Page 82 - Healthy (March - April 2020)

IN SEASON…

cauliflower

The days of dodging mushy florets in
soggy school dinners are long gone – now
ream-coloured, dome-shaped plants, encased in cauliflower is on-trend, nutritious and tasty
large, green leaves, caulilowers are made of tightly
packed lower heads called ‘curds’, joined to a
C central stem. The Latin caulis, from which the
plant is named, literally translates as ‘stem’ and inspired the
English term ‘cole crop’, which refers to caulilowers and other
brassicas, including cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and
kale. Although white caulilowers are instantly recognisable,
you can occasionally ind green and purple ones, too.
Traditionally, they’ve been seen as a fairly commonplace
vegetable, but caulilowers have had a trendy resurgence in
recent years, due to their nutritional beneits and versatility
in vegetarian cooking. They have a fairly innocuous lavour,
but could be described as slightly nutty, or bitter, and can
release a sulphurous smell on cooking. And while you might
associate the pale florets with soggy school dinners, learning
to love caulilower could open you up to a host of beneits.
One portion (100g) lightly cooked provides 73 per cent of
our daily vitamin C target, and is a source of vitamins K, B6
and folate – but don’t overcook it as this will destroy most
of the vitamin C. It’s low in calories and provides ibre, which
can help increase feelings of fullness. Pale, even-coloured
heads and crisp, green leaves are good indicators of whether
your caulilower has been freshly picked, so examine it
carefully at your greengrocers or supermarket before buying.

HOW TO USE T
I
Eat lorets raw in a salad, or dunked in houmous. The easiest
way to cook caulilower is microwaving or steaming. Cut the
lorets from the stem and chop into even pieces. Boil or steam
for 5-10 minutes, checking the texture with a fork to avoid
the lorets getting too soft. For caulilower rice, cut away the
outer leaves, chop into chunks and blitz in a food processor,
or grate. Either stir-fry the ‘rice’, or roast on a tray, drizzled
with oil. To make caulilower steaks, cut of the stem so the
head sits lat, and slice horizontally at 2cm intervals. Drizzle
with olive oil, fry both sides until charred, and season.
WORKS WELL WITH
Due to its mild lavour, caulilower works in a range of dishes.
Add garlic and parsley to cauli rice, or drizzle lemon juice over
steaks before cooking, then season with herbs and chilli lakes
to enhance their charred lavour. Also add lorets and chickpeas
to a veggie curry, where they’ll take on the spices of the dish.

82 healthy-magazine.co.uk