Hello again. Here we are half-way through another month, and here I am not knowing where the time has gone since my last post. I hope you had a good Easter holiday. We had some glorious weather over the Easter weekend, but subsequently, we have had a return to winter with sub-zero temperatures at night, along with snow and hail showers. The fruit blossom had just started to open, and then along came Mr Jack Frost. I think I have managed to save the most delicate blooms, but sadly the rhododendrons got scorched.

With the weather being a little on the chilly side, I have been back in the kitchen cooking up some more heart-warming food. This week I’d like to share with you a very simple cauliflower dish, but it’s a tasty one and it uses up just about every part that this magnificent vegetable has to offer.

You can adapt the recipe to suit how much cauliflower you have to cook. I had used half of this one in another recipe where just the curds were required, and was left with the other half plus all the leaves and stalks. There is plenty of room for adding your own flavourings to my simple mix of soy sauce, oil and maple syrup, so if you fancy something more spicy or herby, feel free to make your own additions.

Sometimes when you buy a cauliflower, the outer leaves can look a bit sad and wilted, but I have found that if you soak them in a bowl of cold water, it is quite possible to revive them and make them fresh enough to cook. Discard anything that is too damaged or brown, but the other leaves should perk up quite nicely after a good bath. After soaking, simply drain them and shake off the excess water.

Here’s the rest of the recipe.

Serves: 2 to 4 as a main or side

Ingredients

• 1 medium cauliflower (approx. 300g curds plus leaves)
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp gluten-free dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• Fresh coriander to serve

1. Remove the leaves from the cauliflower. Slice out the stalks and put the leafy bits to one side along with the curds. Cut the stalks into small pieces and place in a roasting tin. Peel and slice the onion, and peel and chop the garlic. Mix into the stalks.

2. Mix the soy sauce, oil and syrup together and toss into the vegetables. Cover with foil and put in a cold oven. Set the thermostat to 200°C, 180°C fan oven, gas 6 and cook for 35 minutes.

3. While the stalks are cooking, prepare the curds. Break them into even-sized florets, and cut any larger ones in half. Discard the stump. After 35 minutes cooking time, mix the leaves into the stalk mixture along with 3 tbsp water. Sit the curds on top and brush lightly with sesame oil. Cover the tin with foil again and bake for a further 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes, until tender.

For an extra finishing touch and fresh flavour, sprinkle the cauliflower with fresh coriander.

I hope you have a good few days until my next post. As always, take care and keep safe 🙂