, tossing the
pieces. Cauliflower of course wont really change in appearance, but broccoli
should get a more vibrant bright green color. If the green color begins to fade
to an olive drabness then it is getting over cooked. If you are using a steamer when placing
your veggie pieces into the steamer basket, place with flower / bud ends up and
stalk / stems down. Sprinkle with at
least salt before steaming. If you don’t have a steamer, or maybe a microwave,
you can arrange the veggies in the same way in the bottom of a large sauce pan
with a well fitting lid. Add about ½ inch of water to the bottom, salt, or salt
and pepper well and steam with the lid on. Some people even leave the head or
crown of these veggies whole and steam the entire thing as one piece.. I find a more even cooking if
I cut it up first, but that also has to do with what you are using it for.
Broccoli is great raw …added to salads, dipped in dressing, or even
sliced as a crunchy green on sandwiches. Sometime try this… a grilled Swiss
cheese and ham sandwich, but with thin avocado and broccoli slices.
Get
a nice bread, like maybe rye. Thin slice your veggies, and sprinkle both with
salt and pepper. Layer in this order, having buttered the insides of the bread:
Swiss, avocado, ham, broccoli, and Swiss cheese again. Then top bread. Butter the outsides of the
sandwich Grill the sandwich on a low medium heat giving it time to warm through
and melt the cheese, as it toasts more evenly and slowly.
Broccoli of course, is probably one of the most used vegetables in
casseroles, such as Broccoli Divan, Broccoli and rice casserole…with chicken
added. For me Broccoli compliments the taste of oysters well. And they are both
seasonal for winter. I add steamed or even canned oysters to my divan recipe
sometimes. And broccoli cheese and rice casserole is fun along side fried
oysters, with some sourdough bread.
Cauliflower, I steadily stand in defense
of. I certainly wouldn’t force anyone to eat it but I dare them to try some
well cooked cauliflower in inventive recipes and then decide if they like it.
It also goes so well with cheeses. Try steaming small chopped cauliflower,
letting it cool, and adding it to sliced mushrooms, sliced red onions and toss
in a sweet vinaigrette, and set all in the fridge for a day or two, to
marinate. Add slightly cooked carrots too. This is a great “eat cold” lunch for
work.
Of course cauliflower is very fine in casseroles, like cauliflower Au-gratin. If you are trying to go low on the carbohydrates, say to drop a few
pounds, add cauliflower to your diet. It can be pleasing when starches like
rice pasta and potatoes are a no no, cause it has a sort of starchy comfort
food taste and texture with out being high in carbs at all. Cauliflower salad,
made just like potato salad but with cauliflower is great and satisfying. But
I’m not going to lie to you here. When folks say... “you cant tell the
difference!!” seriously, whoever says that
about most anything has just gotten a little over zealous. Certainly you
can tell the difference, but it is satisfying. You can use it like rice, and it
can be satisfying. Grate it or chop into rice sized bits, steam it till just
tender. It works for those things you want to put over rice. I make just like
fried rice with it. Cook some eggs in oil (a blend of olive oil and a bit of
sesame oil is what I use in my wok). beat and seasoning the eggs then drizzling
them into long strands. When they are cooked add onions, and or green onions,
add peas and maybe carrots or corn, any veggie you usually eat in fried rice.
Some seasoning like maybe five-spice. Then toss in your cauliflower, and as you
are frying it all in quickly, just to warm all through, drizzle a bit with soy sauce. Make it just like you would make fried rice... to eat with Asian food, and yes you can tell the
difference… but it’s as satisfying!
Colored cauliflower can be fun and make an attractive dish, raw or
cooked. If you are steaming them and using more than one color together, steam
them in separate batches of color, the gently toss the cooked colored pieces
together to serve. And also a note, the purple and lavender varieties, sort of
like broccoli will loose the prettiness of their color as soon as they are
getting over done so watch them closely when cooking… don’t boil the purple ones!... In fact to boil almost any purple
veggie is to get a dirty dull bluish grey colored mess.
Alas, Romanesco, the beautiful, Christmas tree,
amazing fractal looking, cauliflower, I have yet to cook with. When I can find
and afford it, I’ll be very sure to write about it and photograph it.
And so I conclude my praise of these winter veggies from the Cole-crop
group. There are other veggies of course seasonal to this time of year. Another
group to look at another time are Root-crops, potatoes, turnips, carrots,
beets, rutabagas, and parsnips. So till later cher, with I hope a few recipes.
Blessings mes amis.
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