Valley Bounty: Cauliflower

All hail the cotton-headed brassica! Cauliflower, cousin to broccoli, is having a fabulous year here in the Valley. The cooler summer allowed heads size up as big as your own, and farmers are growing more than your standard snow-colored ones. Orange, purple, and green varieties are available and have delicious complexities for the eyes and taste buds alike. Cream of cauliflower soup is great this time of year, jazzed up with a pumpkin seed topping and a dash of freshly chopped parsley.

By Abby Getman of Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture

Recipes

Cauliflower melds well with sweet or savory, so be sure to cook to your mood! It’s easy to make and freeze soups – just thaw them slowly before eating. This is a great trick for busy weeks. I like to freeze soups in freezer bags laid flat so that they stack thinly in my freezer (they also freeze and thaw more quickly with all of that surface area!).

Cream of Cauliflower Soup from The Kitchen Garden

This is a fool-proof recipe, and you can also find a ginger glazed cauliflower recipe on the same page  !

1 head cauliflower, cored
2 medium sized potatoes, sliced
1 quart milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt & pepper

Combine the cauliflower, potatoes and milk in a 4-quart pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer.  Leave it at a slow simmer until the potatoes are soft and the cauliflower is easy to break up with a fork, about 20-25 minutes, taking care to avoid boiling over. Puree the soup through a food mill or in a blender or food processor.  Strain it through a fine mesh strainer for an even more smooth and velvety texture.  Add the cream and bring the soup back to a simmer.  Season with the salt and pepper to taste.  Serve in hot bowls with croutons.

This soup can also be made with broccoli, cut the same way, but added only after the potatoes are soft.  Otherwise it will overcook and the soup will turn gray.

(To make the croutons, lightly toast small cubes of slightly stale bread until crunchy, then sauté in salted butter until golden.)

Also try Cauliflower Chickpea Soup by Alana from Eating from the Ground up blog

and

Riverland Farm’s Aloo Gobi (An Indian dish made with potato, cauliflower & ginger)

I also want to try Roasted Cauliflower Tacos! So much cauliflower, so little time!

Preservation tips

Still have freezer space this time of year? The Kitchen Garden has a one-stop-shop cauliflower page with blanching instructions for freezing florets.