10 cauliflower recipes: how to cook cauliflower

Cauliflower is the perfect vegetable for the winter, because it is very healthy and there are a lot of recipes you can prepare with it. In addition to being very good for the stomach, for high blood pressure and for colds, cauliflower is also ideal in low-calorie diets. However, if you are tired of eating boiled cauliflower or cauliflower salad, you can enjoy it with pasta or fried in pan, baked au gratin, and you can also use it to prepare light and nutritious pureed soups or maybe cauliflower patties that also children will like. If you don't like the smell of cauliflower, just place a cup of vinegar on the lid or add a little milk to the cooking water, so as to get only the best from this precious vegetable. So let’s see the 10 best recipes for cooking cauliflower, delicious and tasty ideas to enjoy it in many different ways.

1.Cauliflower au gratin

Cauliflower au gratin is a delicious, nutritious and greedy vegetarian side dish that can be prepared in a very short time. To prepare it, clean 1 kilogram of cauliflower, cut some florets and blanch them for about ten minutes in boiling salted water. In the meantime, prepare 500 grams of bechamel sauce and grate plenty of parmesan cheese. Lift the cauliflower, dry it gently with a clean cloth and place it in the pan. Pour the béchamel over it and sprinkle with some grated parmesan cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 10 minutes and then use the grill for only 5 minutes, to form a tasty crispy crust.

2. Cauliflower soup

Cauliflower soup is a genuine and healthy first course, ideal for a nutritious winter lunch. To prepare it, fry 1 chili pepper and 1 clove of garlic in a pan with extra virgin olive oil. Then add 800 grams of cauliflower florets, add them to the pan and let them brown for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add water, as much as it takes to cover the cauliflower, and cook for 20 minutes. As soon as the cauliflower is firm, add 300 grams of short pasta and cook until al dente. Once the soup is ready, let it rest for 5 minutes and enjoy it with a sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese.

3. Cauliflower parmesan

The cauliflower parmesan is a truly delicious side dish, ideal for a good and tasty winter dinner. Boil 1 kilogram of cauliflower and cut it into slices. Form the first layer of the parmesan by placing part of the cauliflower on the bottom of a buttered pan with high sides. Add salt and pepper and sprinkle with a handful of grated parmesan cheese. Then add the chopped mozzarella cheese, 250 grams of pan-fried bacon, and 200 grams of chopped soft cheese. Then pour a few tablespoons of previously prepared béchamel sauce and continue until all the ingredients are used up. Bake in a preheated oven at 250 degrees C for about 40-45 minutes.

4.Cauliflower volouté

The cauliflower volouté is a creamy and light first course that is very simple to prepare. A refined and delicious recipe to be enjoyed with croutons. Wash and cut 600 grams of potatoes into pieces, slice a spring onion and clean 800 grams of cauliflower, obtaining florets and then cutting them into slices. Brown the onion in a pan with the oil, then add the cauliflower, the potatoes, salt and pepper and then add 1 liter of vegetable broth. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover with a lid and continue to cook for another quarter of an hour over low heat. Then pour everything into the mixer, also adding chives. Serve the soup hot with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and toasted bread or croutons.

5.Cauliflower fritters

Cauliflower fritters are ideal for preparing a delicious appetizer that will conquer your guests, and they are also excellent for a buffet. Boil 1 large cauliflower cut into florets, then cut them into small pieces and add them to a mixture made with 150 grams of flour, 2 eggs, 1 shallot, 1 clove of garlic, salt and pepper. Mix everything well and fry the mixture with the cauliflower in a pan with plenty of boiling oil. Take the mixture with a spoon and cook the fritters well spaced for about 3 minutes or until golden brown.

6.Pasta and cauliflower

Pasta and cauliflower is a typical first course to be prepared in autumn and winter, a versatile dish that you can also enrich with anchovies and black olives to make it even tastier. Cut 400 grams of cauliflower into slices. Brown in a pan with oil, a clove of garlic and 2 anchovies. Then add the cauliflower and cook for a few minutes, add the chopped black olives and season with salt. Cook 200 grams of short pasta and drain it al dente. Add it to the pan with the cauliflower, add ½ glass of the pasta cooking water and continue to cook for a few more minutes. Let it rest and serve hot.

7. Cauliflower salad

Cauliflower salad is a very tasty dish, typical of the Neapolitan culinary tradition and which enriches the Christmas lunch table. Clean a large cauliflower, make some florets and boil them for about 15 minutes. Drain it and place it in a bowl. Season it with extra virgin olive oil and vinegar, add green olives, pickles, small sweet peppers, anchovies in oil, capers and black olives and mix well. Let it rest in the fridge before serving.

8. Pan-fried cauliflower

Pan-fried cauliflower is a savory and tasty side dish that you can prepare in a very short time. Clean 500 grams of cauliflower and cut it into florets. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a pan with 2 cloves of unpeeled garlic. Then add the cauliflower, a chilli pepper cut into small pieces and the salt. Cook the cauliflower by adding a little warm water at a time, until the cauliflower is soft at the right point. Serve your cauliflower in a hot pan.

9.Baked pasta with cauliflower

Baked pasta with cauliflower can also be an ideal dish for Sunday lunch, a tasty recipe that will please everyone. Cut 700 grams of cauliflower into florets and put them in a bowl with cold water. In a saucepan, sauté in oil the chopped parsley, a clove of garlic and 100 grams of chopped ham. Then add the cauliflower, cook for a few minutes, cover with water, add salt and cook for about half an hour. Meanwhile, beat 4 eggs in a bowl with salt, pepper and grated parmesan cheese. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water and drain it al dente. In a bowl, combine the pasta with the cauliflower, eggs and more grated parmesan cheese, arrange in a pan and add another 100 grams of raw ham cut into strips, a few knobs of butter and bake in the oven at 180 degrees C for 15 minutes. To make it crisp, turn on the grill of the oven for 5 minutes.

10.Cauliflower patties

Cauliflower patties are a delicious and genuine appetizer, also ideal for a buffet, that also children will like. Clean 650 grams of cauliflower, remove the florets and boil them for about ten minutes and let them cool. Transfer it to a bowl, mash it with a fork and add 1 egg, chopped parsley, grated parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and mix. Form patties with your hands and pass them first in the beaten egg and then in the breadcrumbs and cook them in plenty of boiling seed oil until golden brown.