Cauliflower of dreams

My three go-to recipes: Falafel, Korma and a Cheeky Toastie

Cauliflower Before and After, with honey, butter, olive oil, garlic and spices

It’s well established now that there’s a lot more to more to cauliflower then just boiling. It’s a vegetable that holds its own as a delicious side as well as in the spotlight as the main event, with more comebacks than The Stones with more looks than Bowie. It’s an ingredient that keeps on coming back into fashion on restaurant menus and at home.

Below are some of my go-to Cauliflower recipes: a fragrant curry, cauli felafel, and a the much loved cauliflower and cheese toastie recipe from one of my restaurant’s Rocker.

To kick off, here are five great ways to cook cauliflower:

1. Roasted… My absolute favorite! Season your cauliflower floret and leaves with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Roast whole at 425°F (220°C) until golden and crispy, about 25-30 minutes. For added flavour, sprinkle with honey and spices before roasting, Use the leaves too, as they turn crispy so will add a lovely texture to your dish.

2. Cauliflower Rice… Pulse raw cauliflower florets in a food processor until they resemble rice grains. Sauté the "rice" in a skillet with a bit of olive oil, garlic, and onion until tender. It makes a fantastic low-carb alternative to traditional rice and can be tricked up with herbs and spices to suit any dish.

3. Cauliflower Steaks… Simply slice a head of cauliflower into thick, cross-sectional slices. Brush with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, garlic, thyme and rosemary. Then grill or roast until tender and slightly charred. Serve as a main dish or a hearty little side.

4. Cauliflower Soup… Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil, add cauliflower florets, and cover with vegetable or chicken broth. Simmer until the cauliflower is soft, then blend until smooth. Finish with a splash of cream, salt and pepper. Blue cheese is a delicious addition, or if you really want to push the boat out, add some shaved truffle.

5. Cauliflower Mash… Steam or boil cauliflower until nice and tender. Drain well, then mash or blend with butter, cream, salt, pepper and a little grated nutmeg until smooth and creamy. It's a lighter, low-carb alternative to mashed potatoes.

Cauliflower before roasting with, pumpkin, spices, kaffir, garlic and citrus

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Cauliflower Falafel served with yogurt, lemon, shallot and chili

Cauliflower Falafel

400g soaked chickpeas

A quarter of a small cauliflower (around 200g)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

Half tsp paprika

3 large cloves of garlic

1 tsp salt

Half a bunch of parsley

A handful of coriander and mint

Zest of a lemon

I small onion finely diced

Ghee for shallow frying

Method

Pop all ingredients except the onion into a food processor and blend until a coarse paste. Pour into a bowl, fold in the onions, then season.

Wet your hands and shape the mixture into little patties.

Shallow fry on medium high heat for 4 - 5 minutes (depending on the size of the patties).

Turn after 2 mins.  Remove from oil, season with lemon juice and salt.

Serve with mint yogurt, chili oil, onion and herbs.  They’re obviously pretty epic with flat bread too.

Cauliflower falafel before and after.

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Cauliflower, macadamia and kaffir korma