Venetian Cauliflower
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1cauliflower, about 1½ pounds
- 4tablespoons olive oil
- 1large onion, finely diced
- Pinch of saffron, crumbled
- ⅛teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
- ½teaspoon whole coriander seeds
- Pinch of crushed red pepper
- Salt and pepper
- ½teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼cup currants
- ½cup golden raisins
- ¼cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
- 2tablespoons chopped parsley
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
195 calories; 13 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 14 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 403 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Cut cauliflower in half from top to bottom, then remove the core. With a paring knife, cut into very small florets of equal size. Blanch florets in boiling water for 2 minutes. Cool in cold water and drain.
- Step 2
Put olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add saffron, cinnamon, fennel seeds, coriander seeds and red pepper. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Step 3
Add lemon zest, currants, raisins and cauliflower florets. Toss with wooden spoons to distribute. Cover with a lid and cook for about 5 minutes more, until cauliflower is tender. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with pine nuts and parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Private Notes
Comments
In addition to increasing the amount of spice, I would recommend a trick from the Ottolenghi cookbook "Plenty," which features a similar dish: soak the saffron threads in a little bit (third of a cup) of hot water before adding the whole bit -- saffron and saffron-infused water -- to the cauliflower. Really ups the flavor. (He also suggests baking the cauliflower in a dish -- that takes longer but was really tasty. And he adds green olives!)
Completely declicious! Entirely unnecessary to blanch the florets. Simply add them raw to the sauteed mixture in a large pan, add a tablespoon of water, toss to distribute and steam until florets are tender. Instead of 5 minutes, the dish will be completed in 10, and you will have one less pan to wash!
Terrific side - I made this with orange and green cauliflower for a color twist - it was a huge success!
Note: I plumped up the raisins and currents in a bit of dry sherry beforehand
I really wish I'd followed the suggestion in the comments to roast the cauliflower. The whole thing came out surprisingly bland for a recipe that's jam-packed with spices and onions and raisins and nuts.
Roasted cauliflower with olive oil; doubled spices; zest of entire orange instead of lemon; 1/8 tsp ground coriander instead of whole seed.
This sounds more delicious than I thought it was, ultimately, though I might try making it again. When cooking the cauliflower I was worried about scorching it and added a splash of water to the bottom of the pot. That made it too soupy, even watery. Also, the raisins made it too sweet. I would nix them and just add the currants. The spices were good. But the pine nuts got lost and softened quickly. I wanted this to be a special side dish for Christmas. It was telling that no one went for the leftovers the next day, not even the vegetarians.