I just realized that I took the pictures and I forgot to add the chick peas…too late!

I love this dish, I wouldn’t have thought I would have loved it so much but the cauliflower “semoule” goes so well with it. There is a little confusion when translating couscous from French into English.

For us, French people when we talk about couscous, it refers to the Middle Eastern dish (vegetables/meat stew + semoule) and not only the little wheat grains that in the US they call couscous. What people call couscous in the US, we call it “semoule” or semolina.

As usual, being a huge eater of vegetables, I thought to substitute the couscous (wheat semolina) with cauliflower. I was wondering if the flavor wouldn’t be too strong. The truth is, it was not, it was just perfect.

If you want to consume less starch, don not hesitate to use cauliflower in couscous, it works perfectly.

The vegetables need to be cut in larger pieces, over one inch, maybe 1.5 inches. I found the same harissa as we use in France in a Middle Eastern store. Harissa is a middle eastern hot chili sauce made out of roasted peppers, hot chili peppers, and many other herbs and spices. You can equally make it. If you cannot find harissa, you can use any chili based hot sauce to add at the end.

Ingredients for 3-4

For the vegetable stew

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 celery stem, diced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 turnip, diced
• 3 zucchini, sliced
• 1 small eggplant, diced
• 4 tomatoes, peeled, seeds removed and chopped
• 1 cup chick pea, cooked
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• 2 tsp ras el hanout
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 dose saffron
• harissa to taste
• salt and pepper
• cilantro for garnish

For the semoule

• 1 medium cauliflower
• 2 tbs pinenuts
• 2 tbs raisins
• 1 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

For the vegetable stew

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onions and cook until soft, then add garlic. Add tomato paste and stir well. Add all vegetables except chick peas, and add some water. Add all spices, mix well and cover with lid. Let cook at medium heat for about 20-30 min until vegetables are cooked but not mushy. When cooked, add chick peas, drizzle with olive oil, cilantro and serve hot.

For the cauliflower semoule

Using a food processor, grate cauliflower on the same blade you would grate carrots.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Pour cauliflower and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and drain. Keep warm. Add pine nuts, raisins. Adjust with salt and pepper.

Eat with vegetable stew and that’s what we call couscous!

I am not sure how to call this…it’s not a pizza, not a tart, not a galette, and not sure it fits into the flat bread category. So I decided to call it a Jeanette. Jeanette is a female’s old fashioned name, that I thought could as well fit in the food world (actually in mine it does) so here is a Jeanette. The crust is made out of whole wheat einkorn flour, topped with a garlic-herb paste, wild mushrooms, cauliflower. Originally, I had a in mind a vegan tarte flambée (flammekueche), one thing leading to another, then Jeannette was born.

Einkorn flour does not have the same texture than regular flour, therefore you will get a different type of dough. When mixed with yeast, einkorn flour will not rise as much as regular flour, and you will not get a airy and fluffy dough. It’s more dense  (which I like). So you your dough does not rise as much, don’t throw it away, it’s normal.

This became a favorite in the house and I make it once a week now!

Ingredients

For the crust

• 1 1/4 cup einkorn whole wheat flour
• salt
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 1/2 tsp dry yeast

for the herb paste

• 1 cup of mixed herbs (cilantro, oregano, chives, parsley, etc…)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 4 tbs + olive oil
• salt and pepper

For the topping

• 1 small cauliflower, broken into florets
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1.2 cups mixed wild mushrooms
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 onion, sliced very thinly
• chili flakes (to taste)

Preparation

For the dough

In a mixing container, add flour and salt and mix well. In a cup add water to yeast and let it sit for about 10 minutes until yeast starts to activate. Mix and pour into flour. Using your hands knead the dough until you obtain a smooth ball. Set aside, cover with a towel and let it rise for about one hour.

For the herb paste

Mix all ingredients in a mixer and set aside

For the topping

Bring a pot of salted water into a boil. Add cauliflower. Boil for about 3-4 minutes, then remove from heat and drain.

In a pan, heat olive oil, add mushrooms and let cook at medium heat until water evaporates (about 5 minutes). Adjust with salt and remove from heat.

On a flat surface spread dough thinly (about 3 mm) with rolling pin. If too sticky add flour. Lay dough on a pizza pan, as if you are making a pizza. Spread herb paste all over the dough. Add mushrooms, then cauliflower and finally the onions. Sprinkle some chili flakes and oregano, salt and pepper.

Pre heat oven at 400F and place the Jeannette on rack closer to the flame/heat. Cook for about 10-15 min, ensuring the bottom is not burning. It needs to be crunchy and golden brown.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with some olive oil. Serve hot

I wanted to take more different pictures of this pizza with a more close up on a cut slice but unfortunately, my battery went off, so all I had time to take was a whole pizza uncut.

Since everyone has been talking about this pizza from a friend in Island to another friend in Italy, I wanted to try it out for myself. The particularity of this pizza is that the crust is made out of ground cauliflower, cheese and eggs, no flour. The first time I made it, the crust was a bit soft and soaked, due to the fact that I did not squeeze enough liquid from the cauliflower, but with a delicious flavor, so I wanted to make it right with a decent textured crust. The secret is to squeeze all water from the cauliflower after it’s been microwaved.

I am used to Italian pizza, the way they’re served in Italy. Usually, they don’t put any garlic, or onions, the ingredients are simple and of good quality so I like to keep simple. Of course, you can put any toppings of your choice, the focus of this pizza is primary its crust, not the toppings.

For the tomato sauce, I like to use whole San Marzano tomatoes, that I crush in the mixer, make sure you don’t buy the kind with added basil or garlic, or onion. They tend to be acidic and with a strong unnatural flavor.

I was skeptical at first, then after tasting it, I was amazed at the crust texture, it was so delicious that you forget that there is no dough…no flour, no yeast, just cauliflower. Now it’s an all time favorite in this house!

Ingredients for a large pizza

For the crust

• One large cauliflower, finely grated
• 120 g hard mozzarella, finely grated
• 50 g parmigiano reggiano, finely grated
• 2 eggs
• salt

For the toppings

• 1 small can of plain and whole San Marzano tomatoes
• about 10 large crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 50 g Italian fontina cheese, thinly sliced
• 100 g mozzarella, sliced
• 1 box of cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
• dried oregano for sprinkling
• 4-5 large leaves of fresh basil, chopped or en chiffonade
• extra virgin olive oil for sprinkling

Instructions

For the toppings

Cook mushrooms in a little olive oil and salt, until water evaporates. Keep aside. Cook crushed tomatoes with a little salt in a pot until you obtain a thick sauce, with no water (about 10 minutes). Set those aside.

For the crust

Microwave ground cauliflower in a large container for about 8-10 minutes. Remove from microwave and let it cool. Place cauliflower in a cheese cloth or a large cotton towel and squeeze firmly until the water comes out. You need to remove the excess moisture from the cauliflower. In another container, mix cauliflower, cheeses, eggs and salt. Mix well until you obtain an homogeneous dough.

Pre heat oven at 420F. Cut parchment paper the size of your pizza pan. Spread the dough evenly on top of the parchment paper. The crust should be about 3-4 mm thick. Form a nice a smooth round circle with your dough.

Place in the oven for about 15 minutes until the dough gets lightly golden. Remove from the oven and start adding the toppings.

Spread tomato sauce first, then add mushrooms. The next layer is the cheese, place cheese slices evenly on top, add cherry tomatoes, and finish with oregano.

Cook in a pre heated oven at 420F until cheese has melted. Add basil and drizzle with some olive oil. Serve hot

This is a very easy and simple dish, fast to make, less than 30 minutes, and light. It’s one of those dishes I prepare when I have little time but still want to feel nourished. It would fit in the “fast food” category.

I like to cook my fish fillets “à l’unilatérale“, it’s a cooking method used to cook fish on the skin side only. This way the skin turns crispy and the fish remains moist.

You can cook cauliflower like you would for a potato purée in milk. I steamed mine which is another alternative. You could also use celery root purée, or if you are a potato fan, why not a mashed potatoes. Personally, I don’t like combining mashed potatoes and fish. In my opinion, it turns a potentially interesting dish into a boring one…probably because I am not a huge fan of potatoes in general.

As for carrots, this warm salad is simple and delicious. They’re just boiled in water then dressed with a fragrant citrussy dressing.

Ingredients for 2

For the salmon

• 2 salmon fillets
• 1 tbs olive oil
• fleur de sel and pepper

For the cauliflower purée

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 3 tbs heavy cream
• salt and pepper

For the carrot salad

• 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
• 4 tbs olive oil
• juice of one Meyer lemon
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp honey or agave nectar
• salt and pepper

Preparation

For the cauliflower purée

Steam cauliflower in a steamer. When cooked, mash with a potato masher, and add cream while mashing. Continue mashing to the desired consistency. Adjust with salt and pepper and keep warm.

For the carrot salad

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add carrots and cook for about 10 minutes until tender. Drain and keep warm.

In a bowl, mix all other ingredients and add to the carrots.

For the Salmon

In olive oil or butter in a pan. Place salmon skin side on the pan. Cook at high heat first for a few minutes, then decrease to medium temperature, then to low until the salmon is cooked but still rosy inside. There should be some light moisture on top side of the salmon. Sprinkle with pepper and fleur de sel.

Place some cauliflower purée on a plate, spoon some carrots on top, then add salmon with extra dressing used for the carrot salad.

We can go simple with a few ingredients, and get a flavorful and nutritious salad. Plant based meals make me happy and in a good mood, as much as running does. So let’s say today I am in an exceptionally wonderful mood. All I ask is to keep eating plants, cooking and running for as long as I can.

I keep forgetting to eat yams, probably because they were not a part of my diet growing up, and I discovered them in the US, so I always buy them, but never use them. I look at them every day, but leave them just where they sit, at the bottom of the refrigerator. Today, I decided to use them one way or another…but definitely the inspiration did not show up instantly. I had to “me creuser les meninges” as we say in French (translated into to rack’s ones brain).

Warm salads are quite a change from the cold ones, and give you a different feeling, you actually feel like you are eating something substantial and nutritious. This salad is absolutely delicious, you need to emphasis on the vinaigrette using Meyer lemon, and the best unrefined olive oil you can find.

For the greens, a friend of mine from Napa who came to visit this weekend, brought a bunch of beautiful black basil she is growing, so I mixed it with the greens I had, and it added such a nice character to this salad. It’s optional, but if you have some fragrant basil, don’t hesitate to use it.

Ingredients for 4

For the salad

• 1 medium size cauliflower, cut in small florets
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut in small strips, then halved
• 1 small yam, peeled, sliced (1 cm) then each slice cut in quarters
• 1/2 red onion, sliced crosswise
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp curry
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• sald and pepper
• mixed greens + basil

For the vinaigrette

• Olive oil
• zest of one Meyer lemon
• juice of one Meyer lemon
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1 tsp poppy seeds
• salt and pepper

Preparation

For the salad

Mix all ingredients together. Roast in the oven for 20 min at about 400F. When roasted, remove from the oven and add 2 tbs of vinaigrette, more if necessary. Toss well.

Serve on a bed of greens, adding more vinaigrette if desired.

For the vinaigrette

Mix all ingredients together.

I was reading an article on cauliflower on a French magazine, and I thought I would like to try roasting it whole. What a wonderful idea to slowly cook a whole cauliflower in the oven, rubbed with herbs and spices. For those who love vegetables and who watch their calories intake, this is a perfect meal.

You can serve this cauliflower with various side dishes who will enhance the whole meal. I love mixing cauliflower and bell peppers, probably a childhood combination that my mom used to do.

The cauliflower remains firm yet soft, I like firm vegetables. If you like them more cooked, then you have to leave the cauliflower in the oven longer, or boil it for 5-10 min prior to baking it. In addition to the pepper salsa, I served it with some yogurt sauce, that’s optional. I love yogurt sauce in general with spicy dishes.

I loved it so much that I ate a whole cauliflower by myself. Talking about moderation…I know, that is a bit exaggerated but as we say in French “quand on aime, on ne compte pas“, when we love, we don’t count. Se here we go…

Ingredients

For the cauliflower

•  1 whole cauliflower
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin

For the bell pepper salsa

• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 tbs olive oil
• juice of one meyer lemon
• 1 tsp chives, chopped
• salt and pepper

For the yogurt sauce

• 5 tbs plain Greek yogurt
• 1.5 tsp mixed herbs (parsley, cilantro, tarragon, etc…)
•  1 tsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper

Preparation

First roast the peppers in the oven. Place under broiler and cook until the skin gets burnt. Turn around peppers until the whole peppers are roasted. Remove from the oven and let them cool. Remove skin and seeds. Cut peppers in small cubes. Mix all ingredients together and set aside.
Wash cauliflower and dry well with a towel. Mix together all other ingredients in a bowl and rub cauliflower with it. Let it sit for about an hour.

Preheat oven at 375F and bake cauliflower for about one hour. Check after 45 min with a knife to see if it’s cooked or still hard and add more cooking time according to how you’d like to eat the cauliflower.

For the yogurt sauce, mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

Cut cauliflower in portions, like you would cut a cake. Serve with side dishes.

I am so happy about the time change, days seems longer, they are definitely brighter. I am very ready for spring and everything it brings us.

This recipe features one more addition to the vegetable galettes chapter, I love those ones, well you need to first like cauliflower to appreciate those galettes…actually, no you don’t need to like cauliflower to appreciate these, you just need to try them.

I used the orange cauliflower kind but of course any cauliflower would work. I just like colorful dishes. It’s a quick dish to prepare and you can use those galettes as a side dish to chicken or any other meat, and for a vegetarian option, they are perfect as is with a green salad. These are a great way to make kids eat their vegetables, they’re fun and don’t look like one.

Ingredients for about 10 galettes

For the galettes

• 1 head orange cauliflower, cut in florets
• 1 zucchini
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 5 tbs parmesan
• 2 tbs chives
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

For the carrots

• 4 large carrots, peeled and shredded
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1.5 tsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper

For the yogurt sauce

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, crushed

Preparation

Blanch cauliflower in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside. Using a mandoline slice zucchini finely, place in a drainer and add 1 tsp coarse salt and let it drain for about 15 min. Rinse under water and squeeze excess water.

Chop roughly cauliflower and place in a mixing bowl. Add zucchini. Add parmesan, chives, flour, baking power, salt and pepper.

In another mixing bowl, beat the eggs and add to the mixture. Mix well, the mixture should not be too liquid, if too liquid, add flour.

Heat olive oil in a pan, using your hand, form galettes (2 inches diameter) and place in pan. Cook until both sides are golden brown.

For the carrots and yogurt sauce, mix each respective ingredients together.

Serve galettes on a bed of carrots with yogurt sauce on top.

I am wondering why some people don’t like cauliflower, is it the texture? the flavor? what is it that some people really hate cauliflower? I find it to be such a delightful vegetable, and so versatile.

I decided to call this a steak simply because it’s as thick as a steak and is cooked like a steak, “juste poêlé” but most of all it does replace meat. Here I have also used cauliflower purée in the rice, which gave it a smooth and creamy texture, brown rice tends to remain firm and not as creamy as arborio, so the purée added a more delicate texture to the brown rice.  It’s somehow a cauliflower celebration.

I would have preferred to use arborio “integrale” which is brown arborio, but did not find at the store, I’m not sure they carry it in the US.

I am always trying to develop new ideas and recipes for vegetarians. I don’t know what is going on in other parts of the country, but in the Bay Area, there are so many people with different nutrition requirements or restrictions, that as a chef, you always need to create appealing and nutritionally interesting dishes…and to be honest, I really do like this one. It’s colorful, nutritious, light and very flavorful, so what else do you need? just a fork.

Ingredients for 4

For the risotto

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 shallot
• 70 g brown arborio or any brown round rice
• vegetable broth
• 1 dose saffron
• dry white wine
• 12 tbs cauliflower purée (use milk to cook cauliflower)
• 4 tbs freshly grated parmesan
• truffle oil for drizzling
• salt and pepper

For the carrot purée

• 6 large carrots, peeled and cut in slices
• 1 tbs crème fraȋche
• salt and pepper

For the cauliflower steak

• 1 large cauliflower
• 2 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper

For the basil jus

• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1 small bunch basil
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Preparation

For the risotto

Proceed like you would for a regular risotto but make it thicker. Infuse saffron in worm broth. Heat oil in a pot, add shallots, let them soften then add rice and coat it with the oil for a a few seconds. Add wine and broth gradually until the rice is cooked and absorbed (you need a thicker texture than regular ristotto). Add 4 tbs cauliflower purée, adjust with salt and pepper. Add parmesan, stir well and truffle oil at the end.

For the carrot purée

Boil carrots in salted water. When soft, remove from heat, drain and place in a mixing container (or in the same pan they have been cooked). Mash with a potato masher to desired consistency (I like it when the carrots are not too fine and smooth, so I can feel some texture). Place back on slow heat and add cream, salt and pepper. Mix well and keep warm.

For the cauliflower steak (and purée)

Cut the cauliflower crosswise, four 1 inch thick slices. One slice can be used for 2 people. Heat olive oil in a pan, cook cauliflower steak on both sides until they turn brown. Use the leftover cauliflower to make into a purée. Boil cauliflower in half milk/half water, when soft mash into a purée.

For the basil jus

For the basil jus, bring broth to a boil, add basil and cook for 30 seconds, remove from the pot and pat dry. In a blender, mix basil with broth to make it into a very fine mixture. Remove from blender into a bowl, add olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper if needed.

To assemble the dish, using a rind, place some risotto as the first layer, then add a carrot layer, finish by delicately placing the cauliflower steak on top. Decorate with a few tbs of basil jus around the risotto. Serve hot.

San Francisco has been under the rain today, and it might be a sign that fall is very much around, warning you that more rainy days are on their way.

Even though, it’s not Thanksgiving yet, I am already thinking about the Thanksgiving dinner menu…I think this year, there will be many appetizers like this one. I am simply in love with simple and flavorful bites that “mettent en appétit” (open your appetite) and can be enjoyed with a fresh glass of Champagne. I noticed many of my friends don’t like cauliflower, I am not sure if its the texture or the taste, so sometimes I just play with cauliflower and try to serve it in various forms and textures.

Of course, you can substitute cauliflower with other ingredients, such as avocado, carrots, etc…I served this a few times with an avocado purée and it was simply delightful.

If you don’t want to serve this in a spoon, you can serve it in a small plate, add one extra tbs of cauliflower mash, and add four shrimps. That would be sufficient as an appetizer and you really don’t have to spend hours cooking. This is a fairly simple dish to prepare and no one needs to know that it takes only a few minutes for the whole dish to be ready.

The only little trick about using small spoons, is that you need to pay attention to small details, and make sure your presentation is clean and tidy. All the ingredients being cut in tiny pieces, they need to be well put together in a regular order.

Ingredients for 10 spoons

• 1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 tbs olive oil
• hot spicy habanero sauce or tabasco sauce
• salt and pepper
• 10 shrimps, peeled and deveined
• 1/4 tbs paprika
• 1/2 tsp mild curry powder
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp olive oil
• dill for decoration

Preparation

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower and cook until soft. Drain, place in a mixing container and mash with a potato masher, leaving small pieces. Add habanero sauce, olive oil , salt and pepper. Mix well all ingredients and keep warm.

In a container, combine shrimps, curry and paprika powder, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a pan and saute shrimps.

Place 1 tbs of cauliflower in each spoon. Top it with one shrimp and a little sprig of dill.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/11/light-sunday-treat-spicy-shrimps-on-a-bed-cauliflower-mash/feed/ 10 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/09/cauliflower-adventures-cauliflower-and-saffron-cappuccino-with-clams/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cauliflower-adventures-cauliflower-and-saffron-cappuccino-with-clams http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/09/cauliflower-adventures-cauliflower-and-saffron-cappuccino-with-clams/#comments Sun, 12 Sep 2010 05:13:29 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=12291 Les aventures d’un chou fleur – Cappuccino de chou fleur au saffran et praires

Sorry about two cauliflower recipes in a row, I was convinced I used the nine of them I had in my case, then I found this one, that needed to be consumed or would go bad. Since I never throw away food (or at least I try), my father would always tell me when I was growing up, “You cannot throw away food, there are too many people starving in the world”, so now I do feel guilty to throw away anything. When you think about it, in our Western world, people die because they eat too much, in some other parts of the world, people die because they have nothing to eat. How unfair and absurd is that?

I think cauliflower is an amazing vegetable, and its use is so versatile…I was trying to find a way to combine it with seafood, and this cappuccino perfectly achieved what I had in mind, associating two complementing and opposite textures, the creaminess of the cauliflower with chewiness of the clams. That was a lovely combination, especially with the delicate touch of saffron (which I adore with seafood).

Now you might wonder why this is called cappuccino, since there is no coffee in it, and certainly cannot have this for breakfast. The cauliflower being cooked in milk and the foam used to top off the soup, the whole thing served in a cappuccino cup, it definitely resembles a savory version of the traditional and very famous coffee drink.

It’s a nice festive and delicious soup, so when you have no inspiration for cauliflower, try this soup, it’s such a treat.

Ingredients for 4-5

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 large potato, peeled and cut
• 1/2 leek, white part
• 1 cauliflower
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• milk (enough to cover the vegetables)
• 1 dose of saffron
• 16-20 clams
• salt and pepper

Preparation

In a large pot, heat olive oil add leek, potatoes and cauliflower and cook vegetables stirring for about 10 minutes. Add broth, milk and saffron, salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and cook at medium heat until the vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and keep about 1/2 cup of the milk aside. Let it cool.

In another pot, heat olive oil and clams. Adjust with salt and pepper, and let the clams open. When the clams are open, remove from heat and keep warm.

Using a hand blender blend vegetables into a thin puree. Pass through a sieve to obtain a creamy and smooth texture. If the consistency is too thick, add a little broth.

To make foam, place cooled milk (set aside) in a small pot and heat it up without boiling it. Whisk gradually milk to make it foam. When obtained desired and thick foam. Pour soup on cappuccino cups, add 2 tbs foam on each cup and place 4 clams on top. Decorate with saffron threads and chives. Serve hot.