Tag: Cauliflower

Sticky spicy cauli

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

The ultimate snack-with-beer or starter to whet the appetite. Spicy, sweet, savoury – crunchy round the edges and soft in the middle.

  • 1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
  • 100g plain flour
  • 40g cornflour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp gochujang chilli paste
  • 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 3cm ginger, sliced into 2mm rounds
  • 2 cloves garlic, lightly squished with the flat of a knife
  • Fresh coriander
  • Spring onions, finely chopped
  1. Pre-heat oven to 180C fan (200C) and line a baking tray with baking parchment or a silicon mat
  2. In a bowl, briefly whisk together the flour, cornflour, baking powder, garlic and salt with 140ml cold water to the consistency of thick pancake batter
  3. Throw in the little cauliflower florets and stir gently until they’re completely coated with the batter
  4. Spoon each floret onto the lined baking tray, leaving a bit of space between them so they don’t stick together
  5. Bake for 20 mins until golden
  6. While they cook, heat a small saucepan over a medium-low heat and add all the remaining ingredients except the coriander and spring onions
  7. Stir together and heat to a bubble, stirring for a couple of mins until thickened
  8. Take the cauliflower out of the oven and tip into a bowl
  9. Pour over half to two thirds of the sauce and gently toss the toasty florets in it until coated
  10. Place them carefully back on the lined baking sheet (any sauce left in the bowl can be scraped back into the pan with a spatula)
  11. Put the cauli back into the oven for 10 mins until browned and crisp round the edges
  12. Tumble all the crunchy beauties onto a pretty serving plate, pour over the remaining sauce and sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander and spring onions

Eat them hot from the oven while you blow on your fingers and lick your lips.

As a shortcut (or just because you fancy chicken) you can use chicken nuggets instead of cauliflower and toss with the sauce for the final 7 mins of cooking

Roast cauliflower

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

The very nicest way to eat cauliflower, so tasty you may never eat it any other way ever again. It’s the very opposite of the watery mush you get if you boil it, this has caramelised, crisp edges and a yielding centre with not a hint of mush.

Vary the spicing depending on what you’re eating it with. Use it in a curry, tip over some cheese sauce, make cauli tacos or just eat it on its own. Spice suggestions below…

  • 1 whole cauliflower, outer leaves discarded and stem left intact
  • 2 tbsp veg oil
  • Salt and black pepper
  • Large pinch garlic powder
  • Large pinch chilli flakes
  • Handful flaked almonds, toasted (optional)
  1. Pre-heat oven to 190C fan (210C)
  2. Cut the cauliflower into florets and keep any firm, pale green, inside leaves
  3. Mix your salt and spices into the oil, then toss the cauli and leaves in the oil until all lightly coated
  4. Tip onto a baking sheet and pop in the oven for 20 mins until the edges are brown and crisp, and the cauli is cooked
  5. Sprinkle with the toasted almonds

Moroccan – harissa paste (and leave out the chilli flakes), cumin seeds, squeeze of lemon juice

Mexican – onion powder, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, smoked paprika

Indian – coriander, turmeric, garam masala, mustard seeds

Cauliflower cheese fritters

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Warm, cheesy and immensely comforting. And beautifully easy to make. A great Sunday supper

  • 1 small cauliflower
  • 4 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 100g mature cheddar, grated
  • 200g plain flour
  • 1 heaped tsp grain mustard
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • Milk
  • Half tsp salt
  • Veg oil
  1. Trim the cauliflower and cut into small florets.
  2. Steam the cauli over boiling water for 7 mins, leave to cool for 10 mins and then chop into small pieces (approx half a cm).
  3. Mix together the flour, mustard, eggs, salt and enough milk to make a stiff batter
  4. Mix in cauliflower, cheese and spring onions.
  5. Fry large spoonfuls in veg oil over a medium heat until brown on both sides and cooked through

Makes 6 fritters

Here’s a version with green beans too, as we only had half a cauli and there were green beans that needed using up