A Winner and a Loser

Wine: Beaumes de Venise Domaine de Fenouillet 2004

We had previously made a Cauliflower dish from Madhur Jaffrey’s memoir of her life in India: Climbing the Mangos Trees. The very delicious recipe is called: Grandmother’s Cauliflower with Cheese (Vali Cobi). The dish is wonderful. It is one of our favorites.

We love a dish we make called Pork Braised in Milk. In the new On Top of Spaghetti cookbook there is a recipe called: Pappardelle and Saffron-Scented Milk-Braised Chicken. Because we like the Pork in Milk we decided to make this new Chicken dish. The chicken was made with saffron, so we figured it would go well with the Indian Cauliflower dish. We made the chicken but found it bland compared with cauliflower. I don’t think we will be making Milk-Braised Chicken again. However, there will be lots more Grandmother’s Cauliflower in our future!

Grandmother’s Cauliflower With Cheese (Vali Gobi)
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SERVES 4-6

I don't have my grandmother's exact recipe. I never asked her, being too young at the time to know better. But the recipe here is a good approximation (as Jimmy Durante, the American come¬dian, used to say, "Da nose knows") and utterly delicious.

Do not use jalapeno or serrano chilies for Indian dishes. They have the wrong texture and flavor. Green bird's-eye chilies or any long, slim, thin-skinned variety, such as cayenne, are ideal. If you can't find them, use 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper instead of 1/4 teaspoon.

2 tablespoons olive or other vegetable oil
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 1/2 pounds (8 cups) medium-sized cauliflower florets, cut so each floret has a stem
1 3/4 cups grated fresh tomatoes
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons heavy cream
One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated to a pulp on the finest part of a grater or Microplane
2 fresh hot green chilies, cut into slim rounds
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/4 cup coarsely grated sharp Cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Pour the oil into a large, preferably nonstick saute pan 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 them around for 2 minutes. Add the grated tomatoes, ginger, chilies, cayenne, turmeric, ground coriander, and salt. Stir to mix. Stir and cook for 5 - 6 minutes, or until the tomatoes are almost absorbed and the cauliflower is almost done. Add the cilantro and mix it in.

Put the contents of the pan into an ovenproof dish about 8 inches square, add the cream, mix, and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Put in the top third of the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and developed a few light brown spots. Serve hot.