Perhaps cauliflower is the forgotten brassica – accused of minimal flavor by some and left to forlornly yellow on grocery store shelves. Not for me – cauliflower is a fractal shaped sponge taking any flavor you give it and providing you in return a low calorie high vitamin vegetable you can eat to your heart, lungs, and colon's content.
Its true – cauliflower is white and thus plain in color but it is the flower of the cabbage family and has extremely attractive orange, green and purple cousins. Its orange cousin is packed with vitamin A – so eat up!
Cauliflower also interests those who are obsessed with fractals. Especially its green pointy cousin the romanesco. A fractal is the display of a self-similar pattern both near and far. Take a close look at the alien looking romanesco and you will see why it is such an intriguing vegetable.
For tasty roasted caulifower or the white or exciting green variety start by coring the head to remove it from the stem and leaves. Slice the remaining florets into small 1/4 or 1/2 inch slices and spread them out on a cookie sheet or roasting pan.
Chop a small onion and four cloves of garlic finely and sprinkle them over the cauliflower. Drip a small amount of olive oil over the top of everything and mix it into the mixture with your hands. Now the cauliflower is ready for spices.
You can choose whatever spices you like as the vegetable will take on and compliment most – however the following combination is quite tasty – cayenne, black pepper, coriander, paprika, oregano and salt. Sprinkle each spice you choose evenly over the top of the oiled vegetable and mix again.
Heat your oven to 350 degrees and place the sheet of cauliflower in the overn to bake for about 30 to 45 minutes until everything is slightly golden brown.
Yum. Crispy, flavorfilled brassica on your table.
As a food cauliflower is an extremely nutritious vegetable. It is high in dietary fiber, vitamin C, folate and phyto-nutrients such as sulforaphane (a compound released when cauliflower is chopped or chewed that is likely to protect against cancer) and Indole -3-carbinol (enhances DNA repair and acts as an estrogen antagonist slowing cancer cell growth).
Flower of Cabbage
fractal eyes
staring stars
earthy mathematician
build me healthy cell multiplication
under my teeth
spiced and roasted
crunchy cauliflower
brassica white wonder