Perhaps no vegetable has had more of a makeover than the cauliflower. Once a sad side dish,
cauliflower has become beyond cool, and one of the defining foods of the past decade. Through
the magic of cooking and food processing, it can be transformed into nearly any kind of food your
heart desires. It’s certainly a favorite of chefs, who are serving cauliflower-crust pizza, cauliflower
rice, cauliflower cupcakes, General Tso’s cauliflower, Buffalo-spiced cauliflower, cauliflower patties
and cauliflower mash. In 2019 cauliflower landed on National Restaurant Association’s “What’s Hot”
2019 Culinary Forecast, as the centric vegetable used as a carb substitute.
Where It’s From
Cauliflower belongs to the species
Brassica which also includes broc-
coli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, collard
greens, and kale. Cauliflower is gener-
ally thought to be native to the general
Mediterranean region, especially the
northeastern portion of the region
that is now the country of Turkey. Its
history there dates back over 2,000
years. By the 16th Century, it was eaten
throughout Western Europe and was
once the rage at the court of Louis XIV.
Cauliflower was first grown in North
America in the late 17th century and
has been an important vegetable in
the United States since 1920. Almost
all cauliflower grown in the United
States comes from the Salinas Valley of
California.
Vibrant Colors
The cauliflower comes in a palette
of bright colors. White is by far the
dominant color, but purple, orange and
green varieties exist. The purple variety
is the healthiest of the bunch, but the
orange kind offers a rich, sweet flavor
with 25% more vitamin A. Both can be
substituted for white cauliflower and
orange is especially useful for soups.
Green broccoflower is a hybrid of
broccoli and cauliflower, and a variety
called Romanesco is key lime green and
has pointed, conical spiraling clusters
of florets.
Nutrition
Cauliflower is not all hype and no pay-
off. It packs a punch when it comes to
its nutritional benefits, which only fur-
ther solidifies its reputation as one of
the best healthy foods you can eat.
It’s super filling with 9 grams of
fiber in every 100 calories, making it a
superstar for both digestive health and
weight loss.
Its high fiber content makes it great
for heart health. High fiber diets are
associated with reduced risk of cardio-
vascular disease and stroke. High levels
of cancer-fighting compounds, antioxi-
dants and phytonutrients, make cauli-
flower a superfood that helps combat
inflammation and cancer.
How to Select and Store
Cauliflower
Cauliflower is readily available year-
round, but it’s best in fall and winter.
While buying cauliflower, choose dense
and heavy heads with tight compact
florets. The bud clusters should not
be separated. Avoid heads with brown
spots or mildew. The freshest cauli-
flower will be surrounded with fresh,
green leaves. The leaves of cauliflowers
are also very nutritious.
Store the cauliflower with its stem
side down so condensation doesn’t col-
lect on the florets. You can keep it in
its original packaging, but for longest
life, wrap the heads in paper towels,
put into a loosely closed plastic pro-
duce bag and keep refrigerated. Handle
cauliflower gently to avoid bruising it
and don’t wash it until you’re ready to
cook. Cauliflower lasts about five days
refrigerated and one to three days after
cooking.
Tips for Preparing Cauliflower
Cauliflower is usually cut into florets,
wedges or steaks. For all three prepara-
tions, first trim outer leaves of cauli-
flower and cut stem flush with bottom
florets.
For florets, place cauliflower flat
(stem side down) and slice into ¾”
slices. Working one slice at a time, cut
around core to separate florets, and cut
florets into desired size.
For wedges, halve the cauliflower
lengthwise through the core then cut
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SPRING 2020
into desired number of wedges.
Keep core and florets intact.
For steaks, cut the cauliflower
lengthwise through the core. Cut a
1½” “steak” from each cauliflower half.
Reserve remaining cauliflower
for another use.
One medium cauliflower will weigh
about 1½ lbs. and yields about 6 cups
florets.
Since cauliflower can behave like a
carbohydrate, food processors found
a way to produce cauliflower “rice.”
This is hugely popular in today’s diets
like Paleo because it substitutes for rice
without the carbs. You can find both
fresh and frozen forms of cauliflower
“rice” in every supermarket. Or you
can make it yourself. Cut cauliflower
into uniform sized pieces, then blitz
the florets in a food processor until
transformed into perfect sized rice
granules. To ensure consistency,
work in small batches.
Culinary
Studies have shown that cauliflower
stands up well to various cooking
methods without losing its nutrient
levels. Vitamin C, phytonutrients and
flavonoids present in the vegetable
aren’t destroyed after cooking. In
fact, researchers have found that the
bioavailability of certain nutrients even
improves after cooking.
Cauliflower can be consumed in a
plethora of forms, including raw veg-
etable salads and crudités. It can be
steamed, roasted, braised, microwaved,
sautéed, and grilled. It can be cut into
florets, slices, wedges and steaks! In
fact, WebMD calls cauliflower a kitch-
en chameleon due to its versatility and
ability to pair with most vegetables.
Steaming is one of the best meth-
ods to preserve texture, flavor and
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