We Could be Vegetarian

Saint Cosme Cotes-Du-Rhone – 2004


We planned to make a Broccoli Rabe Pasta with Orecchiette and Italian Sausage. However, we could not find the sausage we were looking for, so we decided to abandon the dinner plans. When the sausage comes in, we will make the pasta.

Cathy had been reading “Climbing the Mango Trees” by Madhur Jaffrey. It is an memoir of her youth in India. The book has several recipes in it, although it is not primarily a cookbook. One recipe that caught Cathy’s eye is entitled: Grandmother’s Cauliflower with Cheese. We decided to make that dish in place of the pasta. The dish is WONDERFUL. It is amazingly rich and tasty. It isn’t very hard to make and we really liked it!


Grandmother’s Cauliflower with Cheese
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1 Teaspoon whole cumin seeds
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ pounds (8 cups) medium sized cauliflower florets cut so each has a stem
1 ¼ grated fresh tomatoes (we used Italian canned tomatoes)
1 inch fresh grated ginger
2 fresh hot chilies cut into rounds (not jalapino or serrano, we used Thai Chilies)
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (we omitted!)
¼ teaspoon ground tumeric
1 tablespoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup fresh chopped Cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons heavy cream
¼ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Pour oil into a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. When it is hot, put in the cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for 10 seconds.
Add the cauliflower florets, and stir for about 2 minutes.
Add the grated tomatoes, ginger, chilies, cayenne, tumeric, ground coriander, and salt. Stir to mix.
Cook 5 – 6 minutes, or until tomatoes are almost all absorbed and the cauliflower is almost done. Add the cilantro and mix in.
Put the contents of the pan into an ovenproof dish add the cream mix, sprinkle with cheese. Put in top third of oven and make for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and developed a few light brown spots. YUM!!

We had quite an evolution on what we would serve with it. First we thought we would make rice. Then we thought we would make a risotto and add the cauliflower. Then we decided we would make a rice pilaf to serve with it. Then we STRUCK GOLD!
We were looking in the The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean by Paula Wolfert. We found a recipe that sounded unusual. It is named Steamed Crusty Rice Pilaf with Potatoes. Who ever heard of Rice and Potatoes in the same dish?
Starch-on-starch, got to be great!

Steamed Crusty Rice Pilaf with Potatoes
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2 cups basmati rice
Salt
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium waxy potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Wash the rice in three changes of water, rubbing the rice with your hands to remove excess starch. Soak the rice in quart of water mixed with 1 tablespoon salt at least 2 hours.

About 1 hour before serving, bring 1 quart water and 1 tablespoon salt to boil in a deep saucepan. Drain the rice, add to the boiling water and cook over high heat 5 minutes, stirring often. Drain the rice and rinse it in several changes of water.

In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, sauté the onion in 1 ½ tablespoons of the butter over medium heat until soft and golden.

Transfer the onions to a side dish and add 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet. Make an overlapping layer of potatoes slices, then top with the sautéed onions. Season with salt and pinch of pepper. Tightly cover the skillet and place over medium-low heat 3 to 4 minutes to steam.

Spread the drained rice on top of the potatoes and onions. Place a paper towel over the rice and cover tightly with a lid to keep steam from escaping. Cook 10 minutes over medium-low heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook another 30 minutes. Melt the remaining butter and drizzle over the rice. Cover again, remove from the heat, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Invert onto a wide, flat plate. It the potatoes stick to the bottom of the skillet loosen them with a thin-bladed spatula, and replace them on the rice bed. Serve Hot.

This was a great recipe and we certainly make again!

We could be Vegetarians