Cooked The Right Way, Cauliflower Can Be Pretty Tasty

“My wife loves cauliflower. I hate cauliflower.”

This from a recently married pal of mine. I suggested that he would be lucky if this were the worst problem of his wedded life.

“Can you give me some cauliflower recipes?” he asked. “Knowing how she’s smitten with the heinous bud, I’ll cook her a cauliflower dinner for our six-month anniversary. She’ll think it’s so romantic. Whaddaya think?”

“Hey, no problem. Tell me, though, what is it that you dislike about cauliflower?”

“Well,” he said, “first off, I do like it raw and I also like cauliflower soup. But I hate eating cauliflower as a vegetable. It always tastes the same and it always tastes awful. And I’m served it about three times a week. Help me.”

“OK. Here’s the thing about cauliflower. You like it raw because it has a great, crunchy texture. Also, the volatile oil - the same one occurs in cabbage, mustard greens, Brussels sprouts - changes in flavor from a pleasantly pungent bite in the raw vegetable to a persistent and annoying odor in the cooked versions. Basically, that’s it.”

Cauliflower only tastes like cauliflower when it’s cooked. And the longer you cook it, the more powerful its odor becomes.

Now, chemistry aside, there are ways of cooking cauliflower that disguise this aroma, concentrate the natural sugars and result in an altogether (to my palate) tasty, interesting vegetable.

First rule: I only blanch cauliflower as a preliminary cooking step, enough to soften the vegetable cellulose walls without filling the kitchen with gaseous, sulfurlike aromas. Steaming or microwaving is preferable to boiling in salted water. Sauteing or roasting is the preferred way of completing the cooking.

Even cauliflower soup is not a puree of boiled cauliflower. Think of it as dissolving a concentrated cauliflower essence, devoid of its sulfuric aromas, with chicken broth or water.

Second rule: Flavor enhancements include salt and pepper, naturally, but the most important flavor, a secret ingredient, which should not be tasted (but whose absence would be missed) is nutmeg.

Other successful pairings that enhance the faint cauliflower flavor and mask the noxious aroma are extra-virgin olive oil, mild aged vinegar, garlic, oily herbs such as thyme, savory and rosemary, and pungent cheeses.

So, here are some suggestions for a cauliflower celebration. Better buy a good dessert, though. I don’t know if even the biggest fan would appreciate cauliflower cake.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower With Balsamico Butter

1 small cauliflower (about 3/4 pound)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt, pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons butter

Place cauliflower in steamer over boiling water and steam until barely tender, about 18 minutes. Remove from steamer. Brush with olive oil and season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Place cauliflower in small roasting pan and roast at 350 degrees until tender in center and golden on outside, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat vinegar in saucepan and simmer until reduced by half. Remove from heat. Beat in butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, transfer cauliflower to serving dish. Pour balsamic butter into sauceboat to serve on the side.

Yield: 4 servings.

Cauliflower and Cod Gratin

3/4 pound cauliflower

1 medium onion

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup white wine

3/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves

1-1/2 pounds cod fillets

1/4 cup bread crumbs

Slice cauliflower into 1/2-inch cross sections, without worrying if some of it crumbles. Cut onion into thin slices. Mix together cauliflower, onions and garlic and place in lightly buttered oven-to-table roasting dish. Cover and bake at 375 degrees 30 minutes. Set aside.

Combine flour and butter in small saucepan and cook and stir over medium heat 1 minute. Add wine and cook until liquid thickens, about 3 minutes. Add milk, pepper, nutmeg and rosemary and continue to cook until mixture is saucelike, about 5 minutes longer. Set aside.

Cut each fillet into 2 lengthwise strips. Arrange over cauliflower mixture. Spoon milk mixture over top. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Return dish to oven and bake until bubbling and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 to 5 servings.

Garlic-Parmesan Cauliflower Beignets

1/2 pound cauliflower, in 1 piece

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dried savory

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 eggs, beaten

Cooking oil

Place cauliflower in steamer over boiling water and steam until barely tender, about 12 minutes. Remove from steamer. Cool under cold running water and pat dry. Break cauliflower into florets and discard center core.

Combine flour, garlic, cheese, savory, salt, pepper and nutmeg in bowl. Place eggs in another bowl. Dip cauliflower florets into egg, letting excess drip off, then coat with flour mixture.

Heat 1-inch depth of oil in skillet and fry florets, in batches, until they are a medium-golden color. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm. Serve hot.

Yield: 6 appetizer servings.