Winter cauliflower is nothing short of amazing! We planted a whole bunch of different varieties this year trying to figure out what does well for us. I’ll post the results on that sometime next month. More important I wanted to put this photo up of our gorgeous SEVEN POUND cauliflower head!! Thanks Matt for capturing this beast on film! Below is a great cauliflower recipe recommended by my friend Lane Selman. She is part of the OSU team that is helping us with variety trials and she also works at the downtown farmers market for Gathering Together Farms. How she find’s time to cook too is beyond me!

Based on Jamie’s Italy cookbook….

Cauliflower Risotto
(Risotto ai Cavolfiori)

serves 6

This is an absolutely delicious recipe. It’s quite unusual, and the best thing about it is that it makes a hero of the much-underloved everyday cauliflower. If you’re down at the farmers’ market, or at the supermarket, have a look around for a Romanesco cauliflower – it’s a similar size to a normal cauliflower but spiky and green. It also has a delicious flavor. The reason I love this dish is because it takes some all-time classic ingredients and puts them together in a great way. In Britain we normally eat cauliflower baked with cheese, and in Italy it is baked as a parmigiana with cream, cheese, and anchovies. All these flavors are in this risotto, with the added bonus of really crunchy chili pangrattato sprinkled on top – it gives an amazing kick.

2 handfuls of stale bread, torn into pieces
1 small can of anchovies, oil from can reserved
3 small dried red chilies
extra virgin olive oil
1 cauliflower
1 risotto bianco (recipe follows)
a handful of chopped fresh parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese, for grating

Whiz the bread in a food processor with the anchovies, the oil from the can, and the chilies. Heat a frying pan with a splash of oil and fry the flavored breadcrumbs, stirring and tossing constantly until golden brown.

Trim the coarse leaves off the cauliflower and cut out the stalk. Chop the nice inner part of the stalk finely. Start making your risotto bianco, adding the chopped cauliflower stalk to the pan with the onion and celery at Stage 1. Add the cauliflower florets to your pan of hot stock.
Read the rest of this entry »

From Local Flavors, by Deborah Madison

The Mustard-Caper Butter

2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup drained sm capers
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
grated zest of 1 lemon
6 T butter at room temp
3 T chopped marjoram
2 t Dijon-style mustard

Pound garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a mortar until smooth then stir into the butter with mustard, capers, lemon zest and marjoram. Season with pepper. Butter can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temp before serving.

The Vegetables

1 lb Brussel Sprouts trimmed up
1 sm. head romanesco
1 sm. head white cauliflower
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Trim the base off the sprouts, then slice them in half or, if large, into quarters. Cut the cauliflower and romanesco into bite-sized pieces. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add veggies and cook until tender, about 5 min. Drain, shake off any excess water, then toss with Mustard-Caper Butter. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.