Welcome to our weekly series where we’ll let you know what fruit and vegetables are market fresh this week, give you handy storage tips and recipes to make the most of seasonal produce.
Cauliflower is a member of the brassica family, along with vegetables such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts and broccoli. A versatile vegetable, it has great texture which means it can be turned into ‘rice’, a pasta sauce of taco filling.
There are three main varieties of cauliflower – white, jacaranda purple and broccoflower.
The snow-white colour of regular cauliflower is the result of blanching – a way of protecting the heads from the sun. Farmers pull over extra leaves or break leaves to provide complete protection. If this isn’t done, the heads will produce small, inedible yellow flowers.
Purple cauliflower gets its colour from the red pigment anthocyanin, also found in other red-coloured fruit and vegetables. Usually, vegetables with this compound are sweeter than their white or green counterparts.
The colour leaches and fades during cooking, but adding a little lemon juice or vinegar will bring it back. This variety is a great way to introduce young, fussy eaters to cauliflower.
Broccoflower is a cross between cauliflower and broccoli, similarly coloured to broccoli Romanesco, which despite its name is a type of cauliflower.
Best stored in the crisper section of the fridge, leave your cauliflower unwashed in airtight plastic bags for up to 3-4 days. It can also be refrigerated upright in a jug of water, covered with a bag.
Once cut into florets, cauliflower deteriorates quite quickly, so use it within a couple of days.
Low in kilojoules and only 34 calories per cup steamed, cauliflower is rich in dietary fibre such as inulin, which acts as a prebiotic helping to feed the good bacteria in the gut along with having anti-inflammatory properties.
Here are three easy ways to put cauliflower on the family dinner plate this week:
With only three ingredients, this comforting brisket and cheesy cauliflower bake will be sure to impress the dinner table. It is also an easy way to disguise vegetables from the prying eyes of fussy, little eaters.
After an easy yet gourmet dinner option? Try these ginger and honey pork cutlets. Served with cauliflower fried rice, it’s a tasty dish that will impress the family.
Enjoy a burst of flavour with these cauliflower steaks topped with a zesty tomato and capsicum sauce, proving veggies can be the star of any meal.
