Cauliflower Gratin with Tomatoes and Feta

I've been saving this recipe for cauliflower gratin with tomatoes and feta for a little while now, waiting for just the right time to unleash. You honestly can't go wrong with anything that includes juicy tomatoes and salty feta cheese. The complimentary flavors brings everything that surrounds them to life. Which is why this recipe is so darn good.


While I don't cook with cauliflower too often and think it has fallen in popularity with more people then just myself- I am predicting a come back! Cauliflower’s mild flavor can be brought to life with a few simple ingredients. And the flowering vegetable contains allicin, which improves heart health and reduces the risk of strokes. Cauliflower also has selenium, a chemical that works well with vitamin C to strengthen the immune system. Cauliflower has folate, a B vitamin that is needed for cell growth, and is an excellent source of fiber.

Do you have any favorite recipes using cauliflower?


Cauliflower Gratin with Tomatoes and Feta (serves 4)
From Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Ingredients
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
5 fresh tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon capers
1 head of cauliflower, broken into small florets and washed
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
handful of chopped parsley (optional)
pepper to taste

Directions
Heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium heat. Add the onion and saute for about 10 to 15 minutes until the onion begins to caramelize. Add garlic, oregano and cinnamon, stirring to cook for another minute or two. Add the tomatoes, cook for seven more minutes, then add honey and capers and season with pepper.

Lightly oil a gratin or casserole dish and add the oil mixture to this dish. Preheat the broiler.

Meanwhile, steam the cauliflower for 5 minutes. Once steamed, add the florets to the onion mixture. Add lemon juice and crumbled feta cheese and stir to mix all the ingredients together. Place in the oven under the boiler and cook until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley (if, unlike me, you remember) and serve.

How much do you know about cauliflower?

There's a few things I know about cauliflower and one of them is that I don't actually cook with it very much. Nothing against cauliflower, but it's just not on my vegetable radar all that often. And come to think of it, I don't really see it on restaurant menus often either. Why is that?

Cauliflower is available year-round and can be eaten may different ways- roasted, pan fried, pureed, mashed, boiled, steamed or eaten raw. It's related to cabbage and broccoli, and is low in fat, high in dietary fiber, folate, water and vitamin C.

Once you start looking for recipes for this great white floret, you'll find a great number for curried cauliflower. This is because the mild flavoured cauliflower pairs so well with the strong, spicy flavour of curry. Cauliflower also pairs well with garlic, like in a creamy roasted cauliflower and garlic soup.

An old issue of Bon Appetit (September 2004) has a good recipe for roasted curried cauliflower that's worth giving a try, with a few alterations. Roasted cauliflower and red onions with a tasty mix of cumin, coriander and curry. There is one thing that I'll do differently with this recipe next time, and that's tossing the roasted dish in a little nonfat yogurt to finish it off. Just to add a little creaminess that I fell is missing.

Roasted Curried Cauliflower (serves 2-3)

Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower, cut into medium sized florets
1 large red onion, peeled, quartered
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 teaspoons curry powder
1 tablespoon Hungarian hot paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place cauliflower florets in large roasting pan. Pull apart onion quarters into separate layers; add to cauliflower.

Stir coriander seeds and cumin seeds in small skillet over medium heat until slightly darkened, about 3-4 minutes. Crush coarsely in mortar with pestle.

Place crushed seeds in medium bowl. Whisk in oil, vinegar, curry powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over vegetables; toss to coat. Spread vegetables in single layer.

Roast vegetables until tender, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes.

Mound vegetables in large bowl and sprinkle with fresh cilantro. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Ginger Peanut Soup

Sundays are a great day to kick back, stay indoors and make a big pot of soup. Especially during these colder months of the year. One of my favorite things to do on the weekend is to make a big batch of soup, stew or chili to store in the freezer - storing it away for a day when you don't have time to make a meal.

How to freeze soup and stews
Soups, stews and chili freeze really well. You can freeze your soup in single serving portions so that you can grab just one or two at a time for a quick meal or lunch.

There are a couple basic steps to freezing soups and stews- it's really as easy one, two, three. Once the soup is made, leave it on the stove top to cool. When the soup is about room temperature, pour it into single serving sized plastic containers or zip-lock freezer bags. A final, nice-to-do step is to label and date the containers or bags to help keep you organized. Frozen soups and stews tend to all look the same in the freezer. Be sure to enjoy your soup within two or three months as you will lose flavour.

Allison, a woman I work with, makes amazing soups and has kindly shared with me one of her favorites. Her ginger peanut soup is so delicious, flavourful and hearty. Trust me, this recipe is bound to become one of your favorites too. It's very similar to this recipe on VegWeb.com - an online resource for vegetarians and vegans.


Ginger Peanut Soup (serves 6)

Ingredients
2 cups broccoli, chopped into small pieces
2 cups cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
2 tablespoons grape seed oil
1 onion, diced
2-3 tablespoons ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2.5 cups vegetable stock (I prefer the Pacific Organic brand)
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
5-6 tablespoons natural peanut butter

Directions
On a medium heat, saute onions in grape seed oil for 10 minutes until the oils are golden and beginning to caramelize.

Add broccoli, cauliflower, ginger, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper, salt. Stirring occasional, cook for about 10 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Drizzle in oil olive five minutes into sauteing the vegetables.

Add stock, tomatoes and peanut butter. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for flavour, and adjust to taste.

Using a food processor, add half the soup to the processor and pulse just a few times to break down the larger chucks of broccoli and cauliflower. Although this step isn't necessary, it does add a nice texture to the soup. Enjoy hot or allow the soup to cool for freezing.


MORE SOUP RECIPES------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Curried Carrot, Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup
This is a smooth, pureed soup with a depth of flavours and a rich golden colour.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup
A woodsy, mushroom soup with exceptional flavour because of the generous additions of paprika, dill and sour cream.

Lentil Minestrone
There's nothing quite as comforting as a big pot of fragrant soup simmering on the stove top. This recipe is a hearty soup with pasta, lentils, carrots and greens such as kale, broccoli rabe, chard, or spinach.

Southern Corn Chowder
I have always loved corn chowder. Warm, creamy and hearty and homey. This version is a flavourful, southern-style corn chowder with a touch of southern spice.