Farmer's Market Saturday: BroccoliFlower

What a miserable rainy wet day! Not a very inviting prospect to go out to the Greenmarket. Well, I'm glad that I went out (besides, the dog needed to go do his thing), because I found these gorgeous hybrid Broccoliflower and colored Cauliflower.

The Broccoliflower is a hybrid vegetable, a cross between broccoli and caulifower. The florets have such an interesting fractal pattern. If you've ever wondered what vegetables to serve to a physicist or mathematician, this would be the one!

A simple, yet emminently satisfying way to serve broccoliflower (or regular broccoli, for that matter), is to blanch it in boiling water for a couple of minutes until crisp-tender, then rinse under cool water to set the color. Next, heat olive oil and a little garlic in a saute pan over medium-high heat, then saute the broccolifower with a little salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. You may also grate fresh cheese over the top just before serving.



This beautiful orange-hued cauliflower lends itself perfectly to a spicy South Asian treatment.

Curried Cauliflower
Cauliflower in an Indian Spiced Coconut Milk Sauce

6 Servings

2 tablespoons oil
2 medium onions, diced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1 pinch) cloves, ground
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 15 oz. can coconut milk, unsweetened
2 1/2 pounds cauliflower florets, 1/2" pieces
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped


Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and saute until golden brown and softened, 8-10 minutes. Stir in curry powder, turmeric, cardamom, cloves, and cayenne. Cook for 1 minute. Add coconut milk, cauliflower, and salt. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is very tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and serve.

Serve with Tandoori Chicken or Red Lentil Soup


Technorati Tags: recipe, Farmer's market, broccoliflower, cauliflower, broccoli,personal chef,chef