Extra Schmaltz!

Inspired by our trip to Germany and the many wonderful composed salads we had, I created this cauliflower salad. I served it with pulled pork sandwiches, as an alternative to cole slaw, which went well together. Vegetables 1 head cauliflower, in small florets 1 carrot, julienne 1/3 c. red onion, sliced thin 2 stalks celery, sliced thin ~2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves Dressing 1/4 c. red wine vinegar + 2 tsp. cider vinegar 3 Tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. Dijon mustard 1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. salt or to taste 1/2 tsp. black mustard 1/4 tsp. cayenne Blanch the cauliflower and plunge into cold water to cool, then drain thoroughly. Combine the cauliflower, carrot, onion, and celery in a large bowl. Whisk together the dressing ingredients, and then pour over the vegetables, then mix. Adjust salt to taste. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes or longer.

So this is a very traditional, and very delicious dish from the Arab Levant. It is called "maqluba" which means "flipped over" due to the very last step of flipping the pot onto a serving platter. I always laugh because instead of being chicken on rice, it's rice on chicken until that last step, and so a totally different dish than the chicken on rice that's eaten most of the time. There are a variety of typical styles of this dish. The style here is with chicken, cauliflower ('zahra' in Jordanian Arabic) and carrots, also optionally featuring potatoes. Meat and eggplant is another style, featured here .  Another tradition style, especially in spring or early summer is with fresh fava beans and meat ( here's a recipe in English ). Ingredients: 2-3 pounds chicken (whatever cuts you want) 1 large cauliflower, cut into florets 3-4 carrots, cut into large chunks (I do this by cutting at a diagonal to the carrot) 3 medium waxy potatoes, dice...

This was inspired by a dish served at a local Indian restaurant, and then based on techniques from this very different curry. I'm still developing it, but it turned out so well I thought I'd post the version I made tonight. Ingredients 1/2 onion, minced 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds (optional) 3 cloves garlic 1.5" segment of ginger root, peeled 1 tsp. cumin seeds 1/2 tsp. turmeric 1 tsp. ground black pepper 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper 4 cardamom pods 1/4 c. blanched, peeled almonds 1/4 c. roasted, unsalted cashews 1/2 c. water  1 can coconut milk  1 large pinch saffron, soaked in 1/4 c. warm water 1 cauliflower, cut into small flourets 2 chicken breasts, cut into thin pieces Smoosh the garlic and ginger root together - I did this in a mortar and pestle, you could probably achieve a similar effect with enough mincing with a knife. Blend the almonds, cashews and water in a food processor until it makes a smooth liquid. In a mix of 1...

Ingredients: 1 head cauliflower (2 lb), cut into florets 2 Tb olive oil 1/4 tsp whole cumin seed salt red pepper flakes 1 cup plain yogurt (I use Greek yogurt) 1 Tb lemon juice Method: 1) Heat oven to 425 F. On a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle florets with oil and sprinkle with cumin seed, salt, and red pepper flakes. 2) Roast, stirring once, until golden brown and tender, about 25 min. Let cool. 3) In food processor, purée cauliflower with yogurt and lemon juice. Season with salt. 4) Transfer to serving bowl. Garnish with red pepper flakes. Serve as dip with radicchio or endive (separated), carrot sticks, crackers, etc. * This dip only gets better as the flavors meld. Store in refrigerator for about five days. * Nutrition Information: This recipe serves 4. Per serv. 142 cals; 8 g fat (2 g sat fat); 5 mg chol; 13 g carb; 135 mg sodium; 6 g protein; 4 g fiber

Or "How to Make Brown Lentil Soup that Doesn't Taste Like Dirt". Here in Morocco, Melanie and I have had the problem that we can't find anything other than brown lentils - she's asked locals, and looked around pretty extensively, and hasn't been able to find the much tastier red variety. However, after a lot of travel, we were desperately craving something simple and vegetarian like lentil soup, and so I did my best to come up with a recipe that wasn't just edible, but delicious. Ingredients 1 smallish head cauliflower, cut into very small pieces 1 large carrot, cut into small pieces 1 medium onion, minced 4-7 cloves garlic, peeled but whole 2 Tbsp olive oil 1.5-2.5 c. brown lentils, picked over and cleaned if they're sketchy Water or broth sufficient for the quantity of lentils (I always just eyeball this) 2-3 bay leaves (depending on size and quality) 1/2 tsp cumin (optional) S&P Parsley (flat leaf is best), minced, 1-2 tsp per bowl of soup Lemon...

I originally got this recipe for 'navets persilles' from the Julie/Julia project . In the original the turnips are par-boiled and then cooked again for 30 minutes. I don't usually blanch the turnips before boiling them, and I find they usually cook in less time (especially if they are fresh from the garden and not the hardened, wax-coated things you find in the store). Nowadays I make this more frequently with cauliflower than turnips, though I think any dense vegetable would work. Parsnips, celeriac, carrots, etc... It's so simple it barely calls for a recipe. 3-4 c. of a dense root vegetable or cauliflower, in chunks salted, boiling water 3-4 Tbsp. butter lemon juice chopped parsley freshly ground black pepper Aleppo pepper flakes or paprika (optional) Boil the vegetables in well-salted water until tender. Toss with the remaining ingredients. Be careful with the lemon juice, so you don't add too much--usually one half of a lemon, gently squeezed, is enough.

Not a recipe so much as a suggestion. Replace half of your potatoes with cauliflower when you're making mash for more flavor, texture, and a less heavy meal. Here it is in recipe form: 2 lbs starchy potatoes 1 large cauliflower head, cut into pieces lots of salt 4 Tbsp butter 1/3 c. milk or cream freshly ground black pepper (optional seasonings include: paprika, roasted garlic, seasoned salt, etc...) Peel and boil the potatoes in a large pot of well-salted water as you normally would for making mashed potatoes, but add enough water so that there's space for the cauliflower. Add the califlower 5-7 minutes before the potatoes will be done and continue boiling. Drain and mash with the remaining ingredients, season to taste.

This combination of dishes makes a nice meal and great leftovers. I like to use paneer when I can get it easily, but the recipe works well with firm tofu or even chicken (though then I guess it's a different dish). These recipes are based around Manjula's Kitchen , though I altered them a little to avoid hard-to-find ingredients. Check out the videos if you want step-by-step instructions or more recipe ideas. My most recent attempt. I didn't have cilantro to add to the aloo gobi, but it's still delicious without it. Palak Paneer 1 1/2-2 c. paneer, cubed (or extra-firm tofu, cubed and patted dry) 1 box frozen spinach, thawed, drained well, and chopped 2-3 plum tomatoes, pureed, or 1/2 can tomato puree 2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 Tbsp. salt 2 tsp. whole cumin seed 1/2 tsp. turmeric 1/4 tsp. cayenne 3 Tbsp. flour 1/4 c. water + more water 1/2 c. heavy cream or half and half 2 Tbsp. butter oil for frying tomato slices for garnish Fry the paneer or ...

Hooray! We finally got a grill and we put it to use immediately. Crisp, succulent cauliflower seems to be in season around here so we threw some on the grill. I make this in the winter too, using the oven. Simply cut up a cauliflower into fairly large chunks, brush with oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika. Roast it in a hot oven (450) with a run under the broiler, if need be, or on a charcoal grill. It may take some time, so be patient. The steaks simply had salt and pepper on them and were fantastic. There may be hope for my steak-making skills yet. Look forward to more grill recipes! *** In other news, I finally found some rhubarb at one of the farmers' markets around here and I set out to make a strawberry-rhubarb pie. It sure looked good when I finished baking it... ...but, alas, it didn't thicken up enough and was also rather tart! Reflecting upon what went wrong, I realize that I only used 3 Tbsp. of thickener instead of 4 because I lost count, and I probably...