Can someone here help me overcome my visceral disgust with cauliflower?

[hedgehog]

My mother never cooled it when I was a kid, and I've done terrible things to frozen cauliflower. I like cabbage and broccoli, so there is hope. Give me some good ways to cook cauliflower!

[cbayer]

1. Fresh, first of all.

I love the stuff - even crave it at times.

Do you like it raw at all? Might want to start with eating pieces with a salad dressing you like.

My favorite way to cook it is roasting with butter and bread crumbs. I also love it baked with cheese sauce.

Boiling ruins it, imo.

How do you like your broccoli?

[Callalily]

2. Madhur Jaffrey (and her cookbooks)

have marvelous cauliflower recipes. Here is one of my favorites:

http://www.tesco.com/recipes/product.aspx?R=538&bci=4294967265%7CVegetables*4294966966%7CMadhur%20Jaffrey

[noamnety]

3. You can grind it raw in a food processor

to make fake "rice" - microwave with a tiny bit of water briefly to steam it but don't overdo it. Then cover it with whatever sauce you'd put on rice. I had coconut curry chicken and eggplant tonight, the sauce from that would be perfect. People on low carb diets use it this way because it doesn't have much flavor of its own, it's like tofu taking on the flavors you dump on it.

You can also use the cauliflower rice by cooking it into a cheesy quiche, it will add bulk and vitamins and you won't taste it.

[kurtzapril4]

21. That is an awesome idea, noamnety.

I don't like rice at all, plus using cauliflower instead of rice realy cuts the calories! Yay! to you!

[Gormy Cuss]

31. I find that the "rice" method really dulls the cauliflower flavor, and that's a good thing

since it's just a platform for sauces. I like to call it cauliflower couscous though.

[kestrel91316]

4. Raw, dipped in ranch dressing........steamed, with cheddar cheese melted over it......

sauteed with some Indian spices (search allrecipes.com or just google)

[The empressof all]

5. I mix it with Potatoes for a lower carb mash

It's also great as a soup. Just cook it down with some stock and puree it. I usually add onions. It's also a great base for cheese soup if you can handle the fat.

I frequently make it with Indian spices and mix it with chick peas and serve over rice with green peas.

It's also delish chopped in the processor with equal parts broccoli and some green onion. I mix it with Ranch Dressing for a lovely chopped salad.

It's also nice roasted. I will sometimes roast the whole head till it gets toasty brown. Rub it with a little EVOO and salt and pepper. It makes a beautiful presentation with roasted brussel sprouts and roasted cherry tomatoes

[hedgehog]

6. I'm trying to cut back on carbs, and everyone mentions replacing potatoes

with cauliflower. I'll try mixing the mashed vegetables and work my way down!

[Tesha]

15. We steam a whole head...

in the microwave in a covered dish until soft.

Then we mash it like 'taters... adding butter or milk or cream...
salt and pepper - whatever we fancy.

and when we're daring we add a cheese...

with a steak we might add blue cheese to the mash - oh...so...good!

[Tesha]

16. leftovers go into great food

fry a little onion in olive oil and add garlic and capers or olives
(and we love to add a few anchovies or anchovy paste)
or add your own choices...

toss in some bread crumbs and brown slightly

add in small bits of cauliflower

throw in some hot fresh pasta and toss


this is wonderful!

[Gormy Cuss]

30. Mashed cauliflower is a good side for grilled salmon.

We use the cauliflower as a bed for the piece of salmon. It was a recipe from the old PBS cooking series "Cooking Secrets of the CIA." That's Culinary Institute of America, not the spy shop. :)

[cbayer]

7. Seconds on the soup. I love cauliflower soup.

:hi:

[Inspired]

8. I love it lightly breaded and dipped in cheese sauce.

That might be a good way to be introduced.

[Inspired]

9. Lightly breaded, FRIED and dipped in cheese sauce!

[Retrograde]

10. Toss with olive oil, roast in hot oven

until soft, salt to taste.

Or try something Indian - cauliflower loves curries.

[Stinky The Clown]

11. It is really good raw.

I prefer my vegetables raw or grilled simply but still crunchy.

Quarter a head, moisten in olive oil, salt it lightly and grill until it gets nice grill marks on it. It will have a nice textural, temperature, and taste contrast. The best of cooked and raw.

[Lucinda]

12. Cook it and then mash it and serve it like mashed potatoes with butter

I LOVE mashed cauliflower.

[GoCubsGo]

26. It's great that way, and...

For a nice variation, mash it with some sauteed garlic and/or onions and Indian spices.

[Syrinx]

13. I like it best raw and pickled

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardiniera

[Phentex]

14. Lightly steam it...

then pour some clarified butter with fajita seasoning mixed in over the whole plate. You can sprinkle with bread crumbs or toasted almonds at that point but you don't have to. My kids gobble this up.

[Tesha]

17. leftovers - again!

Make a Curry dish with it!
lamb or chicken cubes with caulifliower
serve over rice

tons of recipies on the net!
yummy stuff!

[Arkansas Granny]

18. Cook the cauliflower florets in salted water until just barely tender. Drain, toss with a little

olive oil or butter. Arrange in a single layer in a shallow baking dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs and parmesan. Bake at 400F until nicely browned and toasty looking. You can add whatever seasoning you like to the bread crumbs. Lemon pepper might be nice.

[Melissa G]

19. There is a vegetarian Indian restaurant here in town

that does a lightly breaded sauteed version that almost tastes like shrimp!

[pinto]

20. Fresh "florets" with red onion, celery and a dip. In any ham soup. Braised on the grill,

brushed with garlic/olive oil. :hi:

Oh, and pickled.

[canetoad]

22. If it truly is a visceral disgust

I wouldn't be persisting. Just moving on to something I like.

[livetohike]

23. Cut into florets and steam it, then mix with some extra virgin

olive oil and some kalamatas, or other olives to taste. Simple, quick and delicious.

[Lugnut]

24. I love cauliflower.

I made a big pot of cream of cauliflower au gratin with broccoli soup earlier in the week. It's thick, creamy and cheesy we can't get enough of it. My mother never cooked it when I was a kid but she wasn't a very good cook. My kids love the stuff.

[GoCubsGo]

25. Roast it.

Break it up into little florets. Toss it with some olive oil, sprinkle with some salt and pepper, spread it out in a baking pan or on a cookie sheet, and put it in an oven set at 425-450 degrees, and stir every so often until it is soft and browing--just like you would with any other roasted vegetables. You could add some garlic cloves to it, as well. It's my favorite way to eat cauliflower. Google "Martha Stewart's Curried Roast Cauliflower Soup" (or go to her web page) for a delicious soup recipe using roasted cauliflower.

[no_hypocrisy]

27. If you like this sauce, I'll follow up with its recipe.

Imagine gently steamed cauliflower in a velvety thick tomato cream sauce . . .

How could ANYTHING taste bad with tomato sauce?

[pengillian101]

28. Simple cooking.

Steamed with butter and S&P and that's it for my taste. M-M-M!

[kestrel91316]

29. I just got a HUGE head of the most lovely PALE ORANGE cauliflower

from the 99c store! Am munching on it raw, and part of it I will cook, probably sauteed/braised with a red bell pepper.

Mmmmmm. I totally get why cauliflower is India's most loved veggie.

[Glassunion]

32. Here is how I make mine taste good...

cauliflower, core removed, cut into florets
extra virgin olive oil
milk 2 cups for every head of cauliflower
salt
unsalted butter
chives, minced for garnish

Preheat oven to 350.

On a sheet tray, spread 1/4 of the florets and drizzle with the olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper
bake until caramelized(starting to get a golden crust) or about 25 minutes

While that is roasting, take the remaining cauliflower, the milk and one pinch of salt(per head) in a saucepan over medium heat. Make sure that you only fill the saucepan up about 1/2 way. If you fill it up more than that, get a bigger pan. You WILL have a boil over otherwise.
Bring it up to a simmer then cover it until cauliflower is tender. This should take about 20 to 25 minutes.
Strain cauliflower from the milk mixture and save both.
Drop the cauliflower into a blender. Add about 1/2 a tablespoon of butter per head of cauliflower to the blender along with 1/2 of the reserved milk mixture. Puree mixture until smooth. If it is too thick, add some more of the remaining liquid. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in a large serving bowl topped with caramelized florets and minced chives as a garnish.

I usually do a buffet for the holidays and serve this out of a chaffing dish, covered over low heat.