Hello All and Happy Friday! We wish you all a Happy St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow! Be sure to share your recipes if you’ll be feasting 🙂
March is transition time in the world of produce. Many of the hearty greens, leaf lettuces, bok choy, and broccoli, to name a few, that have been coming from the desert areas of California and Mexico are coming to the end of their harvest.
Next we look to central California and the coastal areas, but it’s still a bit early and their production is not high enough yet to meet the demand! This just means that prices are higher right now and there is less variety to choose from. It happens every year, and we’ll do our best to get you through it by picking the best tasting produce we can find! And on the bright side, we are only a few months away from our local, regional growing season!
Next week’s bins are full of some old favorites! We’d like to shed some light on the ever versatile Cauliflower. This veggie is more than just a simple steamed side dish. While delicious steamed, there are so many more ways to use these bushels as substitutions in some potato classics. Depending on your mood, you can eat it raw, puree it into a luxuriously creamy soup or opt to bring out its sweet and nutty flavor by roasting it to crisp, browned perfection. Before it’s cooked, cauliflower’s taste is mild, so it pairs effortlessly with your favorite spices and homemade sauces.
“There are so many ways to adore you, cauliflower. I love you for your delicious, crumbly gratins baked for an hour in the oven on Friday evenings. I love your Monday night soups quickly whirled together and laced with mushrooms and herbes de Provence. I love your lazy Sunday afternoon curries served with coconut rice. But I think best of all I love youslow-roasted at 400 degrees for about a half hour.” – NICOLE SPIRIDAKIS, NPR
Here are a few of our favorite recipes courtesy of Huffington Post:
Skillet Cauliflower Gratin
Ingredients
- 4 cups 1-inch cauliflower florets (about 1/2 large head)
- 1 1/2 cups nonfat milk, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat
- 3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Directions
- 1. Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.
- 2. Bring cauliflower, 1 1/4 cups milk and salt to a boil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 5 minutes.
- 3. Meanwhile, combine breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup cheese and oil in a small bowl. Whisk flour and the remaining 1/4 cup milk in another small bowl until smooth; stir the mixture into the pan and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup cheese, chives, mustard and pepper. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Broil until the top is crispy and beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
Pan-Roasted Cauliflower with Pine Nuts and Raisins
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon(s) raisins, not golden
- 1/4 cup(s) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 head(s) cauliflower, cut into florets 4 cups
- 1 teaspoon(s) sugar
- 2 cup(s) tomatoes-drained, peeled seeded and chopped
- pinch(s) of crushed red pepper, preferably Marash see Note
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon(s) pine nuts
- 1 clove(s) garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon(s) chopped parsley
- 1 1/2 tablespoon(s) fresh lemon juice
Directions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small bowl, cover the raisins with water; let stand until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain.
- 2. Meanwhile, in a 10- to 12-inch cazuela or ovenproof skillet, heat the oil. Add the cauliflower and sugar and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until the cauliflower starts to soften, about 10 minutes. Raise the heat to moderate and cook until the cauliflower is lightly browned, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in the tomatoes and crushed red pepper, season with salt and black pepper and cook until the tomatoes have begun to soften, about 5 minutes.
- 3. Add the raisins to the cauliflower, along with 1/4 cup hot water, the pine nuts and chopped garlic. Transfer the cazuela to the oven and bake the cauliflower for about 30 minutes, until it is verytender. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Serve the cauliflower warm.
Roasted-Cauliflower-and-Sesame Spread
- 1 head(s) of cauliflower thinly sliced, 2 pounds halved crosswise and
- 1/4 cup(s) vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoon(s) minced fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground coriander
- Kosher salt
- 3 tablespoon(s) tahini, sesame paste
- 3 tablespoon(s) fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon(s) chopped cilantro
- Sesame seeds
- Pita bread or chips, for serving
Directions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450°. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with the oil, ginger and coriander and season with salt. Spread the cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for about 40 minutes, stirring once or twice, until tender and lightly browned in spots. Let cool slightly.
- 2. Transfer the cauliflower to a food processor. Add the tahini and lemon juice and pulse to a chunky puree; season with salt. Add the cilantro and pulse just until incorporated. Transfer the spread to a bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve warm with pita bread or chips.
Ingredients
- water
- salt
- 1 head cauliflower, cored, cut into 4 pieces
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons capers, coarsely chopped
- 2 to 4 tablespoons flavorful black olives, pitted and halved Kalamata or oil-cured
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper flakes
- 5 anchovy filets, chopped finely
- white wine
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 2 tablespoons Italian flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
Directions
- 1 pound penne, cooked according to package directions, reserving 1 cup of pasta water
- Place cauliflower in a large saucepan, cover with water, add salt as desired and boil until verytender. Drain.
- In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic, reduce heat to medium-low and and stir for a minute. Add capers, olives and pepper flakes and sauté until garlic another one to two minutes — don’t let garlic turn brown.
- Deglaze pan with splash of white wine.
- Add drained cauliflower to the skillet, and mash it with a fork, stirring it in with the garlic mixture. When cauliflower is sufficiently mashed (you’ll want some variation in texture), taste and add salt and pepper to taste. If mixture seems too dry, add a few tablespoons of pasta water until silken.
- Add penne and ¼ cup grated parmigiano to cauliflower mixture, toss.
- Serve in individual bowls topped with parsley and grated parmigiano. Provide additional parmigiano and pepper flakes.
