Purple cauliflower blows my mind. It seems hard to believe that a vegetable can be so ridiculously rad. That colour gets me every time I see it at the grocer and I can’t go past without being sorely tempted. It’s definitely a good thing when purple veges strike your fancy since they are apparently of the excellent cancer fighting variety. You’ll have to confirm this with the scientists but no one needs to force me to eat this beauty. The colour gets me hungry for yummy vege dishes, so Signor Pot and I prepared two extra yummy ones for you to try this week. Whether cooked or raw, this purple magic thing is super delicious. I highly recommend giving it a go.
 

 

 
Shaved Cauliflower Salad
Serves 4
 
For the Tahini dressing:
4 Tbsp raw tahini
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of 1.5 lemons
150 ml cold water
1/2 tsp sea salt
 
For the Salad:
1/2 cauliflower, thinly sliced on a mandolin
40g mini capers, fried
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped/crushed
Generous sprinkle dukkah (you can use the recipe from this post)
Oregano leaves to garnish
 
To make the dressing, place raw tahini, garlic and lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk through while slowly adding the water until the correct consistency is achieved. Season with salt.
 
To fry the capers, place oil in a wide based pan on high heat. When hot, add capers to the pan and allow to crisp up. (Watch for spitting oil and ensure you drain the capers well before adding to the pan). Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel.
 
Layer the shaved cauliflower on the plate. Drizzle over the tahini dressing. Scatter over the dukkah, capers, lemon zest, crushed hazelnuts and a few oregano leaves.
 

 

 

 
Purple Cauliflower Gratin
Serves 4
 
For the Bechamel:
20g unsalted butter
16g flour
1 cup full cream milk
a pinch of salt
a pinch of grated nutmeg
 
Gratin
2 cups cauliflower florets
80g grated havarti cheese
2/3 cup bechamel
Fresh ground black pepper
 
Preheat oven to 180°C.
To make the bechamel, place butter in a medium sized pot on medium heat. Heat till the butter starts to foam, then add flour. Using a whisk, mix through until the mixture takes on a golden colour and loses the raw flour smell (approx. 10 minutes). Slowly add the milk while whisking. Add salt and nutmeg. Allow to thicken, stirring frequently to avoid lumps and a skin forming.
 
Mix the bechamel and cauliflower together and place in a greased casserole dish. Top with grated havarti cheese and a few grinds of pepper. Cook in the heated oven for 20 minutes. Turn the oven setting to grill and crisp up the cheese till nicely browned.
Serve immediately.
 

 
Let me know if you give these a go.
 
xxBlighStBistro.