Cauliflower Power!

Welcome to November, another month full of fabulous flavors at Pathfinder Produce!  We hope you’ll be able to join us on this Thursday at the Village Commons from 2 to 5 p.m. for our fresh fruits and veggie market.  Feel free to share this flyer with your friends to let them know about our convenient and affordable green-grocery. 

We also wish to remind everyone in the Edmeston area that the “Let’s Go 5-2-1-0” program will be hosting its 2nd annual Turkey Trot 5 K race and Family Waddle this Saturday, November 9. The cost to participate is $10 for adults and $5 for 7-12th grade students. Children in 6th grade and under are free with an adult registration. Those that cross the finish line will receive a raffle ticket for prizes and 5-2-1-0 related items. All proceeds benefit the Edmeston Central School Honor Society. Register the day of the event from 7:45 - 8:45, the race starts at 9 a.m.

With my recent posts about different vegetables and fruits, my colleagues have been sharing some new recipes with me.  One friend sent me a sumptuous recipe for roasted cauliflower with a feta cheese dip, but it sounded a bit on the “sinful side” with cream cheese and heavy cream in the dressing.  So I did a bit of searching and found this alternate recipe from About.com.  It offers a non-traditional way to cook cauliflower, adds a bit of zest, and still retains all of the incredible nutrients of this cruciferous vegetable.  I would think one could use dried rosemary if fresh is unavailable.  (http://southernfood.about.com/od/cauliflower/r/Roasted-Cauliflower-With-Rosemary.htm)

Ingredients:

• 1 large head cauliflower
• 2 tablespoons olive or other vegetable oil
• 2 to 3 small sprigs of rosemary
• 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation: 30 min., serves 4

·       Cut the cauliflower florets into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces.

·       Heat the oven to 475°

·       Put the olive oil in a large rimmed baking pan. Put the pan in the oven for a few minutes to heat the oil.

·       Remove the pan from the oven and add the cauliflower. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and garlic; Toss to coat with the oil and seasonings. Add the sprigs of rosemary and return to the oven.

·       Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, turning a few times, or until the cauliflower is tender and is browning around the edges.

The Wikipedia article on cauliflower is short but quite informative.  The first reliable reference to cauliflower is found in the writings of Arab Muslim scientists in the 12th and 13th centuries.  The vegetable, which gained a foothold on the European continent in Italy, was still considered rare in the time of the “Sun King,” Louis the XIV of France (1638 -1715).  There are currently four major groups  of cauliflower – Italian, Northwest European biennial, Northern European annuals (the most commonly grown today), and Asian.  There are hundreds of varieties of the plant, of which about 80 are grown in the U.S.  I had no idea, but cauliflower is available in different colors, from standard white, to orange, to shocking purple.

Nutritionally, cauliflower is fiber-rich, low fat, low in carbs, and packed with folates, vitamin C, and phytochemicals like sulforaphane and glucosinolates, which may protect cells against cancer, and carotenoids, vitamin A pre-vitamins that act as antioxidants.  Cauliflower also offers indole-3-carbinol, which helps with DNA repair.  Although most of us boil cauliflower, that is probably the least nutritious way to serve it, as it loses significant vitamins in the process (40-50% loss after 10 minutes cooking time).  Steaming, microwaving and roasting retain nearly all beneficial compounds in cauliflower, and of course, raw is always an option for a snack or veggie trays at informal gatherings.

Cauliflower should be washed thoroughly and cut into evenly sized florets to ensure even cooking, and cooked until soft (butg not mushy).  Dieters may use cauliflower as a low-carb substitute for potatoes, as cauliflower doesn’t have the starch content and can be prepared so it resembles mashed potatoes in texture.  More interesting history, botanical, and culinary information on cauliflower may be found at another website to explore: http://www.sustainabletable.org/1601/real-food-right-now-and-how-to-cook-it-cauliflower.