Cauliflower - no cheese

[BertieBotts]

What can I do with cauliflower? I have got one in my veg bag this week and half of one left from last week. I can't eat cheese because I am allergic to it (other dairy fine). Nearly all the recipes I can find have got cheese as a main component.

I suppose I could blanche it and freeze it, but that seems a bit boring!

Cauliflower curries really well as good at absorbing the flavour.

several recipes here

cauliflower adn smoked haddock soup

roasted cauliflower side dish

cauliflower as mash

roasted cauliflower pasta thingy

Agree cauliflower curry is great

Cauliflower soup:

onion
potato
cauli
stock
(garlic optional)
You can add a bit of milk or cream at the end.
Sprinkle with grated cheddar/parmesan.

I agree - cauliflower curry is yum. How about this recipe for cauliflower and potato curry?

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1397/spiced-vegetable-biryani

This is yum and very straight forward.

Aloo gobhi - ie potato and cauliflower curry is gorgeous. I use an Ismail Merchant recipe but I think there is one in Nigella's Feast too. Or try googling Madhur Jafrey, whose recipes are v good.

It is gorgeous roasted with some olive oil, some cumin seeds and dried chilli flakes plus sea salt and pepper.

how spooky! I've decided to use up a cauliflower today and found this recipe, looks yummy!

Steam the cauli til just cooked. Run under cold water. Mix 2/3 creme fraiche with 1/3 natural yoghurt and some curry powder. Toss cauli in dressing. Tastes way nicer than it sounds!

First, do not trim the green leaves off the outside as the white crown will dry out and go brown much more quickly.

As others have suggested, cauliflower goes well with spice. You can make it the main ingredient or you can use the cauliflower to soak up a different curry, by grating it on the coarse side of a grater, then covering with microwavable film which has been pierced a few times, and microwaving until it is al dente (3-6 minutes depending on how much you do / how powerful your microwave is). Makes a great substitute for rice.

Ditto potatoes: you can steam then purée to serve in place of mash - nice with sausages and onion gravy. Make sure you let all the steam evaporate off before you purée or it will be watery: you can always reheat it afterwards. This is also nice as a pie topping instead of mashed potato, for cottage or shepherd's pie. You might want to add double cream and / or nutmeg.

Also, if it's nice and fresh raw cauliflower is a good crudité with carrots, cucumber, peppers etc for a bagna cauda or humous or other dips.

Yum - thanks all for the ideas. I think I will do the lentil thing linked by MrsGubbins, and a cauliflower, tomato and spinach curry and a chicken and cauliflower pilaf thing in the good food links.

Is it really nice as mash? It doesn't sound very appetising, I am imagining soggy cauliflower a la school dinners

Cut into florets, and place quite nude into a roasting tin. Dust with cumin powder and slam into a fearsomely hot oven. Dry roast until it is starting to blacken a bit at the edges, and cooked through when you check with a knife.
Tis delicious and very virtuous