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Lifestyle

In the Kitchen with Terry Paulding

Terry Paulding
Contributor
November 2007

Good chefs combine sound knowledge of classical techniques and flavors with inspiration from the ingredients available to them, to create new recipes or twists on old ones. Often, an idea percolates over time, and a recipe evolves and changes incrementally every time it’s made. Using fresh summer tomatoes vs. canned in winter, for instance, can change the flavor profile of a dish dramatically, as can increasing or decreasing the proportions between ingredients. Simply switching one herb for another because you have an abundance in the garden, can make a huge difference in the flavor profile of a dish. Different cooking techniques can dramatically change a dish as well—which brings me to the subject of this column, the humble cauliflower. We’ve all eaten it steamed, or boiled, with varying degrees of interest. It’s often served raw as part of a crudité platter, can be pureed as a low carb alternative to mashed potatoes or made into a wonderful creamy soup, but rarely do people think to roast it. Yet cauliflower takes on a particularly nice texture and flavor when roasted, making it a seemingly new vegetable. It’s also very easy to make, and can go in the oven with anything else you’re cooking, at whatever temperature you’ve set the oven; all that changes is the timing

Good quality extra-virgin olive oil, additive-free salt and freshly ground pepper are all you really need to bring out the great quality of this vegetable when you roast it. I sometimes add some garlic to the mix and find that finishing it with a bit of finely diced preserved lemon is very harmonious —and having 2 Meyer lemon trees, I make preserved lemon routinely. It’s easy to make, (see below) although you can buy lemon rind at any Middle Eastern grocery as well-- but if you do try it, make sure to get good organic lemons, since the part you end up eating is the skin.

Cauliflowers are in the market all year round, but this time of year they are stellar, showing up at every farmers market, as tight, young heads. Look for milky white, firm heads without black blemishes, and if they have their greens, those should look fresh as well. At times you’ll find golden or purple or even green caulis in the store, as well as romanesco, a beautiful spiraled and decorative pale green head. They all have similar flavor profiles, but do remember that purple cauliflower is best left to the crudité platter, unless you like muted green colored food—all the purple veggies, including green beans of that color, cook up to a dull green.