This recipe includes a good tip for handling fresh cauliflower straight from the store: Blanch it. Right away.
A quick, hot bath lessens cauliflower’s gassy, cabbage-y smell and sweetens its flavor. Many people find it more digestible than when raw. The process kills off any lurking bacteria and destroys enzymes that continue the ripening process, so in many cases blanched cauliflower will keep better.
Once pre-cooked, it can be refrigerated for later use, whether to be stir-fried, roasted, simmered in soups or stews, or pureed. It’s even good in fresh salads this way.
The exception would be if you’re planning a crudite platter and need firm, crunchy florets for dipping. In that case, raw is probably better.
But otherwise, when time allows, precooking will work in your favor. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then drop in the cauliflower florets for a few seconds to a minute, depending on how soft you want it. Rinse in cold water to stop the cooking, then drain well and bag it up. If you’ve got a bounty of cauliflower, it freezes well after blanching.
Microwave blanching takes about four minutes on high, using about 1/2 cup water to a head’s worth of florets.
In this dish, the cauliflower is blanched until barely tender, then stirred in with tomatoes and seasonings for a quick, colorful dish.
Quick-cooked Cauliflower and Tomato
Ingredients:
• 4 cups cauliflower florets
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 teaspoon mushroom powder (sold in Asian markets)
• 2 teaspoons garlic salt, or to taste
Directions:
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add cauliflower and blanch until just tender. Drain.
Heat oil in skillet or wok. Add onions; stir-fry until softened. Add tomato, stir-fry until almost soft.
Sprinkle with mushroom powder and garlic salt. Stir in cauliflower. Serves 6.
Approximate Nutrient Analysis per serving (not including salt to taste):
90 calories, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol,
350 mg 10 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 2 g protein
Nutritional analysis provided by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., CNS.
