In many Aussie homes, cauliflower is traditionally cooked either boiled or steamed, and often covered with cheese sauce, and it’s yummy served that way. But there are other ways to cook cauliflower that change its flavour entirely.
Baked cauliflower
Preheat the oven to 180°C while you prepare the caulis. Cut the cauliflower into even-sized florets then place them in a bowl. Drizzle well with olive oil and grind over some salt and black pepper. Toss the florets to coat with the oil and seasonings, then place them into a flattish baking tray and bake for about 30 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the florets, but cauliflower cooks faster than potatoes, for example. Test a larger floret with a skewer to make sure it’s done, but usually the cauliflower tops will start to brown when they’re getting close to cooked.
Fried cauliflower
This is a classic Middle-Eastern way of cooking cauliflower. First break the cauliflower into florets, then drop them into a saucepan of boiling water, to which you’ve added the juice of half a lemon. Let them cook for 8 minutes (until just undercooked), then scoop them out and let them dry on paper towels.
Next, you coat them in breadcrumbs. So, whip up an egg, dip the cooked florets into the egg, then into some breadcrumbs. Fry in a frypan in olive oil, turning to brown all sides, and serve. (Tip: a dish of natural yoghurt on the side is nice served with these fried cauliflower florets, and try adding some finely chopped mint to the yoghurt, for another variation).
